MEXICO CITY – When the Liga MX stadiums were open to the public, one of the few footballers who would pay for a ticket, aside from the jersey he is wearing, is called Rubens Sambueza.
Numbers are not abundant in Mexican football, and this character has held a place among players who never go unnoticed for several years now. He can even give a pass that seems insignificant, but takes on a different meaning.
Today he has the reflectors on him again and the years do not seem to take their toll, because without the speed and explosiveness of yesteryear, Rubens never stops thinking. He is always one game ahead and his competitive attitude requires him to win in every scenario.
Toluca’s halftime fit ‘Sambu’ well into his second phase as he is more mature on and off the field, accepts the mistakes he has made in the past, and focuses on not repeating them.
There is a false belief, especially when it comes to cracks, which assumes that talent has an expiration date, and there are not a few technicians hiding behind the flag of physical football, running for over 90 minutes, showing sacrifice and help in defensive work, to refrain from seasoned footballers.
This is not the case with Hernán Cristiante, who has retained Sambueza as the captain of the Devils, a reference and inspiration for the team that took the overall lead after five games played.
In the current Guard1anes 2021, Rubens leads the assists division (3) and recently exceeded a hundred during his time in Aztec football between Pumas, Tecos, América, León, Pachuca and Toluca, in addition to reaching 50 annotations.
At the age of 37, this veteran gives away the greatest emotions in a tournament that started in reverse. Yes, he is ‘the grandfather’ who dominates Liga MX.