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Transforming the Game with Kristina Katsanevas is the podcast for game-changers, risk-takers, and industry shakers. Don’t hate the player—hate the game? Not here. These leaders are rewriting the rules. From high-net-worth entrepreneurs, founders of Australia’s most iconic brands, and those disciplined enough to keep stacking those habits to success. We dive into the minds of pioneers innovating in media, business, fashion, sport and transformation.
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Kristina Katsanevas (00:00)
When did you discover that I think I'm pretty good at this? As our place was really, really, really young, at the age of 12, there was some very difficult situations. I ended up living for three months on the streets at 12. And that's pretty much when I just thought, OK, I need to do something. I was put there of that life, but that was not me. I'm here because I need to learn something, but I'm great. Really deep inside me, I just knew I'm special.
from a really young age. From homeless at 12 to professional footballer by 16, Luis defied the odds to play across Costa Rica, Europe, the US and Australia. Now partnered with Spain's Real Madrid and the elite German club Borussia Dortmund, he's shaping over 5,000 future stars through his game-changing football academy. When you're trying to go into a professional environment, they don't care about anything else, they just need to be good. You can't have any excuses.
You just have to perform, just shout out big good and they know that you have personal issues, life and stuff like that but can't bring that into the training session or into the field. No one is going to do anything for you. Do you have something important and good to bring to the table? Yes, come in. No, get out of the table. Every time when people ask me what was the best memories you have playing football, I always say playing with my friends in the street.
Kristina Katsanevas (01:24)
Okay, Luis. Yeah, here you go. Welcome to Transforming the Game. I am catching you just before you're about to fly out to...
Darwin, Indonesia and Costa Rica. And for all those listening, you seem to a of a glamorous life. You're running presidential soccer, football, sorry, football academies and you are going to Costa Rica to star in a TV show. But let's rewind it back for everyone listening and the little Luis. Yes. And what were you like and when did you first fall in love with football?
I fell in love even before I remember because you know at my mom's house there is the picture, the photo of my three brothers and myself every time you turn one year old so your parents what they do they take you to a studio and do the photo of your first year so that's my three brothers right and on my photo everyone think that my mom have a daughter
What's the reason? Because I'm holding a pink soccer ball. And then I asked my mom, mom, why did you give me a pink soccer ball? Every time someone, you went by someone home, they ask you, oh, who's your daughter? I thought you just have four boys. No, no, that's Luis. He was just crying when we were trying to do the photos. I needed to run out to Shop
And the only thing I couldn't find was a soccer ball because he loved it and it was pink. So from there my mom says, look, just so you know how much you love football. The first word you ever say was not mom or dad. It was She said I'm running around the house kicking the ball saying Goal, Goal, Goal. So people have asked me this, when do you feel in love
I don't know, from my past life. From your past? Absolutely, you were absolutely born that way. goal I love that. was like, what about me? So are you the baby of four? No, I'm the oldest. You're the oldest of four. all right, so you're poor mum. You're poor mum. you obviously didn't have the most glamorous life then you're from Costa Rica.
And football became ingrained in you from the start. Were you quick to get into teams or did you just keep kicking the wherever you could until you found your way in? Yeah, no, look, well, I started kicking the ball since I was moving probably before walking,
But then what you just do is just play with your friends on the streets. honestly, it was the best time of my life when I go back there and remember, you know, like I will leave home 7, 8 in the morning and we don't get back until 10 p.m.
serious. We sometimes we didn't have much, you know, so we just all day on the streets playing soccer. We would walk sometimes two hours to go and play against another kids from another neighborhood, you know, and then and on the way then on the way back we just find ways to to what.
what to eat and stuff like that. We just ask people for food or we just walk to a restaurant and say, do you have anything that you can eat? We just play soccer and stuff like that. But it was just like that. I have a group, very group of friends that I grew up with, some of my brothers as well. They were old enough that I just told them, again, you're coming with me. And then we just walk for hours and go and play football all day until we get back home around 10 p.m. And it was like that.
Such a different lifestyle. Is it to the kids today that are wrapped up or they're on screens all the time when you are kicking the ball from seven until 10, that's how you build your skills. And I've seen some things of you doing online and it's such a party trick of what you can do with the ball. It's excellent. And when did you discover then, your day in day out life is football. When did you discover that? I think I'm pretty good at this.
I but I started playing since I really, really, really young. At the age of 12, have...
