Defender encourages father to invest in football and become president of Metropolitanos, rival of Inter | liberators

A newcomer to the Libertadores, Metropolitanos, who gave Inter a hard time in Beira-Rio (the Rio Grande do Sul victory came only in the 45th minute of the second half), appears as an emerging player in local football. With only 11 years of existence, the current national champion reflects one of the country’s contradictions. After all, in Venezuela marked by state-owned companies, football is private. And the owner of the club, Juan Carlos Ferro, is the father of Andrés Ferro, one of the stars of the team.

Get to know a little more about Caracas, Venezuela, where Inter plays today

The number 4 of Los Violetas, as the club is known, was the reason for the entrepreneur’s entry into football. Juan Carlos’s father-in-law, it should be said, had already been a professional. He defended Estudiantes de Mérida in the 1970s. The then-future president of Metropolitanos accompanied the child at the school and, upon noticing his talent, decided to invest.

– I got into football because of him. I don’t get involved in his work, he sacrificed a lot. Since he was 10 years old, he has dedicated himself to football – says his proud father.

Vice-president of the Venezuelan Football League, Juan Carlos had an academy in Caricuao, a district west of the capital, which he soon expanded. Ferro acquired a space at the University of Caracas to host the team, which was the kick to move forward with the institution.

The professionalization would occur in 2012 and the project with more and more body. It rose two years later, fell and then established itself in the elite. Ferro made it clear that he didn’t intend to just figure in the background.

– Metropolitanos is not only betting on permanence, but something more, Sul-Americana and Libertadores – he predicted in 2016.

The speech showed solidity with two participations in Sul-Americana and the club’s apex in 2022. On the 10-year anniversary, Metropolitanos reached the local title and the consequent classification for the first Libertadores dispute.

– What goes through my head? A lot of sacrifice, 10 years betting on Venezuelan football. It was costly. Happy for the boys. I always bet on the base and today I have a team with many promoted boys – said the manager.

In the stoning, Andrés Ferro confirmed the talent that his father saw in the boy and gained the status of one of the pillars of Metropolitanos. The performance in the team deserved the memory for the selection.

– Every day I am more surprised by its maturity and smooth functioning. Gradually it increased. I don’t interfere with his career – he assures.

The 21-year-old’s statement wasn’t the only one. Midfielder Christian Larotonda, another frequent name at Vinotino, is also the result of this focus on the base. In this batch, the club sold striker Daniel Pérez to Club Brugge for US$ 250,000 (R$ 1.32 million at the time).

From the current group, there are six boys forged in Metropolitanos. In addition to the duo, there are Christian Camarillo, Robinson Flores, Steven Pabon and Giovanny Sequera.

This process of evolution and revelation of boys is led by José Maria Morr. Metropolitanos coach since 2019, the professional was Rafael Dudamel’s assistant in the country’s under-20 team, which ended up runner-up in the category’s World Cup in 2017.

Morr leads a commission that receives between US$ 15 thousand (R$ 74.55 thousand) and US$ 20 thousand (R$ 99.4 thousand) monthly. The cast sheet is around US$ 70 thousand (R$ 347.9 thousand) and US$ 90 thousand (R$ 447.3 thousand). Very modest values ​​compared to those compared to Inter, which spends around R$ 8.5 million every 30 days.

If Inter is going through a crisis, Los Violetas are on the rise in the Venezuelan table. They won 1-0 against Portuguesa FC on Saturday and are in fourth place with 22 points, 13 behind the leader, Academia Puerto Cabello.

At Libertadores, however, they are still chasing the first points. Zeroed, it is the bottom of Group B. Colorado will try to contain the momentum of the opponent to reduce the tension they are going through.

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