5 world soccer stars who were ball boys

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These players and former players had the opportunity to see their idols while collecting balls, before becoming idols themselves

Since children, many players had great dreams and aspirations that allow them to reach far in the world football when they reached adulthood. Several of them were collectors in various stages of world football, seeing the opportunity to watch each of their idols close to the field before having the opportunity to play professionally.

Leer en español: 5 estrellas de fútbol mundial que fueron recogepelotas

Formed in the lower divisions of a professional team, they had the option of observing each of the incidences of sporting contests. Apart from that, they saved unforgettable memories for their lives through photographs and anecdotes that they recorded and told their families.

In addition, they took pictures with references that they admired, and that fact allowed them to later become partners of the professional team. Latinamerican Post presents footballers who started out as collectors, and who later became big stars.

1. Before being a Boca Juniors' idol: The star of the 'xeneize' club, Carlos Tévez picked up balls in La Bombonera when he was in the minor divisions. América Tv reported that, while being a ball boy, 'el apache' met references such as Juan Román Riquelme and Martin Palermo.

Later, he played with them, and achieved high-level titles such as the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental in 2003. The portal esbesoccer.com, said that Carlitos took a picture with Riquelme, whom he admired for his great football performance with Boca. "One of the people who helped me understand what it was like to play in the first division in Boca was Juan Roman Riquelme", Tevez told Marca Argentina.

Also read: Boca Juniors: an Argentine club filled with Colombian essence

2. He fulfilled his dream: The creative midfielder Andrés D'Alessandro, who was a figure with River Plate, also played picking balls. 'El Cabezón' appears in a photograph with the Uruguayan crack, Enzo Francescoli as a collector in the Monumental de Núñez stadium.

Subsequently, he became a player in the ninth division and then the fifth of the "millionaire" cast. He sold pizzas to earn extra money. With the passage of time, he was consolidated in River, and became one of the best players that has had the Argentine soccer in the last ten years. In a video released by soccer painting, Andrés D'Alessandro said that in his childhood he liked what was done by the Uruguayan, Rubén Paz and that he liked to imitate him.

D'Alessandro told elgrafico.com.ar that he lived his childhood, the time of Francescoli. from very close and always admired him for his good performance. "I was very lucky because I was an achiever in the Libertadores, the Supercopa, and the tricampeonato," Andrés told grafico.com.ar.

3. A monumental history as a scorer: The star of Monaco and the Colombian National Team, Radamel Falcao García, was a collector in River Plate. When he made part of the minor divisions of the 'Millionaire' box, 'El Tigre', he was picking up balls at the Monumental de Núñez stadium. According to Futbolete.com, Falcao made 45 touchdowns with River, scoring 34 in the Argentine First Division and 11 in international competitions.

According to Blu Radio, in a qualifying match between Argentina and Colombia in 2001, the scorer was part of this match while performing this function. Subsequently, Falco came to the professional team of the 'Crossed Band' and became a figure by scoring a large number of goals.

4. From ball bounders to great soccer player and excellent coach: Pep Guardiola picked up balls at the Camp Nou, and shared moments with his idols. The portal As.com highlighted two emotional situations experienced by the brand-new coach of Manchester City of the Premier League in England. The aforementioned medium also refers to the moment in which Pep, applauds Terry Venables, coach of the 'Cules' for beating Goteborg.

5. He also started passing balls: The star of Manchester City, Bernardo Silva started as a ball-collecting, being close to the playing fields. From that moment on, he showed himself to be a constant person, and thanks to his positive attitude he has been able to stand out in a sport that demands so much.

He began his football career performing with Benfica in his country, at seven years of age, and his confidence and persistence have taken him far. At 18 he was not a starter at Benfica, he watched matches from his teammates instead of playing them and the uncertainty began to pass through his mind. "It requires a lot of persistence and self-confidence to get that far," said his former colleague Matos in a register made by fulldeporte.pe.

LatinAmerican Post | Daniel Cuevas

Translated from "5 estrellas del fútbol mundial que fueron recogepelotas"