Steven Alzate was born in Comden (England), on September 8, 1998. Until a week ago, he was a complete unknown to most of those who follow the Colombian National Team every time he jumps onto the field. Reinaldo Rueda had him in his sights for a few months.
Today you can tell your children, when you have them, that you already wore the shirt once 10 from Colombia, the country in which his parents were born, when Carlos Queiroz was the national coach and put him to play in some friendlies of November 2019.
It’s something I’ve been waiting for a long time. I felt that Colombia was the right team, especially with the roots of my parents
“Things are happening fast for me, probably faster than I imagined. It feels like a dream to have debuted a few months ago in the Premier and now to receive this call, “said Alzate in a mixed zone, in November 2019, before his debut in the Senior National Team, against Peru.
“It is an honor to play for my country, it is something I have been waiting for a long time. I felt that Colombia was the right team, especially with the roots of my parents,” he added at the time.
Alzate, the first ‘European’ from Colombia
Technically, he is the first player born in Europe to wear the senior shirt, and the seventh not born in Colombia to play with the National Team.
That mixture of origins makes Steven, player of the Brighton & Hove Albion, He may not be exactly fluent in Spanish, but when he speaks it, he has a strong paisa accent. That is the origin of his father, Héctor Alzate, who came to England in 1986, at age 23, to earn a living as an immigrant.
His mother is also Colombian and it is because of her that he was raised with South American customs. Hector also played soccer and little Steven started accompanying him to games. That’s where the sports bug bit him.
“We are very happy for this call. We are optimistic to see him again on the fields wearing the Colombian jersey, which is a pride for the whole family and for him too, which is a dream,” Héctor, his father, told Caracol. TV.
First full game of the season
Steven Alzate He has had an up-and-down season at Brighton & Hove Albion, marked by an ankle injury that sidelined him for two and a half months.
The statistics he has so far this English season are short: he has played five games, two of them as a starter. But he was praised by his teammates and critics for his performance in the draw (1-1) against Chelsea, his first complete game of the season.
“He came in and played out of his mind even though it was his first 90 minutes in the Premier League for a long time. He was outstanding,” said Adam Webste, the team captain who scored his team’s goal in that equalizer.
The beginnings of Alzate
He gives us good balance down the left and understands what we’re trying to do tactically. Many times it helps us to open the game, other times it approaches the center and covers the space
At 18 years old He made his debut in English professional football, at Leyton Orient, a team that was then playing in League Two, which is equivalent to the fourth division of that country.
On February 28, 2017, he played his first game, in a 4-1 defeat against Stevenage: he entered in the 68th minute, by the Portuguese Sandro Semedo. reached to play 12 games at that club, until fortune put him in a friendly against Brighton, who were already in the Premier League.
Alzate was taken to finish training. He played for Brighton’s Under-23 squad in the 2017-2018 season. He spent six months on loan at Swindon Town in League Two.
He managed to be called up to a minor England team and Arturo Reyes, who was the coach of the Colombian U-23 National Team, also had his eye on him. But he suffered a physical problem and was several months without playing.
“I suffered a lumbar injury and was out for five months. We agreed that it was better for me to stay and get treatment. This time they called me for the seniors, but I don’t care to play with whoever it is, it’s a pride to play with Colombia”, he said then.
Graham Potter, still his manager at Brighton, saw conditions in him at the time and promoted him to the first team this season.
“He gives us a good balance down the left and understands what we’re trying to do tactically. Many times he helps us to open the game, other times he approaches the center and covers the space, he is a player with the ability to fulfill both tasks, so he has amazed us, although we are not surprised because we know he has quality, ”said Potter. .
Wearing a curious number 46, Alzate made his Premier League debut on September 17, in a goalless draw against Newcastle. In a scheme 3-4-3, the DT could do it as a side midfielder on the left.
But it is not the only position in which he has played. When Potter switched to back four, Alzate was a front-row midfielder and also played as a right winger.
This is Steven Alzate the English of the Colombia National Team.
Jose Orlando Ascencio
Sports Sub-Editor
On Twitter: @josasc
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