So very difficult situations on my home because I'm the only child between my mom and my dad. have three younger brothers that have a different dad. And he was, you know, it was a little bit, you know, he was very abused towards my mom and stuff like that. And we have a lot of issues with him and Costa Rica is both different. They have it is in Australia, you know, like in a way that you can get support from the government and stuff like that. They're free. You don't have money, you're starving. And if you need to go and live,
under
a bridge, just have to go and live under the bridge. There was a lot of issues then and I ended up living for three months on the street. So I was actually like sleep at the park. At 12. Yeah, at 12. And then actually one of my friends from school saw me and they took me to the house where I live with them. And that's pretty much when I just thought, I need to do something.
But the thing is, since I was seven, eight years old, I have this memory. I was just sitting outside of my house with my friends, and we look at the stars, and we see the airplanes pass. And I remember telling them, one day I'm going to be traveling the world because of football. Because I'm going to be playing football, but because of football. And they were like laughing.
so bad and then I kept saying, man you can't even have shoes like I don't think you can get on the plane with no shoes so I don't even know how you're gonna be able to pay for the flights you know so so yeah I remember saying that so I think from a really young age I knew that I was put there of that life but that was not me yeah exactly I felt like I'm here
because I need to learn something, but I'm great. So really deep inside me, I just knew I'm special. I love that. From a really young age. Now, of course, I always say to people that life is, we all have a talent.
everyone and I have respect for I treat everyone exactly the same the person sleeping on the street and started up because I just think I just been lucky that I find my talent with that person they sleep in the ends they just have him find it but he can be it's amazing that anyone that is super famous and rich and whatever it can be that person it's just that he having found his talent right yes so I feel that you know I feel like okay that is something they're waiting for me I just need to stay focused
and trying to be the best I can, you know?
Of course, I guess nice a keyword there right there. I was just listening to emma grede day coming in and her key thing was you need to focus There's so much work like noise around and you want extraordinary life like you were dreaming staring up at those things that plane You need to focus and you do have that and you've got the fire inside. Yes. Yes. So, yeah pretty much it was just that but just getting back to the question So yes, I was around 12 years old when I just thought
need
to do something and people used to say to me, you're good at football. You're good football. So I remember going to school. I was already in secondary and maybe this is not going to be a good message for some young players out there. But I'll go to school and I won't go into the classroom. I was in the soccer field the whole day kicking the ball for two years. So I wasn't going into the classroom. The school would call, ball.
the people that I was meeting and stuff and say, we need to, he can't go to school because he doesn't go to the classrooms. But at the end, director of the school, he thought, you know what, it's better to have him here at the soccer field than have him on the streets doing something else. Because when I grew up, I grew up in the most dangerous.
suburb neighborhood of Costa Rica. You knew you could easily buy drugs in every corner. I saw people getting killed at the age of 10. Like, serious. So it's just really easy to just think, oh, I want to be that guy holding that gun. Do you know what I mean? Because you see it from that age, oh, that's cool. Look at what he's doing. And honestly, it's...
You know, you can take that message and you become that person. But I was like, I don't want to be a professional football player. So they let me keep going to school. And when I was 14, I didn't play for any club. And that's the thing. And that's the thing as well. It's like, I didn't have any pressure from anyone to be good. Like, you know, sometimes parents have a lot of expectations from their kids to be good. I do not have anything.
like that and I didn't have a soccer coach until I was like 12, you know, when someone just say, hey, you have talent, you're good at football, do want me to organize a trial for you? And at the age of 14, I went and did a trial for a professional football club. And when I was about to turn 16, I played my first professional football game. So that's how it did happen, you know.
so you were training through and then you started, did you say you joined your first team at 12? Was that when you didn't start playing? Yes, at 12 I started playing. It was not even a team. was a guy that lived in my neighbourhood. I remember, he's still alive. Thanks, but he's still alive because I went.
Recently I went and saw him and I did a few TV shows and I mentioned him and he was so happy because you know he was just that guy on the neighborhood that he just created a team just for kids and honestly and he put his own money and he will take us to play football games every weekend and we were training once a week and every weekend we got on the bus that he organized it and he pays for everything and we'll go with him and his wife and and play football like that
And you're just doing that for...
just for the love of the game and to be able to help the society. And the ripple effect right there, like you said, you're in a crossroads when you're young where you could have very easily gone down a very dark, negative, bad path of drugs and corruption and crime and God knows where you would have ended up or this path of soccer and professional soccer and look at you now, like getting around and helping, like paying it back to so many children. So it's so important these like,
call them sliding doors moments and they happened so much in life. This guy, this ripple effect where he just had, he was just paying it forward, was just giving the love back to the sport. it's completely, you could say, it was one of the pivotal things that could have changed your life. So you just never know what, I always talk about the ripple effect a lot on this show actually, of what you're doing that could actually impact others and the fact you could even reach back out, it's nice because sometimes people will never see that. So let's go then, you say you picked up your first
professional
like professional now this is the goal of kids everywhere playing soccer is they like you laying up in the stars
Some of them probably have shoes on though and they're thinking and they're probably are not, let's say, even entitled and thinking that they should be a soccer star. But I've got some stats here. There's, you know, 265 million kids and people playing soccer worldwide. 265 million. That's a lot. There's a lot of people and it's the 30, it's 632,000 are in Australia alone. That's where you have a lot of your academy here, but you're obviously going global. So there's a lot of kids out there that are dreaming.
