It was in early 2007 that opportunity knocked for Argentinian goalkeeper Marcelo Ramon Elizaga and, true to form, he grasped it firmly with both hands. Having spent the previous two seasons in Ecuador with Emelec, Elizaga was approached by then Tricolor coach Luis Fernandez Suarez, who offered the custodian the chance to join the national-team set-up should he take Ecuadorian nationality.
And for El Polaco (The Pole), the gamble has paid off handsomely, having broken into La Tricolor's starting line-up and helped keep them in the hunt for a place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. "Everybody needs to dream to help reach their goals, I can't think of a better way to keep improving every day," Elizaga told FIFA.com. "But when I came to Ecuador five years ago I never imagined I'd change nationality, play for the national team and be closing in on my first World Cup!"
The performance against Argentina couldn't have gone better. It was important for my career as well as for quashing certain suspicions from the build-up.
Elizaga on Ecuador's win over Argentina
Elizaga's landmark moment for Ecuador came against country of birth Argentina in the last round of South American Zone qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Among a host of superb saves was a vital penalty stop from Carlos Tevez with the score still 0-0, which laid the foundations for La Tricolor's 2-0 success. "The performance against Argentina couldn't have gone better," said the 37-year-old. "It was important for my career as well as for quashing certain suspicions from the build-up. I really enjoyed it, it was a reward for so much hard work and dedication."
"If you're born in Argentina, you always dream of reaching the (Argentinian) national team," continued Elizaga, when quizzed if he would have preferred to represent La Albiceleste. "But if it wasn't for Emelec and Ecuador then I'd never have played at this level. That's why I've got nothing but gratitude for football in this country.6 August 2009
Elizaga:It`s in our Hands
It was in early 2007 that opportunity knocked for Argentinian goalkeeper Marcelo Ramon Elizaga and, true to form, he grasped it firmly with both hands. Having spent the previous two seasons in Ecuador with Emelec, Elizaga was approached by then Tricolor coach Luis Fernandez Suarez, who offered the custodian the chance to join the national-team set-up should he take Ecuadorian nationality.
And for El Polaco (The Pole), the gamble has paid off handsomely, having broken into La Tricolor's starting line-up and helped keep them in the hunt for a place at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™. "Everybody needs to dream to help reach their goals, I can't think of a better way to keep improving every day," Elizaga told FIFA.com. "But when I came to Ecuador five years ago I never imagined I'd change nationality, play for the national team and be closing in on my first World Cup!"
The performance against Argentina couldn't have gone better. It was important for my career as well as for quashing certain suspicions from the build-up.
Elizaga on Ecuador's win over Argentina
Elizaga's landmark moment for Ecuador came against country of birth Argentina in the last round of South American Zone qualifiers for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Among a host of superb saves was a vital penalty stop from Carlos Tevez with the score still 0-0, which laid the foundations for La Tricolor's 2-0 success. "The performance against Argentina couldn't have gone better," said the 37-year-old. "It was important for my career as well as for quashing certain suspicions from the build-up. I really enjoyed it, it was a reward for so much hard work and dedication."
"If you're born in Argentina, you always dream of reaching the (Argentinian) national team," continued Elizaga, when quizzed if he would have preferred to represent La Albiceleste. "But if it wasn't for Emelec and Ecuador then I'd never have played at this level. That's why I've got nothing but gratitude for football in this country.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment