He played in the Sub 17 with Dibu Martínez, he was a River promise and now he makes a living selling bags of vegetables

Be inferior in a big team like Riverplay a South American and a U-17 World Cup with Argentina, have trained with Messi and Maradona They are condiments that anyone would think that they are dealing with a player who had a transcendental step in football. Despite all that, the protagonist of today’s story was not able to achieve a great career in professional football.

Born on March 5, 1992, Gonzalo Olid Apaza He was a former midfielder who was a great promise from the River quarry. However, despite having had participation and consideration in the Argentine under 17 team, Olid Apaza retired from football at a young age.

What was Gonzalo Olid Apaza’s football career like?

Gonzalo Olid Apaza began his career in the lower divisions of River Plate, quickly standing out as a promising talent. At the age of 15, he was called up by Ubaldo Fillol to join the Argentine youth team, where he also knew how to demonstrate his ability. With the sub 17led by Tata Brown, participated in two international events: the South American tournament held in Chile and the World Cup in Nigeria, both in 2009. At that time, some players who passed through those teams were Emiliano “Dibu” Martínez, Leandro González Pírez, Nicolas Tagliafico, among others. In the South American competition the team came second and in the World Cup they did not make it past the round of 16.

Furthermore, as if that were not enough for a youth team, there was a period in 2009 when the senior team and the under 17 team trained together, as youth teams who function as “sparring” for the more experienced ones usually do. The coach of the first was a certain Diego Armando Maradona, while on the field there was Lionel Messi who was already doing his thing. Having trained with Messi and Maradona are memories that marked the one who knew how to be a promise for Núñez’s team.

Olid Apaza subsequently faced the challenge of progressing to River Plate’s first division. Despite his dedication and effort, opportunities were limited since the club was going through a difficult time such as the relegation of Millonario in 2011. Many category 92 youth players were not able to make their debut in a difficult institutional moment.

Without a place in the first, Gonzalo was forced to look for playing time in other clubs such as Deportivo Merlo, Defenders of Belgrano and Cambaceres. However, one day she realized that she no longer wanted to make a living from soccer and at the end of a Cambaceres vs Laferrere game, the former promise decided to put an end to her career at only 22 years old.

What is the life of footballer Gonzalo Olid Apaza today?

“I stopped enjoying it as I did to the point of finishing training and wanting to go home as soon as possible.. I was always passionate, in love with football, and I felt that I was going to stop liking it if I continued doing it as a profession. Already in Cambaceres, I realized that I was not going to make a living from football. And the atmosphere wasn’t what I liked the most either,” Gonzalo Olid Apaza confessed to Infobae.

After leaving professional soccer, Gonzalo Olid Apaza found a new purpose in the family business selling vegetables. Joining forces with his father, who had already been in the business for a long time, River’s former promise dedicated himself to the trade of agricultural products, finding economic stability and personal satisfaction that professional football could not provide him. “I started selling bottles in the area of ​​San Miguel, Los Polvorines, Bella Vista. After four months, we made the entire delivery and, in his truck, we began to put potatoes and onions, little by little, and I started putting together my delivery, which I have to this day. I deliver vegetables, we bring merchandise from outside and deliver to markets, restaurants and bars“, commented Olid Apaza.

Despite his retirement from the professional field, Gonzalo He continues to be linked to sports, playing soccer as an amateur with the Malvinas Sports Club.. “I left it as my main profession. I never stopped. When they ask me why I left football, I always answer that I never stopped playing, but rather that I stopped dedicating myself to it. I had not looked for it either, but that it had happened. I am very Don’t worry, everything I achieved was done with the effort of myself and my parents. I didn’t take it as something so serious, I never stopped playing soccer, in fact I looked for a way to continue competing beyond the job I have. and I will continue doing it until I have legs,” clarified the 31-year-old amateur soccer player.

Furthermore, beyond selling vegetables and playing soccer as an amateur, Gonzalo discovered another interest: traveling. Gonzalo Salvador Olid Apaza, who in his youth was a River Plate promise, found a new direction in his life, demonstrating that success and personal fulfillment can be found beyond the playing fields.