Mario Yepes

34 Pages·2013·2.626 MB·English

by  Daniel John Grady

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© 2013 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
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or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.
ISBN-13: 978-1-4222-2664-3 (hc) — 978-1-4222-9205-1 (ebook)
Printing (last digit) 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed and bound in the United States of America.
CPSIA Compliance Information: Batch #S2013. For further
information, contact Mason Crest at 1-866-MCP-Book.
About the Author: Daniel John Grady is a Chilean author. He is from Chiloé, an island
in the Chilean Patagonia. As an economist, he has published several articles in national
newspapers. As part of his commitment to helping his community, he is a volunteer
firefighter and arson investigator.
Photo credits: EFE / Ed Oudenaarden: 13; Shutterstock.com: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14,
16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30; UNICEF: 28.EFE/Paolo Aguilar: 1;
EFE/Diego Azubel: 28; EFE/Venezia Filippo: 18; EFE/Ciro Fusco: 27;
EFE/Infosic/Nahuel Roark/MK: 12; EFE/José Jácome: 7; EFE/Leo La Valle: 23;
EFE/Cézaro De Luca: 20; EFE/Rafa Salafranca: 4; EFE/Srdjan Suki: 14; EFE/Bernd
Weissbrod: 2; Wikimedia: 10.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1. The King of Soccer 5
CHAPTER 2. The Prince 9
CHAPTER 3. The Coronation 15
CHAPTER 4. The National Team 21
CHAPTER 5. The Future 25
MARIO YEPES BY THE NUMBERS 29
GLOSSARY 30
FURTHER READING / INTERNET RESOURCES 31
INDEX 32
Mario Yepes fights for the ball with Carlos Tenorio of Equador.
CCHHAAPPTTEERR 11
TThhee KKiinngg ooff SSoocccceerr
MARIO ALBERTO YEPES DÍAZ IS CURRENTLY ONE of the most
recognizable Colombian soccer players in the world. He plays as a center
defender for AC Milan, the team with the most trophies in the world. He is also
captain of the Colombian national team. He’s called “the King” because of his
amazing control of the ball, and his insurmountable defense on the field.
As a center defense, Yepes doesn’t Like any footballer, Mario was born a
have all that many scoring opportunities human being like the rest of us. Neither
as the strikers do. But soccer is a team did he start as a central defender.
sport, and each play is important. The
A Prince is Born
King’s biggest asset is his height: at 6’1”
On January 13th, 1976, Mario Yepes
(186cm) he beats most players reaching
was born in Santiago de Cali, Valle del
for a header on corner shots. But he
Cuaca Department of Colombia. He is
earns his teammates’ approval by how
the son of an esteemed data analysis
he stops the opposing team’s attacks.
professor of the Autónoma del
His skill gave him the chance to play
among the best teams in the world,
such as his current team, Milan, Paris
Saint-Germain and River Plate.
However, it wasn’t always like that.
5
6 Mario Yepes
dream come true. However, his time in
Cortuluá would be just a short step on his
Since he was a child, pasta is
Mario’s favorite meal. That’s why meteoric rise towards stardom.
he’s very happy to play in Itally
The Nerdy Striker
Despite being a professional player, Mario
Occidente University, who is also called
was only 19. His father was a well-known
Mario Yepes. No one expected the son of a
college professor, and his family expected
the mathematician to become a
him to achieve an academic degree. Now
professional football player, but sometime
he recognizes how important his parent’s
talent doesn’t come just from your genes.
support was in his development, especially
The first signs of Mario’s destiny were
the emphasis on his academic
in high school. He was very sleepy during
achievements.
class because he’d stayed up practicing
When he gives advice on how to
football all night. His father did not
become a professional footballer, and
approve of his grade situation, but still gave
remembering his own experience, he says
him a chance to show his talents by
that parents should support their children
sponsoring him to test at the Tuluá Sports
as much as they can, but “without
Club, known locally as Cortuluá. They
forgetting that studying is the highest
were a success, and his father relented. At
priority, finish school and college.”
the beginning Mario played as a striker.
He reminds children that football is
Cortuluá is a Primera B (which would
played just as much with your head as with
be the junior division of the major league),
your feet. Mario reached his level of
and plays as a professional team. In 1995
achievement not just because of his
when Mario joined the team, it didn’t have
incredible headers, but also because of his
any national trophies. But for Mario who
tactical prowess. “The only thing I wanted
was dreaming of being a professional
to do was play. But I never stopped
player, it was quite an achievement, and a
studying,” he says.
Position Change
During the entire 1995 season, Mario
Mario’s Father is a math professor
and his mother is a housemaker. was able to score only once. Compared to
other strikers, that was a very poor
The King of Soccer 7
Mario takes advantage of his height to beat Ricardo Pedriel of Bolivia.
8 Mario Yepes
A few months later his talents were fully
Mario is a fan of Latin American appreciated, and less than a year after
music.
joining Cortuluá, he was called to play in
the First Division for Deportivos Cali. He
record. The team manager of the time, would be returning to his hometown,
Reinaldo Rueda, could see that Mario though Tuluá wasn’t all that far away. The
had talent, but it was best applied to distinction was his new club’s history and
another field position. He suggested that record, and by joining the team, it proved
Mario take advantage of his height and that Mario had what it takes to play
footwork to play on defense. football as a career.
Cortuluá has a peculiar history. It was founded in 1967 as an amateur football
club by a bunch of friends. In 1994 Cortuluá made its debut as a professional
team. That was the year before Mario Yepes joined. However, an impressive
number of important players have passed under Hernando Acosta’s
management, many of whom have gone on to be members of the most
prestigious clubs in the country. This is in part due to the influence of Oscar
Hector Quintabani, the coach who sought out Merio Yepes, and who became
known for his ability to pick out future football stars. In 2002 the team
managed to dispute the Libertadores Cup, being the highest accolade the team
has accumulated to date. After a poor season in 2010, the club once again
moved down to the First B division,