Within the upcoming transfer to Rangers Cortes’s difficult upbringing

Within the upcoming transfer to Rangers Cortes’s difficult upbringing

Within the upcoming transfer to Rangers Cortes’s difficult upbringing

The cousin of new Rangers striker Oscar Cortes has shared his story of getting to Ibrox from a low-income home where he played

barefoot football and sold cocoa in Colombia.

He also learns about the young player’s attempt to pursue a football career after escaping the gang violence in his hometown.

The winger from Lens is expected to go on loan to Glasgow following a lackluster stint in France following his summer transfer from

Millonarios, his home club.

Cortes was up in a village close to the coastal city of Tumaco in southwest Colombia.

His best friend and cousin, Emmanuel Cortes, described the struggles the 20-year-old faced.

He declared: “Candelilla is the village where we grew up. Playing football was essentially the only way to stay away from gang membership and gun violence.

“He was outside playing football barefoot in every open area.

“There aren’t many resources there, and Oscar and his family had to get up at five in the morning to sell bananas or cocoa at farms.

Because of the violence and criminal groups that surrounding us, our environment was not ideal. There was football to play, labor

under palm palms, join an armed gang, or study. Football was his choice.

“He frequently went without food and made enormous sacrifices. That was among the many factors that greatly bolstered Oscar.

Experiencing extreme hunger, thirst, and several life setbacks strengthened him. Oscar was a little boy with obvious talent from an

early age. He didn’t even have shoes to play with at the time, let alone football boots. He was indifferent, though. His only goal was to

practice every day. After a while, he was noticed and gained a berth at Candelilla FC,

where he played against men who were older than him and learned and gained confidence.

“At the time, the violence that surrounds us made it difficult for us to leave our community, but Oscar remained unaffected by this.

“He constantly approached his dreams with a winning mentality.

“He was loaned to another team, Llorente, which allowed him to leave our country. There was no actual transportation or assistance in Tumaco, so he had to relocate.

“After they signed him, he became more self-assured, and the club received his parents’ approval to move him to California. Though

they understood it was a wonderful proposition, they found it hard to accept that he was departing.

The club decided to send him to school concurrently.

“At the time, he was being watched by scouts from Millionarios at a competition, and he was approached by Club America and Boca

Juniors, among others, to join their Under 17 team. His dedication, discipline,

and performances led to his virtually instant inclusion in their first team.”

Additionally, Cortes has highlighted what supporters of the Rangers may anticipate from his cousin during his season-long loan.

“He is a very attacking player, but he always contributes to defense as well,” he stated. Sure, there is still room for improvement in his

lack of aggression, but he is making progress all the time.

“God gave him the gift of talent. Because of his abilities, we used to refer to him as the magician.” He is aware that he needs to remain

grounded, yet he is still learning and improving greatly. This is just the beginning for him because he is still extremely young.

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