He won the Libertadores final against Boca and now he makes a living in a taxi

The Libertadores Cup It is the largest trophy that a footballer who plays for South American teams can lift. This tournament is so complicated that the clubs from the leading countries on the continent (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay) are the ones that have won it the most times in 64 years of history. However, the trophy went to Colombia on 3 occasions: 1989, 2004 and 2016.

In 1989 and 2016 the winning team was Atlético Nacional de Medellín, but in 2004 there was another club that achieved the feat by beating Boca Juniors, a giant of the continent and the world. The team in question is called Once Caldas and it is the club where the protagonist of this story played.

Ruben Darío Velásquezalso know as “Chuck”, is a former soccer player born in Pueblo Rico, a municipality located in the eastern mountain range of Colombia. He was a fundamental participant in the history of his club as well as in the history of football in his country. However, today he is very far from the courts and in a business that has nothing to do with professional sports.

What was Rubén Darío Velásquez’s football career like?

Chusco was a player who served as brand midfielder. He played for Atlético Nacional de Medellín, a club where he later debuted in the first team in 1995. Being a young player he did not take too much prominence until his time at Once Caldas in 1997, where he became an irreplaceable player.

Despite being an important player for the team, in 2002 he played one season for Cortulua FC (now called Inter Palmira). However, it was a short step since that same year He returns to the Manizales team (Once Caldas) to have his most glorious era in football.

Already in 2004, the team qualified for the edition of the Libertadores Cup that year. Once Caldas played an exceptional tournament: they came out first in their group, achieving 13 points out of a possible 18, in the round of 16 they beat Barcelona from Ecuador and in the quarterfinals they beat the powerful Santos from Brazil, a finalist club from the previous year. Then in the semis, the Manizales team defeated Sao Paulo to face the defending champion of the title in the final: Boca Juniors.

The first leg final was 0-0 in La Bombonera and the Cup was decided at the Palogrande stadium in Manizales. In the second leg, after a close 1-1, the match went to waste. penalty shootout. Once Caldas managed to prevail in a part of the game where Boca historically suits, and became champion of America, with Velásquez as one of his figures.

“After having achieved it and the sacrifice that was made, one sees it differently. I live it normally. It was one of the big titles that was experienced in Manizales and in the country, but I don’t get too involved in that part. For me it is something from history,” said Velásquez in an interview for El Colombiano.

Then the player had passes through other clubs such as Royal Cartagena, Deportivo Cali, Boyacá Chicó and Boyacá Patriotsa club from which he retired in 2009. Furthermore, it is worth noting that Velásquez had only one experience in international football and that was playing in Argentina for Columbus of Santa Fe in 2006.

What happened to the life of Rubén Darío Velásquez after his retirement from football

He retired at the age of 33., a relatively young age for a footballer to say goodbye. However, Chusco’s intentions after that were not to continue being linked to professional sports.

When he was still putting on his boots on the green grass, Rubén Darío Velásquez he bought a taxi. Logically, he did not drive it as he was a professional player, but in any case the car was in motion as it was driven by someone Chusco hired.

In any case, after two years of being unemployed, Velásquez began his journey as a taxi driver and began taking people through the streets of Antioquia, a task that To this day he continues to do. According to the former midfielder, things are not bad for him and he enjoys what he does: “Since I didn’t have a career here in Medellín it is much better. That’s one of the parts I like the most. From time to time you will find someone who recognizes you, but it is not frequent.”

Furthermore, Chusco adds that since he has no needs or debts, he can work the hours he wants at the time he wants, something that he could not enjoy in his career as a soccer player. He went from making history for his country’s football, by beating Boca in a Libertadores final, to driving a taxi and being happy with that. The life of Rubén Darío Velásquez teaches that, perhaps, happiness is not only found in great feats, but also in the simple things in life.