about
becoming the next Messi the next, you know, Ronaldo But what was your journey? When you first got picked up in professional team, who were you playing, what was the training like, what was the culture like, where kids, I'm sure, have one idea and then reality or if you actually want to make it big, what have you got to do? Well, first, the team, the...
The high school where he was, the PE teacher, he was as well.
In the past, he was like an assistant coach of the Costa Rica national team. He was an assistant coach for some professional clubs in Costa Rica before. So was like in that moment, he didn't have a job on that area, so he goes back to education. So every time he finished a contract, he would go back and work at school. So was very lucky that that moment, he did not have a job like that. So he was at school, and I was playing for the school team.
And that's when he saw me and he says, look, I can organize something for you. And that's how he did organize it, you know. I was very lucky I got scouted by someone, you know, like there was at that level and be able to put me at the doors of a place like that. But of course, when you get there, more when you're trying to go into a professional environment, there, they don't care about anything else than just, need to be good. Yeah. That's it.
You can't have any excuses about anything. They don't care about anything. It's just when you get to that level that you want to compete, you know, be a professional and you get paid to play this.
nothing else it sees in the way on their eyes, you know what I mean? Yes. It's like you just have to perform, you just have to be good and that's Yeah, job is to deliver like high performance on field. And they know that you have personal issues, life and stuff like that, but they know you can't bring that into the training session or into the field, or you know, so and I think that's the hardest part on those moments because you just, you really need to just, as I said before, focus. Focus.
on, this is my opportunity. This is my opportunity to shine. This is what I want to do. This is what it was like. He organized the trial for me and it was eight hours away from where I was living. And all I have was the money to get on the bus to get there. And that's it. And they say, we're offering you the only thing you need to do. You're going to be training here for two weeks.
Every day we're training 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. We're not giving you food or any accommodation nothing. You just need to be at the training session for 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. So, and then I sleep at the park as well, you know? And I just went to a restaurant and I say, hey, look, I'm doing a trial here. Do you have some food? I promise you I'll pay you soon. So they gave me my contract. The guy laughed, you know?
And then he said, look, I can't give you three meals, but I'll give you lunch. So every day for the time you're here, I'll give you lunch. You come here, give you lunch. And yeah, after two, two weeks, they say, look, yeah, I'll go my. You got it. Yeah. So I got into the team. So excellent. But as I say, even though you feel like at that time, you know, you feel completely alone, feeling completely alone. have to face it.
is for me, for me, is better than being around people. All they gave me is stories about something can go wrong.
Yeah, yeah. Do you know what mean? It's like when you decide, I want to start my own business or something, right? And then you tell it to a few people and most of the people say, that's really hard. Yes, that's it. And they put them in there. Sorry. Yeah. they'll be exactly. And then do you have these and these and these and these? And you're just thinking, shit. Well, and you know about these and this and you don't know all that kind of stuff. So it's the same when I start my business. You know, I used to have a partner, right?
And I remember when I started my business, I left the job that I was doing for a company, similar to what I do now, what I have as a business. And I remember coming home. I remember when she came out and wore a uniform and the back of soccer balls and stuff like that, coming home. And she looked at me like, why are you wearing a different uniform? And I oh, I just left my other job. And today I decided to start my own business.
You can't even speak English. How are you going to have a business here? I'm just talking, this was 14 years ago, right? And you're like, you can't even speak English. How are you going to start your own business? And then, so imagine that's the closest person to you. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know? And giving those to you. So, but as I say, because I have that childhood where I was all the time trying to survive by myself. Yeah.
You need to find ways to survive. And it's the same now. Even though, you know, everything with my business, everything from the started, it was like, come in, you can do this on your own. can do it. And I mean, to go back to the fact that you went to your tryouts to become a professional with just some money to get there and you're like, I will figure it out, which you have and which you do. But it goes to really show how bad do you want it.
So like a lot of these kids that say they want it or they say they want to be the best and all of this, but how bad do you really want it? Like would you, I bet you 99.9 % would have gone, I don't have, like they would looked at every excuse and they're, they're, I don't have the money. I don't know where I sleep. don't know. I mean, that, and that's pretty core fundamentals
But you just had your eye focusing on the goal, which was, I'm going to become a professional.
