The situation of Rodrigo Ureña (31) is quite particular. The midfielder, trained in Unión Española, emigrated abroad in 2020 and, from there, became one of the most regular and successful national footballers. That year he went to América de Cali in Colombia, then he went to Deportes Tolima in the same country and, currently, he is in Universitario de Perú.
The midfielder managed to win the First Division title with each of his clubs, in addition to having participated in international cups. However, the peculiar thing is that it has been avoided by several La Roja technicians. Now, Ricardo Gareca did not consider it either, not even for the friendlies against Albania and France.
Beyond that, Ureña gave his vision on how Chilean soccer is managed, in dialogue with ESPN: “I’m going to be super honest. It happens to us a lot in Chile that any Argentinian or any Uruguayan arrives and is idolized after two weeks.. For me, in Colombia, it was super difficult, very complicated. It is a nationalist football and, obviously, the same thing happens here in Peru. Is not easy. You have to fight it, you have to row it and one with his football and his characteristics has something different, and that little by little began to reach the people.”
The footballer equated it to what he experienced in countries like Colombia or Peru: “At first I was also criticized. With work and a lot of effort I was able to reverse it both here and in América de Cali, which is a very big club. Becoming champion the first year was difficult. There are seven big teams there. I have played many international tournaments… eight Copa Libertadores? That supports me in my way of being and playing.”
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