The sporting career of Jesus Angoy (Alagon, 1966) is a real paradox. In a sport where the feet are mainly used, such as soccer, he excelled with his hands as a goalkeeper, and in one where the hands are used, such as American football, he made a career with his feet in the position of kicker. He defended Barcelona’s goal on 11 occasions in the 1995/96 season and did not make it to the NFL because he did not want to, something that is still not understood in Denver.
Question: For someone who has cherished the NFL like you… did you ever expect an official game to be played in Spain?
I think after the Dragons period it was more complicated, when the team was there it was more feasible. But I think the NFL has been trying for some time to somehow reach Europe and convey its values so that people can also enjoy it. At a business level they are also looking for viability and it is very welcome.
Is the size of the NFL and its teams as big as it seems?
It’s spectacular and it’s very big. For example, at the level of soccer, we at Barcelona had a spectacular and fantastic sports city and it was practically small compared to some facilities that the Broncos had only for training.
In Barcelona we had a spectacular and fantastic sports city and it was practically small compared to the facilities that the Broncos had just for training
Was the physical demand the same between one sport and the other?A: The demands on both sides are total. It is also true that European soccer has been moving towards departments that American soccer already had, such as a coach in charge of defense or attack. Data and details have been taken from this sport.
Not many people have turned down playing in the NFL and you are one of them, how did you get to train with the Broncos, what was that experience like and why did you decide to return to Spain and not stay there?
The opportunity arose to go for a trial and I decided to take the step. It was very satisfying because the statistics of the training sessions were very good and I was super happy and proud to have managed to get there. But it caught me at a very specific moment where I had a series of businesses in Barcelona that I had started with my family and the truth is that I was very restless because we were starting, I did not feel comfortable, I was very distant.
I spoke to them and told them that I was sorry in my soul, but that my body told me that I had to be here. Many were surprised, the coach was paralyzed and said he did not understand, that I was the first player who left a concentration
I spoke to them and told them that I was sorry in my soul, but my body told me that I had to be here. Many were surprised, the coach was paralyzed and said he did not understand, that I was the first player who left a concentration. Now I often think what would have happened, what I would have achieved. It’s a thorn that has stayed there, I live with it.
Is there much difference between a kick in American football and the goal kicks you used to take when you were a goalkeeper?
It’s very important to hit and get the ball flying as soon as possible to avoid pressure from the defense. It also requires you to hit a very good shot so that you have a good distance, it is a very similar mechanics to the golf swing. If you are able to mechanize that, you have many good chances of being a good kicker.
You don’t hit it with the instep like in soccer, you hit it a little bit with the inside and with the instep to get a good shot. Jack Bicknell, who was the coach we had at Dragons, always told me not to look at the ball, that I would hear the applause when it went in and that I would see it on TV later; but to do it well I should have calm and patience.
Do you think that being Johan Cruyff’s son-in-law (he married Chantal Cruyff Coster, daughter of the legendary Dutch player) hurt him more than it benefited him in the football world?R: On the outside, when a situation like this happens, it is always looked at with different eyes, but it is true that, internally, we have always been super satisfied, super happy with the work done, the work of both sides. Having the relationship I had with Johan had nothing to do with going to training, working, giving everything and making decisions.
American football has been useful to show many people that it was not worth saying that he was a son-in-law or that he was such and such. He only had to prove it and they could not criticize him. In soccer it should have been like that
I have always worked and tried to give my best to improve, to perfect and to achieve the goals that you have as a child. I have achieved very important goals for me, the maximum that football could give me, and I am very satisfied. But American football has served to prove to many people that there it was not worth saying that it was son-in-law or that it was such or that it was such. I just had to prove it and they couldn’t criticize you. In soccer it should have been like that.
What is your life like now? What do you do for a living?
I’ve always lived in Barcelona and I’m currently involved in real estate business, where I have a company, and then I’m alternating with football, with Barcelona Legends, where we are playing some very good matches throughout the year. I’m super happy because somehow we are seeing teammates from different eras
Few people have coincided with both Cruyff and Guardiola, but you did. Do you see in Guardiola a reflection of Cruyff?
I coincided with him as a player, in the reserve team and in the first team. It doesn’t surprise me to see where he has got to, he is a great person and a great coach, for me the number one by far. What he has achieved in football is spectacular, but we will not appreciate it until he retires. To achieve what he has achieved is fantastic, and I’m not talking about trophies and awards, which in the end is what is valued; I think he has achieved something beyond that, which is that idea, that philosophy.
In countries like England, where they were used to a very different kind of football, to make them win what they have won through the methodology and the concept that he had been taught for so many years I think is spectacular.
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