Luis ‘Matador’ Tejada, some experiences in his honor

Luis “Matador” Tejada, lFor the first time, I watched him train with the national team in the U-20 team under his leadership Gary Stempelin the reclaimed area in Diablo.

That first U-20 team he coached Gary Stempel, made up of players like: Felipe Baloy, Luis Moreno, José “Pistolero” Garcés, Robert Stewart, Francisco Portillo, among others, and for many, one of the best national teams in that category with talent and individuality, but which, due to non-football situations, did not qualify for the World Cup in Argentina in 2001.

I would have many anecdotes to tell roof, but we will leave some in the plan, like when I watched him at the age of 19 and it was said that there was already interest in him going to play abroad, specifically Spain, even Taurus, a team that “Bullfighter” He always said that he loved, on that occasion he held a press conference in a restaurant on Vía Argentina to announce this fact.

Years later he was in Real Salt Lake (2007), gained a lot of weight, I found him in the

corridor Rommel Fernandez, just arrived from NOW, He greeted me and told me with a laugh that he would get in shape, that includes the physical, and this server didn’t ask anything, he answered me, as we would say, he was expecting a move.

Later he would arrive in Juan Aurich and crowned in 2011, as a figure and idol in Peru,

Tejada had to wait until the event in Russia 2018 to know what it means to be at the FIFA World Cup; it was God’s blessing, as the attacker himself expressed several times.

I remember that when Panama qualified for the 2018 World Cup in Russia at the Rommel Fernández Stadium, thanks to a 2-1 win against Costa Rica, Rolando “Toro” Blackburn He was in the stands, he went down to enter the field, but the security did not let him.

At that moment, Tejada saw him, he immediately approached the tunnel, went to the gate and told the security: “He (Blackburn) is a player, he is part of the team”, he claimed that Rolando also had the right to enter to celebrate and complied.

I told some anecdotes that I shared and lived by as a journalist Luis ‘Matador’ Tejada, They may not be the best, but I think they are important to honor him.