Episode 1: Mi héroe, mi amigo Episode 1: Mein Held, mein Freund Episode 1: My Hero, My Friend Aflevering 1: Mijn held, mijn vriend Odcinek 1: Mój bohater, mój przyjaciel Эпизод 1: Мой герой, мой друг

**Martina Castro:** Welcome to the first episode of the Duolingo Spanish Podcast. I'm your host, Martina Castro. In this series, you will hear true bilingual stories from across Latin America about travels with unexpected turns, plans unraveled, and destinations unknown. The Spanish is for intermediate level learners, but if you get lost, don't worry, we will be chiming in throughout the story.

**Martina Castro:** Like many kids growing up in Mexico, Rodrigo Soberanes had a hero, and his hero was a soccer star. But unlike his friends, Rodrigo got to meet his idol…

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Conocer a mi ídolo fue algo que yo no esperaba. Rodrigo Soberanes: Meinem Idol zu begegnen war etwas, das ich nicht erwartet hatte. Rodrigo Soberanes: Meeting my idol was something I didn't expect. Rodrigo Soberanes : Rencontrer mon idole est une chose à laquelle je ne m'attendais pas. Menos, que se convirtiera en mi amigo. Und schon gar nicht, dass er mein Freund werden würde. Less, that he became my friend.

**Martina Castro:** It all started back in 1989, when Rodrigo was just 11 years old. Martina Castro: It all started back in 1989, when Rodrigo was just 11 years old.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Cuando tenía 11 años, el fútbol era mi vida. Rodrigo Soberanes: When I was 11 years old, football was my life. Yo estaba obsesionado. Ich war besessen. I was obsessed. J'étais obsédée. Jugaba al fútbol con mis amigos de la escuela en la semana, y jugaba contra otros clubes los sábados o domingos. I played soccer with my school friends during the week, and played against other clubs on Saturday or Sunday.

**Martina Castro:** Even though Rodrigo was obsessed with soccer, there was one problem: In the state of Veracruz, where Rodrigo grew up, there wasn't a division one team. Meaning, the team from his city wasn't good enough to compete among the best in the country. That meant he had to root for other teams when he watched games on TV, and it just wasn't the same.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Necesitaba un equipo de mi estado. Rodrigo Soberanes: Ich brauchte ein Team aus meinem Bundesland. Rodrigo Soberanes: I needed a team from my state. Necesitaba un equipo de Veracruz en la primera división. He needed a team from Veracruz in the first division.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Un jueves de marzo o abril de ese año, me rompí una pierna jugando con mis amigos en el parque. Rodrigo Soberanes: One Thursday in March or April of that year, I broke my leg playing with my friends in the park. Yo recuerdo que cuando íbamos al hospital, estaba preocupado porque ese sábado teníamos un partido de fútbol y no sabía si iba a poder jugar. I remember that when we went to the hospital, I was worried because that Saturday we had a soccer game and I didn't know if I was going to be able to play.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Desafortunadamente, no pude practicar fútbol por mucho tiempo. Rodrigo Soberanes: Unfortunately, I couldn't practice soccer for a long time. Tuve que pasar muchos meses sin caminar porque mi recuperación iba a tardar mucho. I had to spend many months without walking because my recovery was going to take a long time. Por eso, iba a tener que quedarme en la cama para poder mejorar. Because of that, I was going to have to stay in bed in order to get better.

**Martina Castro:** But during those long, boring days, while Rodrigo recovered from his broken leg, he heard some good news on the radio. It was a huge deal — the soccer team from his city, called los Tiburones Rojos, or the Red Sharks, had a very successful season. Finally, they were being promoted to division one!

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Uno de los jugadores se llamaba Jorge Comas. Rodrigo Soberanes: One of the players was called Jorge Comas. Jorge era argentino y jugaba en la posición de ataque. Jorge was Argentine and played in the attacking position. Era un hombre pequeño y tenía un corte de pelo que muchos niños en mi ciudad empezamos a copiar meses después: corto arriba y largo atrás. He was a small man and had a haircut that many children in my city began to copy months later: short on top and long in the back.

