Francisco Azcárate Velasco (9th grade) plays for Club Atlético Boca Juniors U15, and on Wednesday, December 22nd he will play the second match of the Final in the U15 National Difútbol Tournament at the La Troja Cancha Sports Venue, in Cali. The first match was played on December 19 and Francisco’s team lost 1-0 in Guarne, Antioquia. His team hopes to reverse this score and become champions of the tournament.
Francisco’s sporting career began at a very young age. His first toy was never a toy car or an action figure, but a football. At the age of 5 he started playing in the Club Campestre de Cali, standing out as a goal scorer on several occasions. He stayed there for three years and later he came to the Deportivo Cali academy to continue with his passion. Three more years went by and because of his good performance he achieved several promotions until he reached the elite group of the Club Atlético Boca Juniors.
This year for Francisco has been quite an eventful season. He has competed in league and national tournaments. And in the U15 National Difútbol Tournament they’ve ranked above 170 teams and earned a spot at the final.
Francisco is a talented midfielder. He is in charge of ball recovery and generating effective passes that allow his team to be closer to the opponent’s area. This year his profile has changed and he is now playing as a creative midfielder.
One of his greatest virtues is the ability to visualise offensive opportunities. He’s always reading the field making sure that his passes put his teammates in the best position for an attack.
Despite the many odds his football club has been facing, especially after the pandemic broke, they are charging on in hopes of taking the win.
“My son has been in the same sport for 9 years working constantly, he deserves to be in this final and his team has great merit to be in this final. It’s a prize that is earned thanks to his perseverance. His team has no pitch to play in, no psychologist or a complete support scheme, they only have the physical trainer and the coach, and yet right now we are in the final,” said Ana María Velasco, Francisco’s mother.
We wish Francisco the best of luck in his match. A stellar moment in his football career. Win or lose, much value has been learned in the process.
