For a budding young footballer, a career-threatening injury is an earth-shattering event. Your dreams can look extinguished, your plans decimated and your goals seemingly rendered unachievable. It's not worked out quite like that for Costa Rica’s Alvaro Santamaria.
The promising young 11-a-side goalkeeper, plying his trade in the reserves at first division side Naranja and then-second-tier side Carmalita, was dealt a harsh blow when, during a routine training session, he fractured his right elbow. But instead of narrowing his options, his future has expanded to see a thriving career and sporting aspirations blossoming hand in hand.
While side-lined, the opportunity to play futsal fell into Santamaria’s lap and it’s safe to say he’s kept himself busy when he’s not on the court. “The main benefit that came out of my injury was that I was able to continue studying and play futsal at the same time because I practice in the evening,” he told FIFA.com, showing off the two-inch scar that has sent him down this new path.
With one year left of his pharmacy degree, this would be an intense enough schedule for an international-level amateur futsal player to factor in. However, add in working at the CIMA private hospital in San Jose, and the mind begins to boggle at how he finds the time. “It’s a complicated balance!” Santamaria admitted with a laugh. “I work from 8-10 hours at the hospital, then I go to university, and only after that do I go to practice.”
When asked if he manages to find time to sleep anywhere amid that hectic schedule, the bespectacled keeper simply smiles and shrugs. “It’s all part of the sacrifice.”
Looking beyond the horizon It’s a sacrifice that has left him building a career that will long outlast his days of battling with the best on the futsal court. “Being a professional footballer or futsal player is just a momentary thing, it does not last a lifetime so that’s why I have to focus on studying for my future,” he said, having been instilled with a strong academic streak by his parents.
“This career I’m beginning on gives me an outlet to be able to help people, too. But futsal, on the other hand, is massive in Costa Rica and because of that there are a lot of kids interested in it, so I try to provide a positive impact there as well.”
Futsal does serve another very useful purpose in his intense itinerary. “Training also gives me an opportunity to cast off all the stress that builds up and lets me get it out of my system,” the 28-year-old said with a knowing look.
After getting a brief taste of the action at the FIFA Futsal World Cup at Thailand 2012, he – and more than half of his team-mates – arrive at Colombia 2016 with experience in hand. Now, when they kick off against Solomon Islands on Monday, they have dreams of becoming the first Costa Rica side to reach the knockout stages.
“This is my second World Cup now and I don’t have the words to express how thankful I am to be able to say that and be here,” Santamaria insisted. “The best way to show that gratitude is by making history.”