**Martina Castro:** So, basically, it was a mullet. And all the kids in his town copied it as well. One day, the whole team went to Xalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz and the city where Rodrigo lived. The local government wanted the neighborhood kids to meet the players, but this took place just weeks after Rodrigo hurt his leg. So, with his knee stitched up, Rodrigo snuck out of his house on crutches to make it to the stadium.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Había mucha gente y era difícil encontrarlos. Rodrigo Soberanes: Es waren sehr viele Leute da und es war schwierig, sie zu finden. Rodrigo Soberanes: There were a lot of people and it was difficult to find them. Pero recuerdo que logré tocar el brazo de Jorge Comas, aunque él a mí no me vio. Aber ich erinnere mich, dass ich den Arm von Jorge Comas berührt habe, obwohl er mich nicht gesehen hat. But I remember that I managed to touch Jorge Comas's arm, although he didn't see me.

**Martina Castro:** Rodrigo would never forget that moment when he touched Jorge Comas' arm. A few days later, Los Tiburones Rojos played their first division one game, and they tied. The goals scored by the Tiburones were all by Jorge Comas, who was swiftly becoming Rodrigo's childhood hero. The goals scored by the Tiburones were all by Jorge Comas, who was swiftly becoming Rodrigo's childhood hero.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Después de unos meses, Jorge Comas se convirtió en la estrella de fútbol de la ciudad. Rodrigo Soberanes: After a few months, Jorge Comas became the soccer star of the city. Miles de niños eran fanáticos de Jorge, y yo también copié su estilo, con el pelo largo hasta los hombros. Thousands of children were fans of Jorge, and I also copied his style, with shoulder-length hair.

**Martina Castro:** And then, a sort of Tiburón-mania ensued, that swelled with each goal Comas scored. It didn't even matter if the team lost! The Tiburón-mania lasted three years. But, in 1992, Comas and other notable players started leaving the club, and the team would never be the same.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Después, yo crecí y no pensé en Comas hasta 15 años después. Rodrigo Soberanes: Later, I grew up and didn't think about Comas until 15 years later. Fui a la universidad, me gradué de periodista y comencé a viajar para buscar un lugar donde vivir y conseguir trabajo. I went to college, graduated as a journalist, and started traveling to find a place to live and get a job.

**Martina Castro:** All grown up and pursuing a career in journalism, Rodrigo finally decided to leave his hometown of Xalapa. He never thought he would end up only 60 miles away in the Port of Veracruz, but that's what happened.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Yo no conocía a nadie ahí. Rodrigo Soberanes: Ich habe dort niemanden gekannt. Rodrigo Soberanes: I didn't know anyone there. Pero en el año 2007, en un momento agarré todas mis cosas y me fui para el Puerto de Veracruz. Aber 2007 packte ich irgendwann alle meine Sachen und fuhr zum Hafen von Veracruz. But in 2007, at one point I grabbed all my things and went to the Port of Veracruz. Llegué a la ciudad en un coche viejo y con tres bolsos. Ich kam in der Stadt in einem alten Auto mit drei Taschen an. I arrived in the city in an old car and with three bags.

**Martina Castro:** A tropical town with a vibrant nightlife — the Port of Veracruz was a different world from where Rodrigo grew up.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Cuando subí al departamento que renté, el número 8, alguien abrió la puerta del departamento número 7. Rodrigo Soberanes: Als ich zu der Wohnung, die ich gemietet hatte, Nummer 8, hinaufging, öffnete jemand die Tür von Wohnung Nummer 7. Rodrigo Soberanes: When I went up to the apartment I rented, number 8, someone opened the door of apartment number 7. Para mi total sorpresa, era Jorge Comas. To my total surprise, it was Jorge Comas. Dije “buenas tardes”, pero creo que él no respondió. I said “good afternoon”, but I don't think he responded.

**Martina Castro:** After greeting Comas, Rodrigo continued on to his apartment. But when he went inside, he didn't check out the bamboo furniture or his view of the ocean. He didn't even notice the nice breeze coming in through his balcony window…

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Solo me senté en el sillón y pensé en Jorge Comas el resto del día. Rodrigo Soberanes: I just sat on the couch and thought about Jorge Comas for the rest of the day.

**Martina Castro:** So, on his first day of work as a journalist in this new city, Rodrigo decided to ask Jorge Comas for an interview. Martina Castro: So, on his first day of work as a journalist in this new city, Rodrigo decided to ask Jorge Comas for an interview.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Él dijo que sí. Rodrigo Soberanes: Er hat ja gesagt. Rodrigo Soberanes: He said yes. Hablamos mucho sobre los Tiburones Rojos y sobre qué estaba mal en el equipo. Wir haben viel über die Tiburones Rojos gesprochen und darüber, was mit der Mannschaft los war. We talked a lot about the Red Sharks and what was wrong with the team.

