Borja Lasso on A Balón Parado
First team

BORJA LASSO: "I FEEL PRIVILEGED"

30/11/2017
The First Team midfielder told the show: "I worked for two or three weeks before starting preseason to begin at a good level"

Borja Lasso was the guest on this week's edition of SFC TV's A Balón Parado. The home-grown midfielder may not be getting as many as minutes as he would like but knows that everything comes with work and consistency: "When I did preseason this summer I was very clear about what I wanted. When the boss told me that he was relying on me in preseason, he told me that in my role, I could play a lot, a little, or not at all but it was a challenge for me and I wanted to take it on. I'm learning and I'm maturing as a player and trying to do my bit".

In matches like Cartagena's, the quality of the player was plain to see - assisting Ben Yedder's first goal amongst other impressive flashes: "I've been at Sevilla eleven or twelve seasons. I have memories of Sevilla from a young age, many memories even before we started to win titles. Admiring that and playing matches like Wednesday's is a dream. Bit by bit I've been entering the dynamic of the First Team and sometimes I stop and think, I look at the players I have around me and I realise I'm privileged and I want to keep growing alongside them".

“I'm maturing as a player and doing my bit”

The final step in becoming a full-time First Team player came last June. Berizzo called Borja Lasso, amongst other youth players, to do preseason. The midfielder was aware of the opportunity he had been given and wanted to have a preseason to remember: "I knew we had had a good preseason for the Liga 1|2|3 and this opportunity was there. I tried to arrive in the best shape, I started to prepare myself two or three weeks before starting because I wanted to arrive at a good level, it seemed like nothing to sacrifice three weeks of my holidays to fight for my dream. Things went well, my teammates went back to Sevilla Atlético, I stayed in the First Team and I fought every day to stay there".

Then the moment came: "We were in London for the Emirates Cup, we were in the changing room before the match and the gaffer asked me what I'd prefer: go to another team where I could get minutes from the start or fight to find a place here. I told him that my dream was to play here. Two weeks later, after a training session he called me to his office and told me he was counting on me".

Since then, Borja has become an established player for the First Team, although for some time has been a squad player: "Last season I trained with the First Team and I was always welcomed with open arms. This preseason, similar to last, both players I already knew and newer ones have treated me well and I am very grateful for that". 

Borja Lasso is undoubtedly a prime example of both hard-work and consistency, a reflection of what his teammates at Sevilla Atlético aspire to achieve - completing preseason training in the First Team, and eventually staying. In addition to being a talented player, Borja is also a great person off the pitch. Just after he joined the ranks of the First Team, he made a thoughtful decision: "A couple of months ago my mum suggested that seeing as I now earn a professional wage, I should help those less fortunate. Within a just a week I read about Mata's Common Goal campaign, where 1% of our wages are donated to disadvantaged children. I didn't have to think about it, I just did it".