In the 1980s, Basque pelota was a booming sport in the United States. Many pelotaris took advantage of that wave to cross the pond, including Pablo Egurrola. The discipline fell out of favor years later, but the Basque had already put down roots in Orlando. He shared a life with his wife, of Dutch origin, and together they fathered three children, the middle one now a soccer star. Damaris Egurrola could have been one of Spain's great weapons in the World Cup quarterfinals, but he will be in front, wearing the Netherlands shirt, thanks to coach Jorge Vilda.
When he was seven years old, Egurrola returned with his family to Spain. He started playing Basque pelota and tennis, in both cases with success due to his competitiveness, but he enjoyed soccer more. He forged his technical quality and his physical strength by facing older boys until he joined Lezama at the age of 12, where he elevated his career. At just 16 years old, he participated in the League that Athletic won in the 2015-16 season.
Midfielder with a great vision of the game, Barça wanted to sign her. However, the compensation clause that forces clubs to pay a large amount for training rights sent her to Everton in 2020. A year later, a giant like Olympique de Lyon made her the signing at that time. most expensive of a Spanish player. The 2022 Champions League is, for now, the zenith of her career at the club level. A much more placid trajectory than with the national team.
“He told me he didn't like my game. I came out crying in the second half", revealed Egurrola, 23, in El Confidencial Vilda's words at the break in the 2018 U-20 World Cup final. Before the previous Euro Cup, when he was waiting for the call from Spain, the coach He hinted that he did not want to play with the red. "Nobody contacted me. Being a coach does not give him the right to lie, ”added the midfielder, the first, before 3:00 p.m., who attacked the methods of Madrid.
After that chapter, he decided to defend the colors of his mother's country. Under the orders of Andries Jonker, Van Gaal's second at Barça and Bayern, he has started in the second part of the four games that the Netherlands has played in the World Cup. His next rival, for the first time in his career, will be Spain, the team he wanted to play with in the antipodes until he came across Vilda.
