“It was a magical, wonderful, unforgettable week, the next step,” commented Rodrigo Alvarez, Emilio Alvarez Soto’s father, after his son participated in Turin, Italy, in the Juventus Tournament, which brings together the best players that this club has selected from around the world. Specifically, these are championships that serve to evaluate them, and make them grow physically, mentally, educationally and nutritionally.
In that sense, Emilio was invited by the Elite category, a series that in Chile has more than 30 players, of which 10 were considered to participate in that tournament with the entire Juventus family in Turin. “Proud to represent Chile, we became the red tide, it is a pride to be in that reality,” said the soccer player’s father.
Resting in the same club hotel, Emilio, exhausted by the long day, where they played three matches, losing in the final against a team from Poland by 4-2, commented that everything had turned out fantastically, “It was a nice experience I really enjoyed this week. I had a great time, I was able to fulfill my dream. The truth is that I don’t have much desire to return,” he said from his habituation.
For Rodrigo, it was a “tremendous experience. We are now back at the ‘bianconeri’ hotel and I am really proud of my son, of representing the region, the country, like La Serena, which needs these openings of doors for the children who come, who dream of becoming in professional footballers.”
Emilio and his father should be returning to regional soil this Sunday after the long week they lived in Turin, convinced that this is the first step of Emilio’s dream and theirs as parents. “It is proven that you have to work hard. The requirement is extremely difficult. On the final day, we lost to the Poles who are very strong. We went up 2-0 and lost 4-2. In the last two games the coach left him (Emilio) more as a creation than a forward, fulfilling that function very well, scoring beautiful goals,” he said.
He adds that, in total, Emilio participated in eight games until reaching the final with the Chilean team and scored six goals. “The days were demanding, he participated in eight games, the first as forwards and then the coach delayed him as a midfielder. He did it very well. On the last day they had to play three games.”
In his father’s opinion, he is convinced that his little son is on the right path. “In an experience like this, Emilio advances a year with everything he has learned from living with kids from Dubai, Sweden, Asia, Poland, Africa, among other countries, where he was able to see their physical capabilities, that there is a lot of friction and also tricks. “He already knows what needs to be done now to continue moving forward,” said his parent.
THE RIGHT PLACE
With an official photograph, plus a certificate showing that he belongs to the Juventus Academy Chile – which is part of the club’s network of academies located in more than 80 countries – Rodrigo is clear that the balance is largely favorable. “It is a process in which observers observe all the children. “Emilio left a good impression, and we leave with a suitcase full of hopes, because we realize that they think highly of him,” he says.
However, Rodrigo – who directly trains his son in the physical aspect – is clear that it is impossible to take a 10-year-old child to Italy at this time, “although the promise of training him in the best way at the Academy Chile is, since he is on scholarship, so we are in the right place. He is already at Juventus, and at his age you cannot do anything other than train until he is 13 or 14 years old. That is known, this is how it is,” he says.
In fact, Emilio was recruited last December and they invited him to join Juventus, for which they travel to the capital every weekend to continue the process.
Born in Santiago, in the midst of the pandemic the family emigrated to La Serena, where they have had a new beginning, since in the capital they went through the minor series of Colo Colo and the Catholic University. “This is something different, more focused, personalized on the children, on the growth of each of them in their potential and weaknesses,” he stressed.
In the region, he also joined CD La Serena cadets a few weeks ago. “They invited him to the 2014 series and he didn’t last one training session when teacher Felipe Torres and Milko Legua sent him to the 2013 selective in the club’s direct school. He must continue training with nutritional and physical issues, do special work and work hard,” he details.
In any case, and beyond the time he has been training him, his father admires the innate talent that his son shows in soccer. “We can no longer give him technical things, he has the ability. His father always trains him, maybe, but all this is his. Alejandra Soto, his mother, fought, knocked on doors to get financial support to fulfill this dream, we managed to raise 70% of this dream, but we have to continue.”
School support
Immediately, Rodrigo explains that, currently, his son has support and an educational program adapted for him at the Nuevo Mundo school. “They are helping him in an incredible way, since they are clear that the training is comprehensive. We must guide him, catch up with school, his things, which are important. He must do very well in that,” he pointed out.
Despite this experience, in any case, the family is clear that their son must continue growing.
“Next year the team will remain, we will work in all professional areas, its football and psychological focus. He is an extraordinary child, and what we are experiencing is something very fortunate,” concluded his father, who, in passing, especially thanked all those who contributed with their grain of sand to make Emilio’s dream come true, whose path is become a professional footballer.