**Martina Castro:** They talked about what had changed in the years since the team had been successful and popular.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Hablé mucho con Jorge. Rodrigo Soberanes: I talked a lot with Jorge. Me contó unas historias y me confesó algunos secretos también. He told me some stories and confessed some secrets to me too. Yo le hablé sobre la vez que, cuando era niño, lo fui a visitar en el estadio de Xalapa, cuando me había roto la pierna. Ich erzählte ihm, wie ich ihn als Kind im Stadion von Xalapa besuchte, als ich mir das Bein gebrochen hatte. I told him about the time when, as a child, I went to visit him at the Xalapa stadium, when he had broken my leg. Le dije que copié su estilo, y que me dejé el pelo largo como él. Ich erzählte ihm, dass ich seine Frisur kopiert hatte und dass ich mir die Haare so lang wachsen ließ wie er. I told him that I copied his style, and that I grew my hair long like him. Pero a Jorge no le importaba. Aber das war Jorge egal. But Jorge didn't care. Jorge ya era una persona diferente. Jorge war bereits ein anderer Mensch. Jorge was already a different person.

**Martina Castro:** Jorge Comas had changed. He had gone back to being a working man, like when he was a young bricklayer in the Entre Ríos region of Argentina… back before his dad decided to take him to play professional soccer.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Día a día hablamos más y más, y yo comencé a saber todo de Jorge: de cómo conoció a su mujer, de cómo eran sus 9 hijos. Rodrigo Soberanes: Wir unterhielten uns von Tag zu Tag mehr, und ich begann, alles über Jorge zu erfahren: wie er seine Frau kennengelernt hatte, wie seine neun Kinder aussahen. Rodrigo Soberanes: Day by day we talked more and more, and I began to know everything about Jorge: how he met his wife, what his 9 children were like. Y de los hábitos de Choncho, su gato gigante que llenaba el departamento de pelos. Und die Gewohnheiten von Choncho, seiner riesigen Katze, die die Wohnung mit Haaren füllte. And of the habits of Choncho, his giant cat that filled the apartment with fur. También escuché sobre sus mejores amigos. I also heard about his best friends.

**Martina Castro:** After weeks of chatting, Rodrigo started to understand that the most intense parts of Jorge's life had not been playing soccer in front of 25,000 screaming fans, but actually the experiences he'd gone through with his friends. He would dwell on details of arguments he had had, silly fights and acts of injustice.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Nos volvimos amigos. Rodrigo Soberanes: Wir wurden Freunde. Rodrigo Soberanes: We became friends. Yo no le pregunté más sobre su carrera como jugador de fútbol porque entendí que para él eso ya no era importante. Ich habe ihn nicht mehr nach seiner Karriere als Fußballspieler gefragt, weil ich verstanden habe, dass sie ihm nicht mehr wichtig war. I didn't ask him any more about his career as a soccer player because I understood that it was no longer important to him. Formaba parte del pasado — anécdotas que el público recordaba, pero no él. Es war Teil der Vergangenheit - Anekdoten, an die sich die Öffentlichkeit erinnerte, aber nicht er. It was part of the past — anecdotes that the public remembered, but not him.

**Martina Castro:** Rodrigo stopped being as interested in the soccer stories and became more curious about how Jorge's wife ended up leaving him, and how he went from being a soccer star to living such a solitary life. Jorge had no family, no money, and many regrets.

**Martina Castro:** But his friends? They were everything for him.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** A veces ganaba dinero con alguna actividad relacionada al fútbol y se lo intentaba regalar a ellos, aunque él se quedara sin comida y sin medicinas. Rodrigo Soberanes: Manchmal verdiente er Geld mit fußballerischen Aktivitäten und versuchte, es ihnen zu geben, auch wenn er kein Essen und keine Medikamente mehr hatte. Rodrigo Soberanes: Sometimes he would earn money with some activity related to soccer and he would try to give it to them, even if he ran out of food and medicine.

**Martina Castro:** And the money he would make he would try to give away to his friends, even if it meant that he'd be left without money to buy food or medicine. Rodrigo and Jorge grew so close that one time…

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** …lloramos juntos. Rodrigo Soberanes: …we cry together.

**Martina Castro:** Yes… they even cried together. Martina Castro: Yes... they even cried together.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Si necesitaba comida, yo le daba… Rodrigo Soberanes: Wenn er Essen bräuchte, würde ich es ihm geben... Rodrigo Soberanes: If he needed food, I gave him…

**Martina Castro:** …and if Rodrigo ever felt sick to his stomach, Jorge would show up with a miraculous chicken soup.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Yo lo escuchaba horas. Rodrigo Soberanes: I listened to him for hours. Gritamos, bailamos… We scream, we dance...

