Futsal goalkeeper who left team in Spain: "Living in Cuba is very difficult."

The Cuban goalkeeper Leonardo Hierrezuelo, who abandoned the national futsal team during its preparation in Spain for the 2024 World Cup in Uzbekistan, made statements about his escape and his prospects in Spain, a country where he is already dreaming of playing professionally one day.

“Living in Cuba is very difficult, it has always been bad, but after the coronavirus, everything has gotten worse,” said the doorman in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia.

Hierrezuelo, another athlete who adds to the list of those who have chosen to leave the island in search of a promising future, stated that he left a hotel in Huelva where his national team was concentrated.

It was the early morning of August 26 to 27, and from there, he took a train to go to a friend's house who already lived in Spain, who not only paid for that ticket but is now also hosting him in his home.

"I made the decision when we started our training camp in Portugal. I wasn't sure I wanted to wait another four years to have the opportunity to seek a better future," he stated.

In fact, the 22-year-old from Havana, who was a substitute in the friendly matches against Portugal and Ukraine, which ended in losses of 9-0 and 7-0, trained every day in Cuba while working in a bicycle repair shop. His income was very low, as he only earned money from the second job.

"My mother only earned about 3,000 or 4,000 Cuban pesos, which is equivalent to 10 euros," he commented to put into context the serious economic situation in which they lived.

On his trips abroad, as part of the Cuban team, he took the opportunity to "buy things that could be sold well in Cuba, like sports shoes and clothing," because on the island "it is very complicated to find food in supermarkets, and when it is available, it is at extremely high prices," he explained.

After Hierrezuelo's escape, his parents and siblings remained in Havana, whom he hopes to help when he finds economic stability in Spain.

For now, he is not closed off to doing any work that helps him survive while he manages to legalize himself in the Iberian country.

Before Hierrezuelo's escape, the Cuban team had already suffered the loss of young Harold Aguilera (22 years old), who left the group in the Portuguese city of Viseu.

Aguilera, originally from Camagüey and known for his role as a closer on the team, was absent after a friendly match against the Ukrainian national team, reported the magazine Playoffmagazine.

For its part, the Cuban team started its run in the World Cup with a 10-0 defeat against Brazil on Saturday. Next, on Tuesday, September 17, they will face Thailand.