The Paraguayan defender grew up on a farm in Peguahomi, 500 kilometers from Asunción, worked with his father harvesting cassava and, in his spare time, he usually returns to the town where he was born.
The one of Robert Rojas It is an atypical case in this football of luxury and ostentation. The Paraguayan defender of River, that some time ago he had assured that he did not need a car to move or had his own apartment, grew up on a farm in Peguahomi, a town located 500 kilometers from the capital Asunción, and usually stands out not only for his seasoned game but for his low profile.
“I worked on the farm with my dad when I was younger. We planted squash, cassava and all kinds of things.”, said a couple of years ago on ABC the defender, who does not like to be called “Hitman”, a nickname given to him by his teammates in Guaraní because of the evil face he made when they shaved him in his first concentration.
In fact, every time Marcelo Gallardo gives the Millionaire, instead of traveling to heavenly destinations as a large number of players usually do, he goes back to his roots, puts his hands in the ground and shares those moments in the field with his loved ones. “As much as it may seem to you that there is not much here, it’s nice to be there. This is my place in the world. Never forget where you come from. Those customs I did not lose. On the contrary, everything here relaxes me“, he assured in that interview.
In life and in football, Rojas seems to be well planted. From a very young age at the Beleano Sports Club he dreamed of making his way with the ball at his feet. So much so that until improvised a home gym with rusty irons and arched a pair of logs to complement his workouts. Nevertheless, his arrival in Guaraní was marked by deficiencies and frustrations.
“When I got to the pension there was nothing. Your bed and you. No fan and lots of mosquitoes. I took my mattress outside, but I woke up fighting with the mosquitoes. When I arrived I did not know what to do. He helped the caretaker to cut the grass, to throw the leaves. My dad called, asked how I was doing and I said ‘better than ever’. But it was a lie: inside I was crying“, confessed the Guarani central, that in those years he had turned down an offer from Olympia because he missed his people.
Despite the complications, Rojas continued to row it from below, he was able to make the jump in First and there he made the difference. So so was summoned to the Paraguayan National Team, won the award for the best defender of his country in 2017 and, two calendars later, received the call from Doll. “In my family they were very happy. They all cried. I also cried with joy when they told me that I would come to River”, he assured on his arrival at the Núñez club.
With more than 50 matches with the red band crossed to the chest, Rojas dreams of continuing to make history and be champion again with him Millionaire of a Professional League in which he made his contribution: head goals, deployment on the defensive line and the sacrifice that characterizes it; in the field with his father Nicolás and in the Monumental under the roar of the fans.
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