Futbol, or soccer, is a worldwide sport played by thousands of players. According to a 2001 FIFA survey, over 240 million people in about 200 countries play soccer. Playing the game of soccer is the same in concern of the rules of the sport. A ball is the top requirement for playing a game of soccer, imagination is the second component.

The differences around the world come between schools and clubs. This year a foreign exchange student from Spain is playing with our team, junior Alvaro Esnaola.

Over in Spain the teams are not school related, they play in clubs. The schools don’t have specialized sport organizations.

Esnaola said he enjoys playing soccer with the school. It has given him opportunities he hadn’t had in Spain. He’s also given his full attention to the sport while still in school as he did in his club team.

“It’s a different type of game,” Esnaola said. ”We play in clubs instead of in high school.”

Esnaola came to Hays only knowing skills and concepts learned from Spain. This season, Esnaola has played with different people with different skills and abilities. He has also gotten to interact with the different players and show them his ideas and his own skills.

Throughout his transition to a school sport he also had a change in position. He came in as a goalie, showing his skills he got transferred to a mid-fielder. Gaining more skill and knowledge of his new position he said that his teammates help him and teach him key factors over his mid-field responsibilities on the field.

“It’s a different style for me and I need to learn how to play this, but I think that we are a good team,” Esnaola said. “I want to win regionals and state this year.”

­                                                                                                                            20dherrera@usd489.com