On his return to FC Barcelona, Dani Alves said that “age is just a number”. “We are seeing great players with an age above the average,” added the Brazilian, who will turn 39 next May. But in a season in which three thirty-somethings like Lewandowski (33 years old), Messi (34) and Benzemá (33) are the great favorites to win the Ballon d’Or, there are those who continue to give importance to the date that marks the DNI. “I have had offers from the United States and Egypt, but when they see that I am 35 years old, they back off,” he discovers. Joseph Pedrosa Prince (León, 1986) after finishing his third season in Valor, of the Canadian Premier League. “It’s something that annoys me. My coach when he arrived told me that I was hardly going to play, that at my age it was impossible for me to pick up the pace after being injured for three months. Now he says that my performance and attitude have always been top. It’s unfair that some of us are valued for the years we have. There are players in the elite who have reached their best level after turning 30 “, adds the most international Leonese.
José Galán has played in 13 different countries -Before joining Valor, he went through Spain, Thailand, Indonesia, Austria, Jordan, Cyprus, Romania, Finland, Andorra, Hong Kong, Qatar and Saudi Arabia-, although Canada “is where they have loved me the most.” “The fans show me a lot of affection. I think I am their favorite player,” adds a footballer who longs to play in “the United States or Australia” but does not rule out renewing his contract and continuing to reside in Winnipeg, a city of just over 700,000 inhabitants in which, in winter, the average temperature is -20º. “It is a very harsh city. In winter it is very cold.” José Galán is one of the footballers who has participated in all the editions of the Canadian Premier League, a competition with a lot of room for improvement because “everyone is against the policy of signing only young players. ¿¿ Wouldn’t it be better to bring some veteran footballers with experience in Europe to teach the younger ones? “
The Canadian Premier League was created with the aim of developing Canadian players for the World Cup that the country will organize together with Mexico and the United States in 2026. It was this that led the competition to reject the signing of players such as Diego Forlán and which forced Galán to have to fight for them to accept his renewal with Valor. “I have played in many countries and I am surprised Canada is where I have found a worse organization. They do not let us speak, they have not accepted the association of players that we are trying to create to have more rights, they promised to return the 25% that they retained us during the pandemic and they haven’t … They even forbid us to post photos with a car because they have an agreement with Volkswagen. Looks like I’m playing in North Korea“, discovers a Galán who saw his season diminished due to an injury to the sole of the foot. Despite this, the Leonese managed to reappear and play 12 games in which he was chosen as the best midfielder of the championship and improved on Valor: those of Winnipeg did not reap any partial losses with him on the field.
“How can a guy who has earned so much be so humble?”
For José Pedrosa Galán, traveling the world thanks to football also allowed him to fulfill the dream of meeting an idol like Xavi Hernández in person. “The first time we had dinner together we spent four hours talking about football. Only with that you can see the passion he has for this sport. He is sick. He loves it”, recalls Galán of his first contact with the new FC Barcelona coach. “He has everything to succeed. The Qatar Stars League is not a high-level competition, which is why there is so much merit for how well Al Sadd played. The Qataris are not as well trained as a Spaniard and when you see them play it doesn’t show. They play by heart, they are a very hard-working team and that is Xavi’s fault, who has managed to surround himself very well. I know part of their team and they are not only very good professionals, but also very good people. That adds a lot. “
Galán always admired Xavi, but his enthusiasm was heightened when he met him in person. “How can a guy who has earned so much be so humble? As a person he exceeded my expectations. What struck me the most was his empathy and positivity. We watched a Qatar-Algeria together and it always highlighted the good in each footballer. Surely he has gotten where he is because of that, by always seeing the good side of things. Those people succeed, “adds Galán, who hopes to follow the same path as Xavi Hernández.” When he retired I asked him: ‘Isn’t it hard for you to quit?’ He told me that there is nothing like playing, but that working on things and then coming out in games is an incredible feeling. I saw him with so much energy and positivity that I dared to follow in his footsteps. When I started training at the Valor quarry, I told him: ‘You were right. I’m really liking it. “