On March 8, 2009, Independent Santa Fe They faced Deportivo Pereira at the El Campín stadium in Bogotá, a match that ended 2 to 1 in favor of the 'Cardenal' team. However, the result of that Apertura tournament match took a backseat.
At that time there was the 'U18' standard, which forced first division teams to field a young person under 18 years of age on the starting roster in each championship match. This controversial law, which ceased to be valid months later after a Dimayor assembly, generated discomfort among the clubs' managers and technicians, including the coach Hernán Darío 'Bolillo' Gómez, who coached Santa Fe between 2008 and 2009.
To comply with the norm, 'Bolillo' decided to summon Luis Mauricio Alarcón, a child of barely 14 years oldwho played as a brand midfielder: “”I will use a 13 or 14 year old boy to take a photo with the team and I will take him out,” declared Hernán Darío Gómez prior to the game against Pereira.
Who was the 14-year-old boy who debuted with Santa Fe in 2009
Luis Mauricio Alarcón, at only 14 years, 8 months and 26 days, managed to fulfill the dream of many children by debuting as professional player on the field of the El Campín stadium with the Santa Fe shirt, along with footballers of the caliber of Agustín Julio, Francisco Nájera, Yulian Anchico, Omar Pérez, among others.
That fact placed him as the second youngest footballer to debut in the first division of Colombian football. So far, the record is held John Jairo Mosquera, former Colombian player, who played for the first time with Millionaires when he was 14 years, 8 months and 18 days old.
According to the records, Luis Alarcón was only in the game for one minute and 38 seconds before being replaced by 'Bolillo', following his plan to the letter.
It is worth clarifying that the young man had the opportunity to participate in a play, in which he made a gesture with his head. successful pass to one of his companions.
“I thought I wouldn't be able to touch the ball because teacher 'Bolillo' had said he was going to take me out in the first minute,” Alarcón, who was applauded by the fans who attended the stadium that afternoon, told the media.
The player, who today would be about 29 years old and about whom nothing more was known about his football careerwas in the lower divisions of the Bogota team since the 10 years and, after his memorable debut against Pereira, he returned to play that year with Santa Fe in the Colombia Cup. A few years later, in 2014, he continued in the 'Cardinal' team with which he played four games, also for the Cup.
SANTIAGO PABON
TIME
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