“I used to cry myself to sleep”

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There they are, Jim Button and Lukas, the engineer. Ruben Vargas (24), the national star, sits in the Augsburger Puppenkiste among some of the 5,000 figures on display in the history museum. From Kasperl to Urmel from the ice cream to politicians like Angela Merkel – all kinds of characters can be seen as puppets or puppets.

Ruben Vargas is here for the first time, although he’s been playing in Augsburg for three and a half years now – and at FCA the puppet theater is ubiquitous: when his club meets, “An Island with Two Mountains” based on Jim Button is played as target music . Kasperl gives his result tip before the game, rarely against Augsburg.

They are the two brands of the city near Munich. Vargas feels good, he also likes the proximity of Switzerland. He often tackles the three-hour drive to his home village of Adligenswil near Lucerne. “Basically when I get to sleep with mom for two nights,” he says. Last weekend he was at home – and saw his brother Manuel (21) storm inter-regional for Kickers Luzern in the 2nd division. “To Sursee – by the way, with Haris Seferovic’s brother…” Vargas says with a smile.

While Seferovic has not been called up for the Nati games against Belarus and Israel, Vargas now ranks as an undisputed starter.

Here he talks about his journey from painter to star of the national team.

Ruben, we are here in the Augsburger Puppenkiste. What do fairy tales mean to you?
Reuben Vargas: Of course I know Jim Button, the most famous character. Before the match, we give the opponent a puppet of him instead of a pennant. And when I see all the marionettes, I think of Pinocchio. I watched many of his DVDs as a child.

How did you grow up?
I had a very nice childhood. I was outside a lot and played all sorts of things.

Always football?
No not at all. My father is from the Dominican Republic, he played baseball and worked as a golf instructor. I practiced these two sports early on. At school, football was added during breaks. I finally had to choose between baseball and soccer – and I was a little nervous when I told my dad I’d decided to play soccer… But then he took it easy.

How much Dominican Republic mentality is in you?
The joie de vivre, the positivity, the will to win, the temperament – ​​​​that I inherited. My grandparents, uncles and aunts and some cousins ​​live there, we sometimes visit them. I am always aware of how well we Swiss are doing. As a child I always wondered why there were so many holes in the streets. Why it takes 20 minutes on these gravel roads to get to a supermarket. Why you can’t be at the supermarket in two minutes like we do. It’s a privilege of how we live that we don’t live in poverty like they do.

Do you support your family financially?
That is of course part of it.

Her mother was a trampoline participant in the European Championships, she is from Italy and Switzerland. What did you take from her?
The silence. being serene.

Did you consciously experience the divorce of your parents?
I was very young and then it became normal. It never bothered me. My mother found a new man who became my stepfather and who looked very good to my brother and me. And everyone is good together. Let me give you an example: everyone was there together at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. My father, my mother, my stepfather with his daughter and son from his first marriage, my brother. Wonderful that this works.

Let’s talk about your childhood. When asked if you did well in school, your mom said, “He went…
“Did she really say that? (laughs) Well, she’s right. School wasn’t that easy for me. I was happy when there was a break. Or if we had gymnastics, I was good. But I tried my best, even though I found it hard to sit still, and I didn’t like math at all, it wasn’t my thing, but it soon became clear that nine years of school was enough for me – I wanted to do an internship.

They decided to study construction.
First of all, it was not so easy to find a training company that would support me, because in my youth I needed a lot of time for football at FC Luzern. My stepfather – he is a carpenter – knew a boss in construction. I trained as a painter and completed it after three years.

What have you learned from working on the construction site?
I have learned discipline. Get up early in the morning to work something out. It was just nice for me to stand at the facade in the summer, for example, and work – it’s a great feeling to create something. And I had good people around me, a great boss. I’m still in touch with some of them to this day, they text me for competitions. All this helps me to keep both feet on the ground. And we are now two painters in the national team, Renato Steffen also participated.

As an aspiring craftsman, how do you cope with the many beers on the construction site?
In the beginning, my colleagues asked me. Not anymore, luckily… I never had a beer after work, that didn’t suit me as a football player.

Renovate your apartment yourself?
I certainly could. If there’s something to fix, I’ll do it.

You are now the second football player from Adligenswil.
Stephan Lichtsteiner was already a star when I was a little kid. When I was 14 or 15 he came to live with us in Adligenswil. We got autographs and I posed for a selfie next to him. When he came to Augsburg, I showed him the photo and asked him if he remembered me (laughs).

You had a few problems as a junior at FC Luzern. You once said that you also cried a lot during that phase. Why?
I had deficits. I was much smaller and much weaker than others and was often not in the squad, especially between the U13 and U15. Once I was not called up to a tournament that I really wanted. I remember crying myself to sleep. And when it came to who stays on the teams, I always had to tremble. That’s why I joined Kriens at the U17 for a year before things got better at the U18 in Lucerne. One reason was that I had a growth spurt when I was 17. Today I am 1.77 meters.

How much has your faith helped you?
Terribly. I pray daily, sometimes several times. It helps me a lot at work and in my personal life.

When you score a goal, put yourself face up.
Yes, to thank God. I dedicate all success to him and express my gratitude. Without him I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am really proud to be a Bundesliga and national team player. And yet I feel at the beginning of my career. The last two years have not been optimal after I got off to a flying start in Augsburg. At first I stagnated, then I often got injured. Now I want to attack again.

You are actually expected to take the next step in the summer to a bigger club than Augsburg.
I’m not worried about that. I was injured and now I have to fight back.

How long did it take you to process the 6-1 defeat to Portugal at the World Cup?
The disappointment lasted a long time because you don’t want to be eliminated. It was not the performance we wanted to deliver. Some were sick beforehand, others lacked freshness. But you also have to say that Portugal has a great team. Just the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo was on the bench says a lot.

The end a year earlier in the quarter-finals of the European Championship against Spain in a penalty shoot-out was even more difficult. The image of you crying after the end went around the world. How do you remember the scene?
I was incredibly disappointed. In the round of 16 against France, I used him and experienced the best emotions of my football life. Then you get to know the other side. It was very brutal, anything could have been possible in this tournament. And I was not ashamed of my tears.

Liverpool star Thiago comforted you. What did he tell you?
I shouldn’t have been sad, I should have shown courage. I should be proud of myself and not see the negative. I can’t hang my head. Other Spaniards also came up to me and encouraged me. That an adversary utters so many words of consolation touches me to this day.

Did you watch the missed penalty kick again?
No. Why would I? I want to remember good things, not failures.

Source : Blick