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Aimar Centeno

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Aimar Centeno
Personal information
Date of birth 1986 (age 37–38)
Place of birth Agustín Roca, Junín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Position(s) Midfielder, winger
Youth career
Renato Cesarini
2003 River Plate
2004 Chacarita Juniors
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005 Sarmiento
2005 → Teodolina (loan)
2006–2016 Origone
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aimar Centeno (born 1986) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a midfielder.

Early life

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Centeno was born in early 1986[1] in the town of Agustín Roca [es], within the county of Junín in Buenos Aires Province.[2] He inherited his passion for football from his father, Roberto, who took him to play football in local fields at the age of three.[3]

Career

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Early career and Camino a la Gloria

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Centeno moved to Rosario without his family as a child, joining the Renato Cesarini footballing school.[1] In early 2002, Centeno was one of over 12,000 young footballers between the ages of fourteen and seventeen to try out for Camino a la Gloria (Road to Glory), a show broadcast on Canal 13 looking for the next young Argentine footballing star, with the prize being a trial with Spanish side Real Madrid.[4]

Having showcased his ability at the Campo Argentino de Polo, in front of hundreds of onlookers, he was selected as one of the forty-two players to train at the ground of Hindú Club.[4] In front of former footballers Roberto Perfumo, José Basualdo, Carlos Mac Allister and Javier Castrilli, Centeno fought off competition from fifteen other finalists to win the competition.[1][3] In a 2009 interview with Junín-based newspaper Diario Democracia, Centeno revealed that Perfumo had already jokingly told him to "get his passport ready" before the final of the show.[1]

Trial with Real Madrid

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On his arrival at the Madrid–Barajas Airport, ahead of his trial with Real Madrid, Centeno was met by a host of journalists and photographers, and was asked for autographs, akin to the treatment received by professional footballers.[1][4] As well as the trial, his expenses were all paid for, and he received a car and cash as part of the prize for winning the competition.[2] He travelled with former Brazilian international footballer Delém, who had worked as a players' advisor on Camino a la Gloria, as well as his father.[1][2][5]

Training with the club's 'Juvenil C' team, Centeno was injured in his first training session, suffering a tear to one of his abductor muscles.[6][7] He spent two weeks training with Real Madrid's other injured players, before featuring in a game against a local Madrid-based side, where he played in the number 8 shirt.[1] However, after another week of training, he was told that the trial had been unsuccessful.[1]

Return to Argentina

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On his return to Argentina, he went on trial with professional side River Plate, as part of an agreement with his former club Renato Cesarini.[5] He was accepted into River Plate's academy, where his teammates included future Argentina and Colombia internationals, Augusto Fernández and Radamel Falcao, respectively.[5] In his first six months with the club, he was the youth team's starting right-midfielder, but he was side-lined following another injury.[4] Having struggled to integrate into the youth team, a trip to England was set to improve his relationships with his teammates. However, after being told by a coach that he was no longer going to be one of the travelling players, his performance levels dropped, and he would later state in the 2009 interview with Diario Democracia that he stopped caring, and that he made the mistake of "wasting" the last six months with River Plate.[1]

Following his release, he trialled unsuccessfully with Rosario Central, before joining Chacarita Juniors.[4][5] He only spent one year with Chacarita before joining Sarmiento, who were competing in the Primera B Nacional at the time.[5] In his one season with Sarmiento, he was loaned to Primera B Metropolitana side Teodolina.[5] He spent ten years with amateur Liga de Junín [es] side Origone, winning the Torneo Interligas de Fútbol [es] in 2010,[8] before retiring from football in 2016.[5]

Later life

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While playing for Sarmiento, Centeno worked as a concierge in a local hotel, before going on to work as a janitor, a soda delivery man, in a drugstore and as a truck driver.[5][9]

Impact on football

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Centeno continues to be cited as an archetype of young South American footballers who return to the continent following failed moves to larger European clubs.[10][11][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Aimar Centeno: "Al fútbol lo tomo como un divertimento, tengo ganas y confío que salga algo"" [Aimar Centeno: "I take football as fun, I feel like it and I trust something will come out"]. diariodemocracia.com (in Spanish). 25 January 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Nueva estrella del fútbol" [New football star]. lanacion.com.ar (in Spanish). 30 October 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Tras un sueño blanco y real" [After a white and real dream]. clarin.com (in Spanish). 29 October 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e Rotnitzky, Nicolás (5 November 2014). "¿Qué es de la vida de Aimar Centeno, ganador de "Camino a la Gloria"?" [What is the life of Aimar Centeno, winner of "Camino a la Gloria"?]. diariopopular.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Tamagni, Roi (6 August 2017). "Ganó un reality show, se probó en el Real Madrid y hoy maneja un camión: la historia de vida de Aimar Centeno, el joven que fue promesa" [He won a reality show, tried out for Real Madrid and today he drives a truck: the life story of Aimar Centeno, the young man who was a promise]. infobae.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  6. ^ Fornieles, Raquel (3 November 2002). "Aimar Centeno: "Estoy ansioso por empezar a trabajar"" [Aimar Centeno: "I'm looking forward to starting work"]. as.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  7. ^ "AIMAR CENTENO, Ganador del concurso "Camino a la gloria": "Vine para disfrutar y para quedarme"" [AIMAR CENTENO, Winner of the "Road to Glory" contest: "I came to enjoy and to stay"]. abc.es (in Spanish). 22 November 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  8. ^ Castellanos, Fernando (23 July 2013). "Aimar Centeno: el mejor entre 12.000" [Aimar Centeno: the best among 12,000]. notasdefutbol.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Aimar Centeno, el argentino que pasó del Real Madrid a manejar camiones" [Aimar Centeno, the Argentine who went from Real Madrid to driving trucks]. elliberal.com.ar (in Spanish). 9 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Juan Pablo Meneses publica las claves para fichar a niños futbolistas" [Juan Pablo Meneses publishes the keys to signing child soccer players]. lainformacion.com (in Spanish). 7 July 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  11. ^ Sanchís, Ima (12 July 2013). ""Compran un niño jugador como quien compra un caballo"" ["They buy a child player like someone who buys a horse"]. lavanguardia.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  12. ^ "El negocio detrás de los niños futbolistas en Latinoamérica" [The business behind child soccer players in Latin America]. eltiempo.com (in Spanish). 29 July 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
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