“Football has kept me away from delinquency” - Alex Méndez
The 20-year-old Ajax player grew up in a tough area of Los Angeles, California, and during an interview he confessed that football kept him on the right track.
Alex Méndez is a Mexican-American footballer currently playing for Ajax who is recovering from an injury suffered in October 2020. He started his career with the Los Angeles Galaxy II and in 2019 went to SC Freiburg's U-19 team on a free transfer.
After spending a year there he moved to Ajax U-21 team and he has made seven appearances and gave two assists at the Keuken Kampioen Divisie this season. The 20-year-old was interviewed by Inside Ajax where he talked about how it was growing up in Los Angeles, California and how football changed his life.
“I went to a school and I focused on getting good grades. After I was done with my regular classes I would stay until five o’clock in an extracurricular program and then I would run home because my friend would pick me up to go to training. I was never home, but I could easily have taken another path if I chose too. Football kept me away from delinquency,” he added.
During the interview Méndez said that right now his main focus is to recover from his injury, because he has been out for almost three months. Also the Los Angeles native said that he is still getting used to life in Amsterdam.
“The city life is so different because everyone here rides bicycles so I was kind of forced to get one for myself. I think that is very nice because it shows a healthy lifestyle. It is very calm to ride bicycles and sometimes I feel like I am one of them,” said Méndez.