Keylor Navas was close to reaching Liga MX

Mariano Varela, sports manager of the Monster from 2007 to 2009 gave details about the interest that there was on the part of the Tibase leadership for the Tico to emigrate to Mexico

During his tenure as sports manager of the Monster, a golden generation began to consolidate that would ultimately end up giving great results to the Saprissa on the field, but also in their coffers.

Alonso Solís, Christian Bolaños, Armando Alonso and Keylor Navascurrent goalkeeper of the Paris Saint-Germain that in his beginnings with the Tibaseño team before and after having his long-awaited debut with the Monster in 2005 he was “desperate” to play.

Mariano Varela He says he has anecdotes with Keylor Navaswho was the right hand of Jorge Vergara remember in conversation with ESPN how the tico behaved in his first years in the Saprissain addition to what he came to tell him when he saw that he did not play in the first division of Costa Rica for the competition with José Francisco Porras and Fausto González.

“I speak little of Keylor, one should not boast because I had him for a short time. I had to be three championships, in all three there was a different goalkeeper, on one occasion it was José Francisco Porras, on another Fausto González and finally Keylor NavasVarela told ESPN.

“On one occasion, I saw him and at once it was clear that he had special conditions, they, as they popularly say, had ‘mejengas’, before training the Technical Staff played against the players and had extraordinary reflexes”, added the Coordinator and Delegate sportswear Chivas from Guadalajarato.

“He arrived and told me: ‘Don Mariano, I’m desperate, it’s just that I don’t play,’ I told him that he was going to have a chance, first because of his conditions, and then because in the end important people like him came, and he ended up being given it was a matter of waiting for the generational change”, recalled the Aztec collaborator.

Given the need I had Keylor Navas to play more and not count games in 2006 and 2007, in the group led by Jorge Vergara they had the idea that the 23-year-old Tico goalkeeper at that time would travel to Liga MX, he was in a group of soccer players who were going to try luck in the Red Sharks of Veracruz.

“In the fifth championship, he was already the starting goalkeeper, and the rest of the story is well known, everything he did,” he explained.

“I remember that at some point we wanted to bring him to MexicoI would lie to you if I told you that the achievements he has achieved would be here in Mexicobut it does not surprise me, it is a type of faith, of values ​​and what he has done is extraordinary, if I remember perfectly the conversations and advice we had with him, ”said the Aztec to ESPN.

“On Mexico It would have gone very well for him, he even put together a ‘package’ with Efraín Álvarez, I don’t remember, I think it was for Veracruzwas he even Alonso Solis who later went to Necaxa, we had knowledge of players who had great talent in the team, “he said. Mariano Varela.

To conclude, the former Aztec collaborator also recognized that in Saprissa talent was plentiful, so in conjunction with Jorge Vergara They decided to create activities such as the Chivas Cup so that the purple youngsters would have international contact.

“We did the Chivas Cup that was sub-18 and important players came, very good, Esteban Alvarado one of them, a guy with that stamp, and that personality, I think part of that, many players of that time had that potential to go to Mexicobut they went to less competitive leagues”, he detailed.