PURA VIDA - KEYLOR ANTONIO NAVAS GAMBOA
Hello, my fellow sports fans/readers! Thank you for being here.
As my promise to you of always writing something that comes out of the heart, here is today's piece.
If you follow the most beautiful game globally (football or soccer, how Americans like to call it), you will know that shining as a goalkeeper is one of the most difficult things to do. To succeed as a goalkeeper, you need to have lots of patience. You might not get minutes in a game or sometimes get zero minutes as a whole, causing to give you less exposure which is not good when you start. Some have made it seem easy because of how good they are and how much they contribute to their teams' success, but success never comes that easy in the first place. You think of names like Manuel Neuer, Gigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, Lev Yashin, Gordon Banks, Cech, and the list goes on. And probably think they all had to go through the same struggles goalkeepers going through in general.
One of my favorite goalkeepers of all time is Keylor Navas. The goalkeeper from San Isidro de El General, Costa Rica. The man that came out of nothing to something and made a name for himself, Mr.Save, how people call him. When he was a child, he stayed in Costa Rica with his sister while his father and mother came to America to find a life that would give them enough funds to survive. Before that, his father always spoke about football to Navas and knew Navas would be great at this sport. Navas's father always told him to participate in football, regardless of the team, but being active in sports matters should be the priority. Navas has been playing football since he was 5 and never lost sight of his goals, which was to one day play professionally. Being from poor Latin American countries myself, I always hear stories about how most little kids aspire to play professionally one day. So Navas's story really hits home. After all, football is the most popular sport globally, including Latin American countries like mine (Peru and Ecuador) and Costa Rica.
His humble backgrounds and simplicity, love for God all really spoke out to me and made me admire this talented goalkeeper even more. His story as a whole of never giving up regardless of the number of tribulations he had to go through. His friend in an interview once said that Keylor always mentioned that one day he would become Real Madrid's goalkeeper, ever since he was tiny. So how does a player from such a small town in Costa Rica make it this far from being a Real Madrid starting goalkeeper to starting with PSG later on, two great clubs?
As a little kid, all of his coaches and instructors noticed that Navas was different than the rest. His attitude was determined, and he was very centered on what he wanted, and everyone could notice that. The mental part was down, but it was not all people noticed. Unfortunately, people also noticed his height and weight. He did not have the ideal image for a goalkeeper, but he later proves that he has the perfect hop that compensates the rest.
He started excelling, and he gets called up by one of the most important teams in Costa Rica, Deportivo Saprissa. So that meant he had to leave for the capital at such a young age. We are talking about his early teenage years. He hated it. He would cry when he would burn the rice, and cry over all these changes he could not control, and it was a very emotional time for him which makes complete sense when you are so young and have to separate from the ones you love and go into new horizons. It is changing. Change always feels weird at first. He leaves the club, but once he gets back home, his friends and family tell him that he has to get it together and continue because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He was 16 years old when he returned to Saprissa, with a different mentality than when he first went there. His coaches there also noticed the fact that he was different and really stood out amongst his peers. All eyes were on him, especially from his instructors. Navas won six titles with Saprissa. I imagine his time in Saprissa was an exceptional time for him. It was only the beginning.
Navas (in the middle) with his teammates.
I am one to believe in miracles, and I believe Keylor Navas is a walking miracle. A very blessed man. In 2010, he got called by Albacete, a second division European team which really means a lot for someone starting because this meant European exposure. He had to experience another transition, a new land, new people, etc. Do you ever hear the expression a curse and a blessing at the same time? Or something like that, frankly I forgot. Well, that is what happened to Navas when he went to Albacete. He went through one of his first declines and probably one of his most painful since Albacete wanted to pay him less than what was offered. Some people in his shoes might have quit it all and just got home, but this did not erase him from the map. Although this might have felt like a curse initially, it was actually a blessing because it allowed him to go to Levante, a first division Spanish team. Although things felt like they were getting better, another obstacle was in motion.
