Joaquín Montecinos was born 25 years ago in Barranquilla, Colombia. As there have been dozens of cases, his father, a former footballer, acted in Atlético Junior when his time came to come to the world and thus, by chance, his birthplace was not that of his parents.
Over the years the boy decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, Cristian Montecinos, and became a footballer, specifically an offensive midfielder, with good ball handling and sacrifice on the mark. It went through Unión Temuco, La Serena, San Luis De Quillota, Deportes Melipilla and, since last year, Audax Italiano. His entire career was made in what he considers to be his country, Chile. However, he has not been called up to the national team for now and that triggered speculation about the possibility that he will play for Colombia, his country of birth.
And the question arises: would coach Reinaldo Rueda bet on a nationalized person? His most recent past indicates that yes, he does not trouble the passport when it comes to finding alternatives. As happened with Benjamin Anthony Brereton Díaz, one of Chile’s revelations in the last Copa América.
“It all started before December, the former coach Reinaldo Rueda contacted us and we connected to talk with him. Ben wanted to go to Chile to play,” the Chilean mother of the footballer, Andrea Díaz, told TNT Sports. Yes, Lasarte exploited it but who put it in the folder was the Colombian DT when he was in charge of the southern team. But, is it the same case of Montecinos in Colombia? Probably not, because Breretone is a striker, a scorer, a deficit that Chile had, instead the midfielder is in a position in which there are several candidates, not only with the indisputable Barrios and Uribe, and now Cuéllar, but with others like Lerma and the local league players to whom the DT has wanted to give space, Perlaza case.
Perhaps that is why the Montecinos family does not have many illusions about Colombia, as Montecinos Sr. told the newspaper El Heraldo.
“That was a comment from a person who interviewed me (in Chile), as it changed a bit what I had answered. They asked me if at some point they called Joaquín from Colombia, would he go, I answered that possibly, But at this moment, Joaquín is totally clear that the first option for him is the Chilean team, and it is not to detract from Colombia, “said the former striker, champion with Junior in 1995.
Martín Lasarte’s call is their priority: “He (Lasarte) must have his people whom he trusts more, but it is not a matter of merits, he has merits to spare, and it is not because of what I say, that I am his father, I don’t like to talk about it much, but the general comment from the people and the media is that Joaquín has to be yes or yes in the national team. That will come at some point, I think it will be soon, but it is a Lasarte issue, it is a technician issue “.
The only thing that sounds like Colombia to the father is Junior: “I would love for my son to have the chance, to go play Junior, things change there. I have talked to some people so they can see it and have it in a folder , but well, I have not had the best reception, and well … I think that, if it does not happen soon, that I can play in a great club like Junior, it will be difficult afterwards because I think that he will have a career in Mexico or Europe “.
So the answer to the doubt is clear: there will be, for now, no nationals in the Colombian National Team. Those who are are who they are, in the eyes of Rueda. The red passport is the priority.
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