Pink Pages     MyLocalHero 2024     Advertise with us     

BreakingYourLocalNews

‘MASSIVE HONOUR’: St Albans resident signed by international football club

 Published on: 18th July 2024   |   By: Annabel Stock   |   Category: Uncategorized

A St Albans resident has spoken of the “massive honour” of being selected as goalkeeper for Colombia FC’s U20 squad.

Alexei Rojas, 18, attended Parmiter’s School in Garston and grew up in St Albans, where he still lives. Aged 11, he began training with the Chelsea Development Centre and, at 13, was scouted by Arsenal to play for the London Colney Colts. He is currently playing for Arsenal U20.

It was at Arsenal that he was noticed by the Colombian Federation and was first called up at age 15 to play for the U17 team. Alexei’s mother is Russian and his father is Colombian, so he is eligible to represent his father’s native country.

On Monday, June 17, Alexei announced that he had been selected for Colombia’s U20 squad. After a short period of training, Alexei flew out to Peru, where he is now captaining the U20 Colombian squad throughout June and July in friendlies against Peru and Honduras.

Speaking to MyLocalNews, Alexei said: “It’s a massive honour to get called up for my country. Representing my whole country motivates me to work harder.”

The talented teenager looks back fondly on his time at Parmiter’s School.

He said: “Parmiter’s gave me a fantastic education and strong foundation. They were really supportive of all the football stuff and understanding of me taking time off to train. I made some great friends there and still keep in contact with the PE department.”

Speaking of his ambitions for the future, Alexei added: “The ultimate dream would be to become the number one goalkeeper. I would love to play at the World Cup and for top leagues in Europe.”

The young player is also thrilled to announce that he signed his first professional contract for Arsenal last month, after working his way through the academy.

Speaking to Arsenal.com, he said: “It’s an unbelievable feeling. I feel so proud of myself and happy with the work that I’ve done over the last few years. It’s always been my dream from such a young age to finally become a professional footballer.

“Now I’m here it continues motivating me to keep working hard every day to reach my goal of becoming the best goalkeeper in the world.

Sign up to get weekly local news updates & offers:

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

0 Comments

Leave a comment

*

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Top