Keylor went to Levante in one of their greatest seasons ever. Which sounds good, but it wasn't good for him. What that meant was that he had to be benched because the starting goalkeeper was doing a good job, and if you are doing your job, you really do not get replaced that easy for some time. So there was no room for Keylor. Another reason to get discouraged, but for Keylor, was just another obstacle he would get through since he is a very patient and dedicated man. He stayed and waited it out. Eventually, another miracle occurred in his life or a blessing, in other words. The starting Levante goalkeeper was caught in some scandals. People were saying he was purposely losing money. So they had to kick him out of the club... which meant Navas was starting. Three years after being in Spain, he was finally starting in a team. This is huge but it gets even better!
Another blessing and time for exposure was the 2014 World Cup. He made history that world cup and got great exposure! He even was a finalist for the best goalkeeper in that world cup category against some of the greats. Costa Rica was in the death group stage, which meant they had HUGE opponents; we talked about some of the best national teams. Everyone thought Costa Rica would not advance at all. If you ever look at highlights against Uruguay, Greece, Navas proved himself in front of the world. Against Greece, they had to go to penalty shootouts, and yes, Navas blocked! Leading his country to the quarterfinals for the first time. Navas made history with his country and made his country so happy and hopeful that day. I am not from Costa Rica, but I sure as hell felt like I was that day. Seeing the fans and Costa Rican players cry made me so emotional and tear up. Honestly, the world cup is probably the most emotional sporting event I can think of, but I digressed.
Just thinking about his experience in the world cup and what was to a couple of months after that really makes me want to tear up right now. I saw a documentary of Navas, and when his family and friends started talking about the day they learned Real Madrid had signed Navas, they start tearing up. Can you blame them? Seeing little Navas one day say his dream was to make it to this club and then this exact club calling him up and signing him.
His time in Real Madrid was not all glorious, especially in the beginning. But when you have a man of God like Navas, you know God always has bigger plans for his children even though at first it might not seem that way. Real Madrid already had another goalkeeper starting, one of my favorites of all time Iker Casillas. Navas had to wait about a year for Casilla's departure and start with the team. Before actually starting, there was a lot of speculation and rumors of Real Madrid getting David De Gea from Manchester United and Navas going there instead-but like most of his life. A miracle happened once again. The transfer papers did not come in for the deadline, which meant Navas stayed with Real Madrid once and for all. Looking at everything now, all of the "bad things" that happened to Navas ended up working in his favor. It was all just a matter of time.
Navas accomplished 12 titles with Real Madrid and, in those titles, three consecutive champion league titles, and I was there to experience them all. Seeing that man give thanks to God for everything and pray before the game starts really made me so happy and motivated me to do the same. Seeing the way God blessed Navas and how Navas recognizes that is so impactful. "I have to enjoy everything I have because football is a blessing from God, but it does not have to be the most important thing in my life. Since I accepted Christ in my heart, my main aim is to achieve eternal life and to be able to be with him. Christ helps me see things from the point of view where one begins to understand that things should not affect us. Christ gives me wisdom, a peaceful mind, and a strong heart to fight in difficult moments and to not go crazy, to keep my feet on the ground, and be humble in moments of blessing and happiness." (Navas 2018).
Being a sports fan has its ups and downs. One aspect might be getting too attached to certain players. First, it starts with the rumors of teams wanting to buy your special player and you being in denial. At least for myself, I am always in denial. I should probably work on that. Then seeing them leave to another team. It is heartbreaking and probably one of the top 5 things more painful in life, but the love will always be there because it contributed to some of the happiest days of your life. You will see them play for their new team and root for them to succeed no matter what happens. Having to witness Navas leave Real Madrid was very hard, and at one point, I thought it was not gonna have happened, but it did. The video he posted on departure day broke me. I will always be grateful for everything he did for us, and I will never stop being happy for him.
Navas will always be the greatest representation of Latin America as a goalkeeper. I am sure his story will motivate even more little kids from all over to aspire to be goalkeepers. Kids everywhere will see that to become a successful goalkeeper. You will need lots of patience for which is not the easiest position to succeed in. Another person might have given up after the first rejection, but Navas kept going until he reached his lifetime goal. I know you can do it, too, regardless of the goal you are pursuing, and remember, if something bad comes to you, it might be a blessing in disguise.
I hope you learned something from Navas today, and I hope you were introduced to him if you have never heard about him before.
Thanks again for being here. Have an amazing day.