“Sometimes you have to go abroad to be valued more at home.” Are words that Sergi escobar (Almazora, 1975) speaks from Cali, where, more than 8,500 kilometers from his home, he enjoys professional soccer. The Almazorense, assistant to Argentine Juan Cruz Real on the bench America from Cali, is on the verge of winning its first great title: the Red Devils will seek to revalidate the Colombian First Division championship in a two-legged tie in which will be measured at Independiente Santa Fe. “It will be complicated because they have proven to be the most regular team in the tournament, but in our dressing room you can breathe positivism. You can smell in the atmosphere that we are going to be a very difficult team to crack. We have suffered a lot and that has made us much stronger” , Escobar discovers after eliminating Atlético Nacional and Junior, “two of the most powerful teams in Colombia,” in the play-offs.
Sergi Escobar that they had “everything against”. And so it is. América de Cali won its first championship since 2008 in 2019, but The technical body responsible for the feat, headed by the Brazilian Alexandre Guimaraes, left due to the budget reduction caused by the Covid-19. It was then that Juan Cruz Real and Sergi Escobar arrived at the Red Devils bench. “The demand was very high. The budget was reduced and we were brave betting on the quarry. It was risky and they would have beaten us if it went wrong. That is why we are so proud. At 20 years old it is not easy to perform in the 'mata- kills', where a detail leaves you out, “says Escobar. Pablo Ortiz (2000), Luis Sánchez (2000), Santiago Moreno (2000) were starters against Junior. Carlos Barreiro (2001) and Émerson Batalla (2001) came off the bench. “If before they were worth one peso, now they cost a thousand. They are the patrimony of América de Cali and they will go very far,” says Escobar, who highlights Ortiz: “He is a left-handed central defender with good ball output and a maximum speed of 35 km / h “.
“What excites me the most now is being able to bring my two children an America shirt and the champion's medal”
Sergi escobar
In Colombia, Sergi Escobar also lives with the former Granada player Adrian Bouquets, the great bulwark of America de Cali despite its 34 years. “I take my hat off to him. He is the great captain, the great guide of all our young people. He has supported the coaching staff at all times and that has helped us to be where we are. What 'Adriancho' says goes to mass. tremendous, as a player and as a person, “discovers Escobar, who confesses that being eliminated in Copa Libertadores helped America to focus on the league,” which helped us lay the foundations of our idea of the game. ” “We would have preferred to continue, but there is no harm that does not come”, Add.
Although the public cannot enter the stadiums in Colombia yet, América de Cali has felt the breath of its fans, present at all the team's trips. “In Colombia they are crazy about soccer. We live with a lot of passion and our fans are tremendous. They follow us wherever we go”, discovers Escobar. With the qualification for the next Copa Libertadores already in his pocket, the Spaniard yearns to win the Colombian First Division title so he can dedicate it to his family, whom he has not seen for months. Without going any further, Escobar He has not yet met his second son in person, who was born last October in Spain: “I'm proud of what I decided. Every effort has its reward, and what excites me the most now is being able to bring my two children an America shirt and the champion's medal. And give them all the kisses and hugs that I haven't given them. been able to give during this time. It would be a dream come true. The runner-up is forgotten, that's why we want to finish the job. We want to write our name in the history of America de Cali. “