**Martina Castro:** And every once in awhile, they'd go out and eat tacos for free at restaurants where Jorge was still recognized as a famous soccer star. Jorge almost never left his apartment, but one day, he went to see Rodrigo play soccer.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Fue el peor partido de mi vida, no recuerdo haber tocado la pelota ese día. Rodrigo Soberanes: Es war das schlimmste Spiel meines Lebens, ich kann mich nicht erinnern, den Ball an diesem Tag berührt zu haben. Rodrigo Soberanes: It was the worst game of my life, I don't remember touching the ball that day. Cuando el partido terminó, Jorge me dijo que soy muy, muy, muy malo. Als das Spiel vorbei war, sagte Jorge zu mir, dass ich sehr, sehr, sehr schlecht bin. When the match ended, Jorge told me that I am very, very, very bad. Yo pagué las cervezas esa noche y él no paró de reírse. Ich habe an diesem Abend die Biere bezahlt und er hat nicht aufgehört zu lachen. I paid for the beers that night and he couldn't stop laughing.

**Martina Castro:** During the years Jorge Comas was Rodrigo's neighbor, Rodrigo made a documentary about him. In that documentary, Rodrigo felt that he was finally able to express everything that he wasn't able to tell Jorge that day he touched his arm as a kid. In that documentary, Rodrigo felt that he was finally able to express everything that he wasn't able to tell Jorge that day he touched his arm as a kid. The two of them prepared one of the main scenes of the documentary together; they gathered some of Jorge's ex teammates and friends.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Jorge preparó sándwiches de mayonesa y jamón. Rodrigo Soberanes: Jorge prepared mayonnaise and ham sandwiches. Nunca lo vi tan feliz. I never saw him so happy. La conversación fluyó sin interrupciones y yo la grabé toda. Das Gespräch verlief ohne Unterbrechung, und ich habe alles aufgezeichnet. The conversation flowed without interruption and I recorded it all. Nadie comió los sándwiches. Niemand hat die Sandwiches gegessen. Nobody ate the sandwiches. Jorge, el solitario del departamento 7, volvió a ser Comas, el gran ídolo de mi infancia. Jorge, the loner from department 7, was Comas again, the great idol of my childhood.

**Martina Castro:** But after the party was over, Jorge went back to being his regular self.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Un día cualquiera bajé al departamento 7 y Jorge ya no estaba. Rodrigo Soberanes: Eines Tages ging ich in die Wohnung 7 und Jorge war weg. Rodrigo Soberanes: One day, I went down to department 7 and Jorge was no longer there. Tuvo un impulso de esos típicos en él y se fue sin decir nada. Er hatte einen typischen Impuls und ging, ohne etwas zu sagen. He had one of those typical impulse in him and left without saying anything. Como no tiene familia en Veracruz, fue difícil saber a dónde había ido. Da er keine Familie in Veracruz hat, war es schwierig zu erfahren, wohin er gegangen war. Since he has no family in Veracruz, it was difficult to know where he had gone.

**Martina Castro:** Rodrigo's first thought was to worry. The doorman of the building said he saw Jorge leave with a suitcase, but it wasn't like him to go on a trip on his own. So, Rodrigo thought maybe he had gotten into some trouble. He called around asking about him, and even Jorge's closest friends didn't know where he had gone. As a last resort, Rodrigo reached out to Jorge's ex-teammates from Los Tiburones Rojos. Finally, an answer. It turned out Jorge had gone to Campeche, in the south of Mexico, to start a new phase of life as a soccer coach in division three. Rodrigo was relieved and happy to hear these news.

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** Poco tiempo después, me tuve que ir de Veracruz y no hablamos más por mucho tiempo. Rodrigo Soberanes: Kurz darauf musste ich Veracruz verlassen und wir haben lange Zeit nicht mehr miteinander gesprochen. Rodrigo Soberanes: A short time later, I had to leave Veracruz and we didn't speak for a long time.

**Martina Castro:** Not long ago, Rodrigo heard that Jorge had been on state television, giving a trophy to a team from a small town called Chicoasén. He was wearing a linen shirt with short sleeves, denim pants and black shoes…

**Rodrigo Soberanes:** …su ropa para ocasiones especiales. Rodrigo Soberanes: …his clothes for special occasions. Me dijeron que el gran ídolo se veía feliz. I was told that the great idol looked happy.