Saturday 16 / November / 2024
Muscat: Muscat Football Academy’s talented 19-year-old forward, Alejandro Espinosa, has received a sports scholarship to study at the Loras College in the United States.
The year-long scholarship will see 55 per cent of his tuition fee paid for by the college, which means he’ll only need to pay US$18,000 of the $45,000 needed.
Espinosa, who originally comes from Guatemala, has been with the academy since its inception in 2011, and his father, Marco, credits Head Coach Chuck Martini with honing his son’s latent talent.
“Ever since he learned how to walk, football was always his passion,” recalled Marco, a captain for Oman Air. “His passion was actually discovered in India, where we lived for four years before coming to Oman about six and a half years ago. He commenced training with Chuck Martini, who has been his mentor and polished his skills.”
“We are very happy because he is a committed young man, who is very responsible with his studies,” added Espinosa Sr., who previously served in the Guatemalan Air Force.
“It’s easy to get to the top, but it’s hard to maintain it.
“He must always keep his feet on the ground and be humble, and understand the excellent quality of the studies he has been offered, and train hard and play his
games well.
“When you are a young man, you have to look at long-term goals, but those are divided into smaller goals,” he said. “He must earn the right to play and learn at Loras College.”
Fortunately for Espinosa, who is also a fourth-level Dan in taekwondo, his feet are firmly planted on the ground.
“I joined the Choueifat School here, but fortunately I was able to play football and study hard side by side,” said Espinosa. “I’d always set myself a goal of wanting to play football and getting my degree, so I worked really hard since the 10th grade.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime for me,” exclaimed Espinosa. “I had to make many personal sacrifices to achieve this, because I needed to stay at home to study for my exams throughout the weekend so I could go and train on weekdays.
“There were times when I attended my exams without sleeping at night, because I was training until 11pm, then I went home and studied and went for my exam the next day, but these are the sacrifices you need to make if you want to achieve something.”
“Now that I am going to America, I want to earn myself a full scholarship next year,” revealed Espinosa. “My dream is to one day play for Real Madrid and to get Guatemala the World Cup.”
Coach Martini is also sure that Espinosa will make it big in future.
“Alejandro has a big spot in my heart because he’s been with me from the get-go,” said the former Leicester City and Morocco international goalkeeper. “I am absolutely thrilled that he has received this opportunity to study in the United States, because it takes him a step closer to his dream.”
“He is a fantastic athlete and a great student,” added Martini. “He’s been the spearhead of our success and epitomises what I consider to be a coach’s dream. He listens; he works hard and his efforts on and off the field are fantastic. I think he has all the attributes to become a professional and I’m very happy it’s materialised for him.”
