CAmy Andres Mena He is in the news in today’s football as he is the under-20 player with the most scoring influence this season. In addition, he is also part of the select group of the 60 young people with the greatest projection in the world, according to the prestigious English newspaper The Guardian. He plays in the Valmiera from Latvia. We talk with him.
What is your present?
“Very happy in Latvia, doing things the way they should. I planned them all year long and they are turning out for the best. The numbers speak for themselves.”
Where did you come from?
“I started in football when I was very young. The team that gave me the opportunity to emerge was Alianza Platanera, which is in Apartadó. Then Tigres de Bogotá noticed me. I came to him with great expectations and then it was the team that opened the doors to professionalism for me”.
What region are you from?
“I am from Concordia (Magdalena), near Santa Marta. I was displaced by the violence to Urabá, Antioquia, with my parents and siblings. That’s when I started concentrating on football and looking for better opportunities”.
How did you end up in Latvia?
“When I was at Pereira, in 2020, I did not live that experience as I expected. I had the possibility of returning to Tigres or coming to this country, and before I came other possibilities arose such as Talleres de Córdoba (Argentina), Millonarios, Alianza Petrolera and Pasto, but I respected the commitment that I had already signed in Latvia, even though I did not knew the country. Thank God I was not wrong.”
How has the adaptation been?
“The first year, in 2021, was very difficult because obviously I didn’t speak English, Latvian or Russian. So there were sleepless nights, wanting to throw in the towel. He was far away, alone, and without a companion who spoke Spanish. Fortunately, this year I learned some English and things got easier for me. I am in a small town, Valmiera, where there is not much to do and I try to stay at home and train. It is a quiet, orderly country. What I did not like is the cold weather and the food, which is good, but one always misses their paisa tray, their patacón and their arepa”.
How does the trainer communicate with you?
“Thank God a teammate who lived in Spain joined the team this year. He then became the interpreter between the teacher and me. In addition, with English I understand a little more and there is also a Portuguese who speaks Spanish and helps me”.
You are the best under-20, by numbers, in the world, how have you taken it?
“When I found out about this news, I was very happy. My family is also happy because many people reproached me for having come here. They said I was going to get lost, but my dream was to start making a name in Europe and God put me here. I have dreams to fulfill, like reaching a top league, that’s what I work for. That news gave me more exposure, they are noticing me.”
He is also among the 60 most important promises in football, according to The Guardian…
“When I received that news it was great because I didn’t imagine being on that scale and at such a high level. Sometimes I don’t even believe it, because they are putting me among the best in the world”.
How far do you want to go?
“I want to wear the shirt of the Senior National Team. I already did it in sub-15 and 17. Besides, I would love to one day reach Juventus in Italy”.
What has been your most important achievement so far?
“More than sports, it was being able to build a house for my mom. I continue to help him to sustain himself”
