The news that four Cuban footballers would be invited to join Mexican club Santos Laguna for their pre-season training, has awoken hopes among Cuba’s large football fan base of raising the competitive level of this sport on the island.
Although it is true that football fever, which has been present on the island for several years now, spreads rapidly depending on the success of teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or the performances of stars such as Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Arjen Robben - we Cubans desperately want to see our players triumph in international arenas.
The invitation from Alejandro Irarragorri, president of Santos Laguna, offering opportunities to local football players, represents the realization of a long-standing dream of hundreds of thousands of Cubans.
Goalkeeper, Sandy Sánchez, midfielder Arichel Hernández, defender Arturo Diz Pe and forward Maykel Reyes, were the four players chosen by the Mexican team, given their technical abilities displayed in a friendly match between the Cuban national team and the Santos Laguna squad, held recently in Havana’s Pedro Marrero stadium, which ended 1-0, in Cuba’s favor.
These four footballers have become the hot topic of conversation among football fans. Some seem optimistic and expect the quartet to do well, while other are more wary, arguing that the training will be very demanding, and that fans should wait and see how each player fairs.
Granma International spoke with the goalkeeper from Las Tunas, Sandy Sánchez, and midfielder Arichel Hernández at the Pedro Marrero Stadium about their reactions to the news and other related matters.
Did you know you had been chosen before your match against Santos Laguna?
Sandy Sánchez: I had no idea I would be selected. There were other players that could have been called up. When then match ended, they asked me to attend a press conference, I thought some journalist wanted to interview me, but there the president of Santos Laguna Club made the official announcement. I was in shock.
After the conference, the first thing I did was call my mom. She was very happy when I told her the news. She told me how proud she was of me, and asked me to work hard on the areas highlighted by the club coaches, and to give it my best during the training sessions.
Arichel Hernández: Yes, I knew what was going to happen. Before the match, our technical director, Raúl González Triana, called me and Arturo Diz Pe, to let us know that Santos Laguna were interested in inviting us to Mexico to join them for their pre-season training.
It was a moment that gives you more confidence, and a sense of having to do things well. I was excited for the friendly match, because I knew they would be evaluating my performance and you don’t want to disappoint those who believe in your potential. As the match got going, I forgot about the news and focused on doing my job on the pitch.
What are your expectations?
SS: For now I’ll be focusing on training hard in Mexico. I can’t say what might happen after December 25, when Santos Laguna’s pre-season ends. After that comes our play-off match against Panama for the Copa Centenario, that’s my aim, to train hard in order to help the Cuban team qualify for the tournament.
AH: First, do things well, increase your confidence every day, and show that we are capable of playing alongside professionals. Every footballer’s dream, as well as going to the World Cup, is to play in the top leagues, like the Mexican one.
Are you aware that you could be the first four football players to be signed given the new contracting policy for Cuban athletes abroad?
SS: It’s not just the possibility of being signed. During training we will also learn about technical aspects of football which are rather underdeveloped in Cuba. I, as a goalkeeper, hope to learn training methods that will help me improve in my position.
AH: The owner of Santos Laguna told us that the doors are open to us, but everything depends on our performance. If we meet all the demands, we could potentially join the A squad for 2016, but it’s too early to talk about that now: we haven’t even begun training.
This is a very important step; we hope it’s the door that opens up interest in Cuban footballers from foreign clubs. We understand that coaches from other teams will be able to see us play in Mexico, which gives us even greater opportunities. We just have to do well and catch their interest, or at least make them want to come to Cuba and see how other players perform.
How would you rate Mexican football?
SS: Their clubs are very competitive. We’re not talking about just three or four which have a real chance of winning. As well as Santos Laguna, there’s América, Chivas de Guadalajara, Monterrey, Cruz Azul, Tigres, Pachuca, etc.
AH: Mexican football isn’t easy; it’s ranked highly by CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football). Many of Mexico’s footballers play for European clubs, and when they leave the country, it’s because they’ve shown that they’re good enough to play at the highest level.
What do you and Maykel Reyes and Arturo Diz Pe think about your upcoming opportunity?
SS: We are four athletes that play in different positions. I, as a goalkeeper will train with the goalkeeping coach. My other three teammates might not see me play as they will be focusing on doing their job. The most important thing is that we encourage one another, before and after the training sessions, and help each other out.
AH: We’ve talked about how we must adapt ourselves to training at a different level. We can’t say that all four of us are going to perform exactly how we and our trainers would like. We can only say that we will give it our best. The idea is to be well focused, and take on every task given by the coaches. I don’t think they will go easy on us just because we are guests; we have to show what we’re capable of.
The four of us know that we need to constantly communicate, and help each other. We must change our mentality; we will be at a professional club which will demand the best of us, both on and off the pitch. We must also be open to advice from our teammates. Now, it’s all up to us.
