Welcome to the first episode of the Duolingo Spanish Podcast.

I'm your host, Martina Castro.

In this series, you're going to hear true bilingual stories

from across Latin America about travels with unexpected turns,

plans unraveled, and destinations unknown.

The Spanish is for intermediate-level learners,

but if you get lost, don't worry.

We'll be chiming in throughout the story.

Like many kids growing up in Mexico,

Rodrigo Soberanes had a hero,

and his hero was a soccer star.

But unlike his friends, Rodrigo got to meet his idol.

It all started back in 1989, when Rodrigo was just 11 years old.

He played football with my friends at school in the week,

and played against other clubs,

the saves or domingos.

Even though Rodrigo was obsessed with soccer,

there was one problem.

In the state of Erakruz, where Rodrigo grew up,

there wasn't a division one team,

meaning the team from his city wasn't good enough

to compete among the best in the country.

...