And now you are here, in Antwerpen. At Beerschot. Is it your first time in Europe?
"No, I visited France with the Bolivian national team earlier, in Nantes. But that was just for two days of course. Now, here at Beerschot, it's for real. Living on my own in a foreign country, trying to make the grade as a professional footballer and gain experience as a human being. These are nice challenges. I have already learned taking care of myself when I left my home town Tarija to go and play football for The Strongest in La Paz. I didn't see my mum and dad, as well as my younger brother and sister very often then. And now the distance is much longer... but I hope my parents will be able to come and visit me in Antwerpen soon."
What are your first impressions?
"What a beautiful city Antwerpen is. And I received a warm welcome at Beerschot. Everything is so nice and clean here, very well organised too. Beerschot's kit man Seba is my rock at the moment. He speaks fluently Spanish, takes care of me with all kinds of things, tells me what to do and not to do. In short: he is a perfect guide and makes sure I settle in. Communication is in Spanish. I understand English but feel not confident enough yet to speak it. I will be taking evening classes as soon as possible; English first and then eventually French and/or Dutch. We'll see how it goes. Some team mates speak a bit of Spanish though, which will speed up my integration in the squad. Everyone is super friendly here."
You are the only Beerschot player who has played against Lionel Messi. How did that go?
"I couldn't believe my eyes that night. His ball handling, his movements, his individual actions... it all went so quick, so easy. On top of that he thinks twice as fast as anyone else. Lionel Messi is a genius who can hardly be stopped. And a nice guy as well as I was able to speak to him after the final whistle. He was friendly, spontaneous, not distant at all. It really was an unbelievable experience."
