‘In Spain I can Improve’
{mb_sdlf_jugador_SDLF-jugador_frase-destacada}Rudolfs Zengis is a regular on the lower categories of the Latvian National Team.
When he learned that Marcet was organizing a Draft in his country, Rudolfs Zengis didn’t think twice about getting involved. “My coach told me it was a good opportunity to show what I’m worth,” recalls the Latvian midfielder, who ended up being the best at the tryout. A result that allowed him to earn a one-year scholarship at the Marcet High-Performance Academy.
“Being in Barcelona is an amazing opportunity to improve, meet new coaches, make new colleagues. In Spain, generally speaking, football has been developed more than in Latvia, where football isn’t really considered the first national sport. Here [at Marcet] they want us to learn to think and recognize our own mistakes.”
A few weeks after his arrival in Barcelona, Rudolfs had to return to his country due to a call of duty to his National Team, which needed him in the face of some important matches in the qualifying phase of the U-17 European Championship. “We played matches against Belgium, Greece, Moldova … I was first called into the National team a couple of years ago when I was 14. It’s always a great experience.”
Rudolfs knows what it means to face international teams. In his country, he had the opportunity to play against Liverpool and PSV. Almost always as an offensive midfielder, but he knows how to adapt to more positions. “I usually play in a more forward position, but I also feel I have to know how to defend. I’m a playmaker, I like organizing the team on the field. I like to have the ball and move with it quickly.”
With these characteristics, it is not surprising that Rudolfs is doing well in Spain. “Here football is more technical and less physical,” admits the Latvian athlete. One thing is sure, he’s dead set on becoming a professional player. “I want to play abroad, not in Latvia, somewhere like Spain or England: that is my main objective.”