With too much courage, Mr Matias Almeida describes in his autobiography, published by MVPublications, the difficult times he went through in his life that made him who he is today. Her coach AEK reveals that he went through depression and turned to alcohol when he stopped playing football.
In detail what Matias Almeida mentions in the introduction of the book with his autobiography:
“The life of a footballer is not rosy. A lot of people stand only on the financial side, but behind it there are incredible stories. I got to the point where I was picking up chewed gum off the floor because my parents couldn’t buy me treats, at my house we used to line up to go to the bathroom – I always ended up in a hot bowl. And when, at the age of fifteen, I came to live in the group’s hostel, I was very afraid. And I died of shame the day I went with the cleaning crews to the Monumental and they recognized me as the kid who had made his debut in River’s first team.
In football I experienced my first big disappointment when Federico Vairo, the man who discovered me and was my mentor, sent me a letter asking for money from a transfer. I went through hell in Parma, where they had my own house robbed, and in Brescia the day our die-hard fans humiliated us in front of the administration. I bit down on a towel and stifled the scream I wanted to let out a few minutes before the start of my first World Cup match, when the doctor gave me injections to “numb” my hernia. I became depressed when I stopped playing football and also had serious problems with alcohol: twice I completely collapsed, had to call an ambulance and thought I was going to die.
My heart exploded with joy when I got back into football and I cried like never before when we got relegated. It felt like a loved one had died and that very morning I realized that the only way to get revenge was to bring River back to the top flight.
It seemed endless to me. Not the book, but this league. I had a really bad time at times. Once, for example, I couldn’t sleep and went rowing at two in the morning, I wanted to get some air. I didn’t see the moment when this torture would end, to end at last.
It is very nice to have a book of your own. I had already planted a tree and am rejoicing with Lou our three beloved daughters. I missed the book. And it’s really cool to have, but kind of crazy too, because you’re putting your thoughts and your most personal experiences out there all over the world. You are opening yourself up too much in such a strange society, in which there are many who in the future will pick up my mistakes and criticize me by shouting them at me from the platform.
Although at times I felt a relative embarrassment, or even fear, I told many things that I had never made public, because – perhaps this surprises so many – in the end I am not doing anything other than showing who I am. What do I have to hide since I like to be transparent?
I met Diego Borinski in my early years at River and always appreciated the devotion with which he quoted my exact words in the interviews he gave me about his texts in El Grafico. That’s why I wrote this book with him. Although, I admit, it ended up suffering from my lack of organization. This is one of my big mistakes: I suddenly arrange a meeting for five in the afternoon and at some point I realize that I have invited three different people.
Here is the book. It took a while to write, but it’s ready. The life of a footballer is not rosy. More than personal pride, I would like the lines of this book to help people understand the footballer a little more. I think of Lou, my parents, my sisters and brothers-in-law, my nieces, my in-laws, my grandma Mechita and grandpa Luis, my great-grandma Teresa, who would take me to the park to play and she would take part , to play two against two. And I think about my daughters a lot. It will be a bit strange for them to read this book, because they will get to know their father completely. They will learn about issues they were unaware of, about how I grew up, about the mistakes I made and will continue to make. Most of all, I hope that in the end they will understand that the values ​​that I have always passed on to them are the ones that they gave me, and they are in this book. I hope they like it. To them and to everyone.”
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
