Borges: I couldn't have asked for a better start
Costa Rica midfielder Celso Borges is happy in his new home, the city of La Coruna, in northwestern Spain. Though rain is a feature of life in this corner of the world, it is more like home than Norway and Sweden, where he has spent the last five years and where snow, freezing temperatures and long nights are the order of the day at this time of year.
“When you’re happy in the place where you work, then everything looks brighter,” said the Tico international, who joined Deportivo La Coruna in the January transfer window.
“Life is very good here and the city really gets behind the team,” he added. “It’s a family club that treats its players very well. Everything’s great and the food’s really good too. The seafood is fantastic.”
A fast learner, he is already tweeting in Galician, the regional language, which he has had no problem getting to grips with thanks to the Portuguese he picked up through his father, former Costa Rica player and coach Alexandre Guimaraes.
“Wherever I go, my family are always with me for the first month,” he explained. “The support they give me really helps me settle in.”
Borges’ family have certainly helped him bed down in La Coruna. No sooner had he unpacked his suitcase than he was making a two-goal Liga debut to help his new club pick up three valuable away points at Rayo Vallecano.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” he reflected. “Scoring those goals was a real confidence booster, though I’ve still got some way to go to be at my best. But the coach is giving me opportunities, and I’m getting there.”
A rock and heavy metal fan, perhaps the hardest thing for the Tico newcomer to get used to is the choice of music in the Depor dressing room, where reggaeton is very much number one.
“Well, I just have to put up with it and be respectful,” he said with an air of resignation.
Away from the dressing room, Borges is taking a distance course in sports management at the Johan Cruyff Institute and is also preparing to get his coaching badge.
His responsible, professional approach to life has not gone unnoticed by Depor coach Victor Fernandez, who had no hesitation in putting him straight into his starting XI and designating him the team’s penalty taker.
Borges’ latest start came at the Santiago Bernabeu no less, in last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid.
“It’s an amazing place,” he said, “It’s unique because of its history and the matches and the players who have graced the stadium. I’m proud to have played there, though what makes me more proud than anything is the fact there’s a Costa Rican there too. That’s a story I can tell my kids.”
The Costa Rican in question is his friend Keylor Navas, of whom he said: “He’s really enjoying himself here. It’s a huge change in every sense but he’s very, very happy. He’s making the most of the experience and he’s training as hard as he can to earn his place in the team. His time will come.”
Before making the move to Spain, the 26-year-old Borges asked the keeper for his views on La Liga, Depor and La Coruna, the latest port of call in a career that began back home with Deportivo Saprissa and has also taken him to Fredrikstad in Norway and AIK in Sweden.
Asked for his own views on La Liga, Borges had this to say: “It’s the passing that dictates the pace of the game here, not just how much you run. The ball zips around really fast and that’s basis of the game in Spain. Physical fitness is very important and you have to run, but the fast pace is dictated by the style of play.”
The skilful Borges, who can operate in a holding role or a more central midfield position, has already experienced that pace for himself, having come up against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Toni Kroos.
“Everything happens so fast that it’s hard to take in,” he said with a smile. “All you see is a blur of white or red jerseys.”
Proud to have run out against the mighty Real Madrid, Borges posted a photo on his Twitter feed of him lining up in a wall alongside the likes of Karim Benzema, Lucas Silva and Gareth Bale.
Building on Brazil 2014
Following the national team’s amazing exploits at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, in which Borges played a big part, Tico players are very much in demand at the moment.
“We’re making our mark in the football market,” he said. “We have a very strong team right now, and we understood right from the start that if we did well as a unit, we’d have the chance to take that step forward and achieve something that nobody else expected.”
Following their unforgettable World Cup run, La Sele, who are now coached by Paulo Wanchope, are the No1 CONCACAF team in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.
“It’s very hard to get there and very easy to lose it all,” said Costa Rica’s midfield motivator. “Our battle now is to stay there. How do we do that? With the quality we’ve got we can keep on improving. Rather than pursuing individual goals, we need to keep setting targets as a team.”
Borges’ most immediate objective, however, is three points in this Saturday’s Galician derby against Celta Vigo at the Estadio Riazor.
“Every match is full on, but this one’s extra special,” he said, gearing himself up for the clash like a true local. “You don’t play derbies. You win them.”
