“Football has made by heart beat again” - Argentina player Elias Alexander Rodriguez
Elias Alexander Rodriquez (Top Right)
Among tears of joy, hugs, dancing, posing for pictures and brief pauses for sips of yerba mate, Argentina player Elias Alexander Rodriguez is trying to take everything in. His team has just defeated Austria 4-3 to win the Tier 4 Men Gatefotball Cup at the 2025 Oslo Homeless World Cup.
Breaking away from the celebrations pitchside at Rådhusplassen in the heart of Norway’s capital, he said: “I'm very happy to be here in Norway. I'm happy to have won also. It's a very important tournament for us. We feel that people are watching us back home. Perhaps this helped us feel valued and motivated. It's great to feel the love from our families and the people close to us who are watching our matches. People here have also been very good to us and treated us very well.
“It’s been a very enriching experience. The truth is that the people here, with their manners and warmth, have taught us a lot. We've met people from all over the world. They boosted the team's self-esteem and morale and each of our players has been able to capitalise on the lessons that this beautiful place has taught us. I'm also happy for our coaching staff. They gave us freedom and confidence and we've done things well and won.”
Team Argentina is organised by Hecho Club Social (HCS), the street football subsidiary of Buenos Aires street paper Hecho. After finding himself in a socially and economically vulnerable situation, Elias spent time living in a homeless shelter. And it was there he found about the work HCS does.
When asked what football has given him via his participation with HCS, he responds: “Football has given me so much joy. It has made my heart beat again. It has brought back my smile. It has restored my confidence in a group. It has given me back the confidence to trust others and the ability to trust others. It’s others who will support you; who see you; who give you words of encouragement; who are there to give you a hand when you stumble; who give you a hug when you're feeling down; and who talk to you when you need to hear a kind word.
“The truth is that football has given me so much. I've made new friends. It has made me respect others. And, just by playing football, people also give me respect.”
And ahead of his return back to his native Buenos Aires, he is full of positivity. He finishes: “I think this has been very motivating and very inspiring for real change. I know that something good will come out of being part of this. When you are part of something as amazing as this, it motivates you to do something that's just as good or even better. It's very inspiring.”
Written By Danielle Batist, Photos By Donnie Nicholson