04-Sep-2001
In July of 2000 Pablo Zabaleta’s mother Laura passed on after a long battle
with diabetes. Pablo was with her when she died, he tried to help but she
passed away before the doctor arrived.
After the tragedy Pablo spent time with his family thinking things through.
Engulfed in grief, he considered giving up football, but eventually decided to
carry on, throwing himself back into his nascent but promising career.
"My mother died when things were going very well with football. I decided if I
gave up playing, things would be even harder…after I’d decided to continue
with football, I just got on with things. I’m a strong person."
A year on, the young midfielder -- an ardent admirer of Maradona and Figo --
has his sights firmly set on the FIFA U-17 World Championship Trinidad & Tobago
2001 presented by JVC.
"I would love to win the World Championship. It would be my way of saying
thanks to her."
Born in the Buenos Aires suburb of Arrecifas, Zabaleta, 1.63-meters tall,
started playing football at the age of seven for local side Obras Sanatarias.
Fond of most sports, young Zabaleta gradually focused his attentions on his
favourite, football.
At 12 his parents -- always supportive of his football career -- encouraged
Pablo to go for a trial at Buenos Aires giants San Lorenzo. The club were
impressed and signed Zabaleta immediately. Too young to live at the club, his
parents promised they would drive him the 400 km round-trip to games every
Sunday -- and did so without complaint.
Four years on, Zabaleta is still delighted to be with Argentina’s current
league champions.
"I am very happy and comfortable…they have always treated me well there."
This season, after several years winning cups with the junior teams, Zabaleta
was promoted to San Lorenzo’s sixth division side -- putting him a step closer
to a place in the first team.
Meanwhile, his Argentina career was moving right along, called into
Hugo Tocalli’s U-17 squad in 1999 and quickly becoming a regular.
The highlight came this March when the youngster was included in the Argentina
squad that finished second in the Sudamericano Sub-17.
"I always dreamt of playing for an Argentine side, but I never imagined doing
it so young…after all I’m 16, whereas most of the rest [of the players] are
a year older."
Zabaleta was one of the side’s stars, adding "dynamism and versatility" to the
squad, according to Tocalli. He was the hero in Argentina’s crucial 2-0 first
round victory over Ecuador, scoring both goals in a class display.
But the climax was undoubtedly the 3-2 second round win against Paraguay, which
virtually booked the team’s passage to the finals.
"That was the greatest moment. To get through to the finals after all the
sacrifices we had made was superb."
Yet Zabaleta did not take these successes as an excuse to stop working on his
game. While he knows his great strength is his power, tackling and ball
control, he readily admits, he still has weaknesses.
"I sometimes make tactical errors, I have to improve this," he says, adding he
has already learned a lot from Tocalli, "who always sits us down and shows us
videos of the games, pointing out the mistakes so we learn."
As for the FIFA U-17 World Championship Trinidad & Tobago 2001 he knows the
team has a tough first round group, including European champions Spain,
Burkina Faso and Oman.
"All the games will be difficult…at the moment we imagine the group [lead] is
going to be between us and Spain, but you never know."
However Zabaleta is confident in his team’s chances.
"We’ve a good, close-knit group, the whole team is strong…we have high
expectations."
As for the future, Zabaleta prefers not to clutter his young head with dreams,
perhaps a reluctance born of his recent tragedy.
"I never think too much of the future…I’d be proud to play for San Lorenzo’s
first team, and sure one day I’d love to play in Europe, but there’s no
hurry."
In the meantime a World Championship winner’s medal is the goal, to dedicate
to Laura Zabaleta.
http://www.u17.fifa.com/cda/U17/homepage/0,1455,EventID%3D95_MatchID%3D31_
TeamID%3D1882406_countryCode%3Du17-2001_documentID%3D1703_localeID%3D102_
menuSelection%3D2736_siteCategoryID%3D2736_siteID%3D1000,00.html
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