The Dock Sud towers witnessed their first electric dribbling, when they barely knew how to tie shoelaces. Or not even that, because many times Nahuel Barrios He ran barefoot chasing his most faithful friend, the ball, the one that was always by his side to guide him away from danger and keep him focused on achieving his dream of being a soccer player.
“I started playing in the neighborhood. Since I was little I always liked to play ball in the Docke. Later I went to a Gerli club called Amor y Lucha. They saw me there when I was 10 and they took me to a test in San Lorenzo. And stay”recounts the dawn of his career, this 24-year-old driver who, thanks to his ability and his 155-centimeter height, became catchable for rivals.
To dodge kicks -and also to know how to lie down when the rotten one was armed– in the Dock Sud paddock to try on the number 10 jersey of the Cyclonethe one that his idol used Leander Romagnoli and with which he will go out to the Nuevo Gasómetro for the first time this Saturday in the premiere of the championship, against Arsenal. The puppy shares with Clarion his satisfaction for an ideal present after having rowed for years at the Boedo club.
Gone are the loans in Defense and Justice and Central Córdoba in Santiago del Estero to find continuity. Led by Ruben Darío Insua, Barrios settled in San Lorenzo and wants more.
-How were those games on the Dock Sud courts?
-They were spicy. The older ones invited me to play and they kicked me shit. I liked it the same, huh. It got very spicy and they always called me to play with them. I liked to play ball a lot. He played all day. We would make balls out of bags: we would put rags in it, tie it up and play. Barefoot, whatever.
-Dirt court?
-There in the neighborhood yes, dirt. And when it rained we played in the mud. Nothing else mattered but playing ball. We did tournaments. We played for Coca, for anything to motivate more. And we kicked the shit out of each other.
-How was your day as a kid?
-And… I came home from school and told my mom, “Mama, I’m going to play ball”. He was on the street all day. He would show up again around 9 at night. Sometimes my mom, Monica, would scold me, but she realized that what I liked was playing ball.
-In your family were you the only one who dedicated himself to soccer?
-We are eight brothers, I am the one in the middle. I have male brothers who also liked to play, but they didn’t make it. It seems to me that they did not like training, they were kind of lazy, ha. They play very well, but they didn’t know how to take advantage of it.
-When did you realize that you were good at soccer and that you wanted to dedicate yourself to that?
-I always knew it. And that there were many things in my neighborhood that prevented me. But I liked training. I was going alone. At the age of 14 he was already traveling alone. It was a sacrifice because sometimes we didn’t have enough money for the ticket, but my mom did whatever it took for me to come. I always said that one day all this was going to have a reward. Thank God it was possible.
-If it hadn’t been for soccer, what do you imagine would have happened with your life?
-Sincerely I dont know. The neighborhood was very, very rough. Everything was within my reach, but I never grabbed anything. I never strayed the other way. I had something that was football and I went for that. You can ask anyone. Many ask me “how did you get there despite everything?”. I think about it and it’s true. But my idea was fixed.
– Do you have friends who had conditions, but who followed another path?
-Yes, many. Some are now in prison, others are… But hey. I told my brothers. But other than talking to them and telling them I can’t do anything else.
-Several years ago you said that one of your objectives was to be able to get your family out of the neighborhood. Could you make it?
-My mom still doesn’t want to leave. I tried, but she still won’t. I know I’m going to make it. She is used to living there. Thank God they are better. I can help you. Obviously my brothers are big and they also fend for themselves. I’m very familiar, but my mom doesn’t like to go out much. I tell her to go for a walk and sometimes I convince her. It’s that one of my little brothers is disabled and she takes care of him.
-And when you return to the neighborhood, what do they tell you?
-The truth is that everyone receives me very well. Nobody tells me anything. They know me and they know how I am. When I debuted in the neighborhood I was very happy that someone from there could come. It was like an example.
-Do you like being an example that you can have a humble origin and achieve what you want?
-Yes a lot. The little children always come to tell me that they see me play. That makes me very happy. Maybe they want to follow the same path and that’s great. It gives me strength.
