After 19 seasons as a pro cyclist he will dedicate himself to football: he will try out as a midfielder for Colombian side Fortaleza
Rigoberto Urán had said it: “I will dedicate myself to professional football. It’s a dream I’ve always had, now I want to see what happens. I know it’s crazy but I have nothing to lose and I like trying new things.” How could he choose at almost 38 years of age (he will turn 26 on January 26th) to try his hand at football, after a life spent riding a bicycle, after having become a true legend for an entire nation – his Colombia -, which she loves him (so much so that she has 2.5 million followers on Instagram) and is ready to support him in this new adventure.
creative
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Urán’s 2025, his first as a former professional cyclist, will therefore be dedicated to football. The rumor began to circulate a few days ago, but the premises were wrong. Rigo will join Fortaleza CEIF – a Colombian top-flight club based in Bogota –, but not as a new financier. Or at least not only in that. Instead he will do it with football boots on his feet, training together with the team during the pre-season, trying to understand if the time on the football pitches can turn into his second life as an athlete. The Colombian will present himself in training camp, as confirmed by Carlos Barato, founder and president of the club: “He will be with us for a trial period”, were his words before also revealing the role that Urán aims to cover. “He wants to play as a creative midfielder.”
five minutes
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“Nineteen seasons as a professional cyclist and four as a youngster, that’s a lot of years dedicated to sport – Rigo admitted last October to ‘El Colombiano’, confirming his retirement from racing -. However, we always remain connected to the world of sport. In Colombia and in every corner of the planet, the dream of any child is to play football. At the time, however, I had no talent but now that I’m older, I say: ‘Let’s try it’. There are many teams in Colombia and among them there is certainly one that wants some visibility and that will allow me to come on in the 85th minute. That’s fine with me: just give me five minutes.”
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past life
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Born in Urrao (Antioquia department) in 1987, Rigoberto Urán Urán – this is his full surname – began competing in 2006, when at the age of nineteen he moved to Italy to race with Fabio Bordonali’s Tenax-Salmilano. Among the best climbers of his generation, in his career he won two stages at the Giro d’Italia, which he finished twice on the podium (second in both 2013 and 2014), once at the Tour de France (second in 2017) and once at Vuelta, in addition to the Olympic silver won in the road race in London 2012 behind the Kazakh Aleksandr Vinokurov. It was a whole other life and it was a whole other Urán. Today’s guy plays football, or at least tries.
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