20/03/2023
Never give up, that is the message that Christian González wants to leave to Colombian athletes who have a dream.
Today he is one of the greatest promises of American football in the United States, but to get there he had to believe in himself, because even one of his coaches was about to end his career.
He was born on June 28, 2002 in Carrollton, Texas, from a family with Colombian roots. His father is former basketball player Héctor González, who was part of the Bogotá Pirates between 1996 and 2000.
Christian is the only man with three sisters, in high school he played wide receiver and quarterback. However, that was when he encountered his first obstacle to his dream: the coaches told him that he was not strong enough to play with the main team, but he did not give up and through a lot of discipline he managed to get a scholarship to Purdue University, from Indiana.
But, he changed his decision and ended up choosing the University of Colorado. There he played the position of cornerback (cornerback), where they are typically chosen because they are faster than opposing offensive players and are better at covering receivers.
2020 is a year he will never forget because he was always a starter for his team making 25 tackles (melee interception) and 5 passes defensed. At that time they started talking about him and the following year his numbers improved, 53 tackles and 6 passes defensed.
It was at that moment that he decided to go to a university with more exposure, the one in Oregon, where he managed 45 tackles and 7 passes defensed last year.
Those performances led him to the NFL Draft in 2023, which is a window for professional teams to choose new talent to the roster, so it’s almost a given that Christian will be part of the NFL and will be the fourth player. Colombian to achieve it in the entire history of this sport. Jairo Peñaranda from Barranquilla, Fuad Reveiz from Bogotá and Fernando Velasco, who, like Christian, was the son of Colombian immigrants, did it before.
At 20 years old, Christian is very clear about his objectives: “I am prepared to play in the NFL with the team that gives me confidence and to return that opportunity by doing the job in the best way”, he also says that he is aware that he must leave high the Colombian flag as have her sisters Melissa, Samantha and Lily.
Melissa was a gold medalist for Colombia in the South American U-23 tournament in Peru in 2016, competing in the 400 meter hurdles and relay. While Samantha and Lily represent the country at the university level.
Christian is an example that no one can say no to a dream, the only one who must decide whether or not to achieve it is yourself and he is on his way.
