Perez using time away to inspire
NEWCASTLE United forward Ayoze Perez has used the international break to help inspire the next generation of Tenerifians to take up football.
Perez is one of the island’s biggest stars since making the move to Newcastle in 2014, and has been a mainstay in the Magpies’ side under Rafa Benitez.
The 24-year-old was a product of Tenerife’s academy and made his breakthrough at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López in the 2013/14 season, winning the Segunda Division’s Breakthrough Player Award.
And while most players use the international break to recharge the batteries, Perez returned home to help out a training camp for young kids on the island, who, like Perez, aspire to star for Tenerife.
“I went there to the camp to spend some time with the kids. It was a lovely morning, we enjoyed it a lot.
“It was a really good time, being back home and spending a whole morning with the youngsters. It was a pleasure to be there, and to be part of the event,” Pérez told nufc.co.uk.
“It’s just coaching, with some staff, doing the training with the kids, and to speak a bit with them. The most important thing is for them to have fun and play football. I’ve done it before, last year, so this was the second time, as we wanted to do it again after the first one. It was a great experience. You can also learn from these kind of things.
He continued: “You see a lot of people enjoying their time with me, and I was like them years ago – I remember when I used to have idols, and it’s important. I have a lot of memories from when I was younger, and I’m happy to make them happy now.
“I was exactly like them, having that dream to become a player. You realise and you see in them those kind of things, which you can’t even explain – it’s something special, and that’s why we’re doing those kind of things.”