-Did you have a specific talk with Insua when he arrived?
-No. It went away with the course of training. He gave me a chance to play and I thank him because I had to show myself on the pitch and I’m taking advantage of it. I want to continue for more. I don’t want to stay alone with last year. I have been fighting it for a long time and it was not happening to me. I went on loan and he didn’t give me the way I wanted. And now I’m having this chance and I want to continue taking advantage of it.
-When you returned from the last loan, did you think about leaving again or did you think about having another chance here?
-It is that Ruben arrived here and everyone started from scratch. If they gave me the opportunity I was psyched that I was going to take advantage of it. If it did not happen, I was going to go on loan, yes.
-Why do you think Insua managed to pacify San Lorenzo?
-It is that the Galician knows the club a lot. He had already been here. He makes us know all the time of the sense of belonging. He gives a lot of confidence to those who play and also to those who don’t play. They all feel important. A good climate was generated and there is a barbaric group. All first are very good people and not to mention the class of players.
-When did you realize that this was definitely going to be your moment?
-When I played with Barracas Central as a starter. That was my first game as a starter with Insua. I felt that it was time. I let go a lot. I had had several opportunities in the past and had not taken advantage of them. And now I am older, I feel more mature.
-You played as a forward, as a winger, as a double five… Where do you enjoy the most?
-In Inferior I always played as a hitch, free. In First Division I began to play more on the outside. In both ways I feel very comfortable because I really like to play one-on-one, but in the middle I have more of the ball and I participate more in the game. I like not having a fixed position. And I like to participate in the game always. I have to start trying to hit the bow more.
-¿Te pide eso Insua?
-Yes, everyone tells me to try more. I don’t encourage myself so much to hit the goal, I like more to give a pass.
-This football is very physical and beyond your complexion you search for it to transcend. Have you ever felt that I was at a physical inferiority?
-Today you have to run a lot, it’s not like before. If you don’t run today I don’t know if you’re going to be able to play. And no, I don’t feel inferior. Out there the rivals may think that since I am a boy they are going to beat me and they are confident. Better for me. I take advantage of that. Some opposing defenders ask me to stay still and stop running ha.
-Your idol was Pipi Romagnoli, the last 10 of San Lorenzo emerged from the quarry, but now you have the 10.
-Yes. I thought about this moment many times. I dreamed of it a lot. I come from the Inferior and there I always used it. He wanted to use it in Primera. Now it was given to me and I am very happy.
-Did you ask for it or did someone suggest that you use it?
-I asked for it. We agreed with Insua. They told me yes. I was already thinking about it, but I was waiting for the right moment. Before she did not play and it was not appropriate. Now I felt yes. Ruben accepted.
-Did you talk to Pipi about this?
-Not yet.
-And what do you think he would tell you?
-I don’t know… It’s the biggest, he left it up there. I’m going to do everything possible to leave this number at the height it deserves. Pipi won everything here and I’m going to try to do something. I already used it in the summer friendlies but the shirt did not have the last name. This Saturday is going to be something else, with the people of San Lorenzo… The fans always show me great affection. It’s going to be very nice. My family will be on the court.
-Insua and some referents say that this year you have to win a title. Do you talk to each other in the locker room?
-Yes of course. We are San Lorenzo, a great team. We have to aim to be at the top in all competitions. We are preparing for that. I dream of winning something with San Lorenzo. Hopefully it will be given to us. But you have to be calm.
Leandro Romagnoli’s opinion: “He deserves it, hopefully 2023 will be his year”
For me it means a great joy that he Puppy Neighborhoods take the 10 of San Lorenzo. First, because he was born from the club, he made every effort to reach the First Division and he did. He had to go on loan, he fought for it, he came back and today he has a very good present, like the whole team.
He has a great sense of belonging because he left the club. He deserves it for the year he had. Hopefully 2023 will be his year and that of all of San Lorenzo. That’s my wish.
I would tell him that coming out champion with the Barça shirt and with the team that gave you everything as a boy and saw you grow is the most beautiful thing that can happen to you. I hope that this year it will be his turn to experience it and all his colleagues.
