In Argentina, soccer's goal is to keep kids away from violence, drugs

BUENOS AIRES - In a poor community in Buenos Aires, 14-year-old boy Carlos Nahuel Ramirez has his way of avoiding trouble in an area overshadowed by gang violence and drugs.

"I really like soccer. I began to play at the age of 4 and my big dream is to be a professional player, if possible for Boca Juniors, Argentina's top team," the left wingback said.

Ramirez's neighborhood of Bajo Flores is home to the popular San Lorenzo club.

However, Ramirez plays at the more modest Club Atletico Madre del Pueblo, with a soccer field built by local people with the help of a private construction firm.

According to the club's Facebook page, its mission is "to create a preventive framework of sound spaces and positive leadership in the neighborhood, providing children and youth with an identity and sense of belonging and promoting integration".

In other words, the club aims to prevent local youth from getting into trouble.

"My idol is (Lionel) Messi. He's a star, a good player and a good person," said Ramirez.

The teenager is aware that the game is more than just a way to have fun and stay fit.

"Soccer is a form of distraction, a way to play, have fun, and stay away from other things, like drugs," he said.

His father is a construction worker and his mother, Claudia, works as a cleaner.

"It's very important that he finishes school. If he gets low grades, I won't let him play football," Claudia said.

Ramirez agreed. "I prefer soccer, but I know I have to finish my studies," he said.

In November 2015, famed British soccer star David Beckham visited their home as part of a documentary he was filming in different parts of the globe.

"I have Beckham's autograph on a photo of mine from his visit to my house. I never dreamed of it," Ramirez said.

His mother chimed in to say that the former pro footballer "seemed very cold on television, but was very affectionate in person".

She hopes that if her son becomes a successful player, "he will have the same simplicity, the same modesty and that he always remembers where he came from".

Xinhua