From tears to being a record signing in the history of ‘U’: The life of Alex Valera after the missed penalty against Australia

“Penalties are only missed by those of us who have the courage to charge them”Roberto Baggio once said, the Italian star who with his goals led Italy to the 1994 World Cup final but missed his shot from twelve passes and gave Brazil the title. The cliché phrase of ‘El Divino’ does not resist contradictions. It is true, those who try, the brave, are wrong. But neither does it reveal the dark side of the matter, that heaven and hell are only twelve steps apart and that the majority of fans could forget all the good things because of a poorly executed penalty. He lived it, also Christian Cueva in Russia and recently alex valera.

Alex was born in May 1996. That is to say, he grew up in the midst of the pessimism established in Peruvian football depressed for so many years without going to a World Cup. He had to go through the most complicated path of the child who dreams of being a professional soccer player: playing that amateur tournament that unites the entire country and that brings out as many cracks as it buries them, the Peru Cup. But the striker’s story is worthy of a movie.

He played for the national futsal and beach soccer teams. He even has in his memory the time he went to China to teach how to handle a ball with his feet buried in the sand. And life, after so much sacrifice, smiled at him. He reached League 1, scored as many goals as he could and was signed by academic, one of the biggest teams in the country. And he kept inflating nets. In fact, according to statistician Jesús Chirinos, the difference is that Valera no longer plays here.

He was 26 years old when the doors of the Peruvian soccer team opened for him. Ricardo Gareca He called him up for the first dates of the Qatar 2022 Qualifiers. But shortly before the matches, he and Raúl Ruidíaz tested positive for COVID-19, leaving the call. Fate, this time, gave him a feint. Even so, the former bicolor coach took him to the 2021 Copa América, where he played two games. In January of this year, in friendlies against Panama and Jamaica, he made his goalscoring debut: he scored a goal for each of them. And he earned his call-up to the World Cup playoff after his great performance against Ecuador coming off the bench.

Alex grew up in the middle of the debates of who should be the successor of Paolo Guerrero when you retire. She grew up listening and wanting to be him. In the middle was Gianluca Lapadula, a scorer born in Italy but with a Peruvian heart thanks to his mother. The playoff against Australia arrived and there Valera stood in front of the limit between heaven and hell.

“I already cried, I already got over it”

It still hurts the Peruvian fan to see the repetition of that game. Moreover, it is very likely that almost 100% have not seen the match against Australia again. The goalless draw, the almost goal of edison flowers before the end of extra time and… the fateful penalties.

Pedro Gallese he saved Boyle’s shot at the start, filling the country with hope. Luis Advíncula failed, who could not hold back his tears. And the last shift was alex valera. The striker who hadn’t been with the group for even a year but armed himself with courage and stood on the edge of the abyss. He settled in, shot, and was saved by the quirky Aussie goalie to go viral and currently live only on that day.

Almost a month of resounding pain and silence passed before he decided to talk about that day. Alex said with that temperance of an experienced, veteran player.

He continued his life and continued to score goals. In fact, shortly after he scored a penalty against San Martín for League 1. “He has already overcome what happened with the National Team and the footballer who is on the pitch and feels confident will always catch the ball”praised Carlos Compagnucci, his technician.

Valera smiled again and the offers from foreign clubs kept coming. First Central Rosary by Carlos Tevez. Then he Al-Fateh of Saudi Arabia in which is Christian Cueva, his teammate. And there would come a new difficult episode for the striker.

A record signing amid many controversies

It all started in the last Peruvian soccer transfer market, which started on June 13, just when the Peruvian team faced the playoff against Australia. The national teams were already beginning to move their chips from that date, but Alex Valera was focused solely on doing a good job with the red and white.

Even with the Apertura Tournament at stake, offers began to arrive for the 26-year-old striker, who has risen in value in the last year due to his good performance and his status as a national team player. Even on June 20 jean ferrari, the club’s administrator, confirmed in an interview with RPP that from Europe they were interested in signing their scorer before the same playoff, although that operation remained on ‘stand by’. Ferrari pointed out then.

Days later, Valera positioned himself as one of the main options for Rosario Central, a club that was directed by Carlos Tévez, according to the press in that country. But that transfer never materialized. Meanwhile, Valera continued to be the protagonist with goals in academic, playing each game as if it were the last. But he did not want to say goodbye so easily, beyond his indisputable desire to emigrate, and he was focused on continuing to help his team.

In the days after that meeting, an interesting offer arrived at the Monumental from Saudi Arabia. Al-Fateh, the club where Christian Cueva plays, intends to join the two Peruvians on his squad. The player insisted that he be released, the club did not want to accept. And the consequences were obvious: the ‘U’ did not hesitate to do without their scorer.

In the end, after twists and turns, he became the most expensive signing in the history of Universitario and the second in Peruvian football, behind Kluiverth Aguilar (from Alianza Lima to City Group for 2.8 million). “Thank you for everything,” he said in his farewell message.

How are you doing in Al Fateh?

alex valerawho is in Lima today and will join the work of the peruvian national team With a view to the friendlies against Paraguay and Bolivia, he has played 5 games out of the 8 that Al Fateh has played in the Saudi league season. In three of them he was the starter and only in one did he complete 90 minutes.

With his great 2021-22 season and a couple of important goals in the Qualifiers, Firas Al-Buraikan He became Saudi Arabia’s promising striker at the age of 21. He is, at the moment, the team’s starter, so in recent games he has left the Peruvian on the substitute bench.

In a new process with a view to the 2026 World Cup, Alex Valera will be very important in the selection of John Reynoso. It will depend on the ‘9’ to make sure that destiny gives him the chance to collect his revenge for the missed penalty against Australia.

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