The 23-year-old goalkeeper has been captain of Santa Fe’s minor divisions for the past decade. Leandro Castellanos’ injury gave him the opportunity to start.
Defend a legacy. Belonging to a lineage that has left a history. Breaking the stigma of age and experience. Show that victory in each circumstance and challenge does not necessarily depend on the years, but on the sense of responsibility and greatness to take on each challenge as an opportunity to claim everything that was done long ago to get to that point.
Ómar Rodríguez, who debuted in the First Division of Colombian professional soccer with Santa Fe against Nacional before the stoppage due to the pandemic, has been there to replace Leandro Castellanos, the cardinal’s starting goalkeeper, and demonstrate to him, his teacher and teammate , that the bow has been in the best hands.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper arrived in the red box in 2010. It has been more than a decade of learning and patience. Little by little he was climbing in the categories of national football. Except in 2019 when he went to Llaneros and played 20 games as a starter to gain more experience, Rodríguez has always worn the Santa Fe shirt. That his adolescence and youth correspond to the minutes and experiences with the red of the capital represents a imprint on his life and a sense of belonging to an institution that has managed to become great with the resilience that many highlight and with the glories that it has accumulated in recent years on a national and international scale.
Leandro Castellanos, who suffered a muscle discomfort in his left hamstring last month, has not been able to return to the Santa Fe goal. And today, with the sum of four games played by the League and two by the Cup, Ómar Rodríguez continues to show that the The sum of minutes as captain of the minor division teams was due to his virtues on the field and as a human being. His leadership to give directions, his security under the three sticks and his confidence to go out playing with his feet are guarantees that Hárold Rivera, technical director of the lion, takes into account to continue giving him ownership in a solid team, which has an identity of game and that he feels strong for the final phase, because with 34 points he thinks about continuing to improve his level to reach the last stage of the championship in the best conditions.
Saying that Ómar Rodríguez is a squire is not only a way of referring to his role in defending the goal, but also to vindicate the values of Santa Fe. In his years in the minor divisions he had teachers like William Morales, former captain of Santa Fe , and Léider Preciado, one of the biggest idols of the Cardinal fans. Knowing how to see yourself in those who have made history and understanding the weight of doing it is to continue weaving the identity of the place to which you belong, it is knowing that the shirt you wear has memories and struggles behind it, that it is not just the present and seeking to be a champion to endure in time, it is also to dignify those who dressed it in the past with the pride and substance that has characterized the cardinal player.
Going from being led by Morales and Preciado, to training alongside Agustín Julio, Rufay Zapata or Leandro Castellanos himself, says a lot about Rodríguez’s ability to get to this point. In an atypical moment, where some justice is done with the youths who have waited so long to demonstrate their abilities, the ownership of the 23-year-old goalkeeper is a fact that corresponds to his discipline and the wisdom of those who recognize the voices and movements of the experience to become better not in terms of egotism and vanity, but in the aspirations of every young man who dreams of achieving what he has seen in his references and of defending and leaving his contribution in a legacy that demands greatness and courage, which then symbolizes the claw and fury of the lion’s roar.
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