Literature professor narrates 50 years of football history in Monterey County through his book Amateur “Yo soy Futbol”
SALINAS, Calif. (KMUV-TV)- Álvaro Mercado worked on his work for three years, and in a 400-page compilation, he tells 120 anecdotes of young professionals and soccer figures who forged their careers around the sport.
In an exclusive interview with Telemundo Costa Central, Álvaro revealed that the reason for writing this book was to promote sports and challenge people academically.
The Zacatecano author was born in the United States but was raised in Nochixtlán. Álvaro is a literature teacher at Álvarez High School, and through a 20-year career as a teacher, his goal is to cultivate stimulation through reading.
"We want to promote reading. I honestly want people to give value to what has value. Reading. Amateur. I am Soccer. It is a book that will help you understand the complexity of soccer, from one point of view psychological, philosophical and intellectual."
Alvaro Mercado
The connection of Amateur "Yo soy Futbol" with the community in Monterey County is that the beginnings of this sport occurred during the days of the day laborers and how the crews challenged each other for fun."
Álvaro says that the story that marked him the most was that of Ignacio Gómez Rodríguez.
But the most interesting thing was to rescue a story about Don Nacho Gómez Rodríguez in 1953. He personally brought a soccer ball. We know that the League started in the 70s, but we braziers had fun playing soccer.
The Korean War from 50' to 53', many Americans went to fight the war, leaving their children at home, he gave them the ball and the children began to throw the ball with their hands. And he said no, kick her. KICK, KICK.
When he said the word KICK, he symbolically placed football here in Monterey County. In 1953, Mr. Nacho Gómez Rodríguez brought a soccer ball from Chavínda Michoacán.
Alvaro Mercado
Álvaro called the Salinas Valley the “Cradle of Soccer.”
"Salinas is a city that has a bicultural identity, a bilingual identity, and is based on a soccer ball," said Álvaro.
Álvaro says that Amateur is not only about soccer but about stories of overcoming and how this sport led local youth to become great sports figures. He hopes to be able to motivate young people to finish a professional career where they are recognized and awarded with university scholarships based on soccer.
His passion for football led Álvaro to play professionally, and currently, he represents the city of Salinas in the veterans league.
Amateur "Yo soy Futbol" is the second book by Álvaro Mercado, and he says he is in the process of publishing the third, where he narrates 120 stories of immigrants who arrived in Monterey County.