Football player I'm gonna be flying around the world. I'm going to get paid to do this because this is my talent So that focus again like you resonate that and I think that's really important for any I guess more parents would be listening this but for their kids to be like how bad you want it And what are you willing to endure to get where you want to go? Really important there. So you've now Got it. You showed your talent you Did you go back to the restaurant? Yeah, course. I went in and paid it
all the lunches. That's very good work. Yeah, it was good. And then as well, I went back to my mom's house and since then I pay everything for her. But she's a single mom and one of my younger brothers still lives with her. But yeah, since then as well.
I was living in a different city by myself since the age of 16, know, living on my own in a apartment at the age of 16. But then from that day as well, I was, you know, I stopped. I started taking care of my mom from that, you know.
You play football, but then you're on your own in an apartment. Okay, it's like a... And I always say to the parents, you worry about for which club he should be going and all this. You should be worried about teaching him to cook, teaching him to be able to clean the stuff and be able to survive by, you know, alone because that's...
The biggest issues in these days is that the kids have no idea about the things about life. Simple as that. Just like five weeks ago, I did a camp.
For kids, I call it like the Ruiz day experience. So the kids come with me from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. And what they do is they do like if they were living as a professional football player. It came so early, we go to the gym, we do all this stuff. Now, at lunchtime, I took them to the shops and I tell, okay, we're gonna buy whatever you want to cook to eat. So you have to cook it in front of me at home.
And then some of the kids, they never make a fry egg. know? then it's okay a kid that is 14, 15 years old and never make a fry egg. So then you look at him and I just mean, and he's like, how do you do this? Like, do you mean? you know, 14, 15 years old, they don't know how to his meals.
don't know how to make rice or don't know how to cook a steak or just something, you know. And for me, I just felt like, that's sad because how are going to survive in life? And do think that's important to get ahead, especially let's talk for the kids, because you're doing a football camp to what it would be like to be professional football player, that it's not just about your skill with the ball on the field, but it's holistic,
And what is teaching them to cook, teaching them for the football field, do you think? Well, thing is that... Okay, the first thing is that you need to know what is good for you to eat. Right?
100 % so when someone did give you a list okay this way you should be having breakfast lunch and dinner but you're living by yourself okay now we're to go to the shops buy all this stuff and I to be able to prepare myself that was all the kids life right now we have um part of my business we have players from America living in Costa Rica right now okay from the university so they went to Costa Rica but because they want to be a professional football players and they want to be playing for a club in Costa Rica right
So I did organize everything. Next day, they post a video eating pizza that they just bought from the shop. And I just, I started, I just called them and said, first thing, put that video out of your Instagram. What you guys are doing? And they said, we're just having dinner. just, are you guys serious? So they come, no, no clue. And there's no, no, no guys. And then I have to send a list of the things that need to be, buying to eat, you know?
to have a good, you know, habits about how they take care of themselves. But then I just told them. But then they were calling me and saying, yeah, but we bought everything, but we don't know how to cook it.
Google it. Yeah, so teach yourself. So of course, know, as I said, all these kind of things, even just to be able to, you know, the kids get home, they just throw their shoes wherever they want. When you go to a soccer club and...
the coach they have a structure you need to be focused it's like you're sitting there the coach is explaining what is going to happen on the weekend for the game and this is what we're going to be doing and stuff like that and you need to be sitting there you need to be listening you need to be looking at and you need to remember it's super important super super important to keep studying even you know that a parent was going to school and was not studying and stuff like that one of the first thing that they did when
when the play was they call me back into school because they say we need smart football players you know and reading and study it helps you you know with your brain you know that it helps it helps you because you need to be a smart they always say football and your legs in football is just a tool and play football with your head it's like when you play chess you don't play chance with your hands and move no no you have to think and it's the same with football your your body is just a tool but they're real
you know, it's your football brain, you know, it's like, okay, the decisions you're going to make there in such a small amount of time with the pressure you have from there on a game or 50,000 people in the stadium and how you react to that. So that's why it's really important to be prepared mentally, prepared the brain, prepared and be smart as well. So I always say to the kids is super important to keep studying. Super important. Growing that brain.
What was it like, your first big game, when you're saying you get out there in front of 50,000 or whatever the big crowds are, 100, whatever, they go bigger. What was it like, that first one when you were in? And what team was it for? Yes, so it was a club in Costa Rica, the name was Goico Chair. Not even a team. Yes, I know. It was a club in Costa Rica. But it was this, okay, you're a young player, okay.
16 years old. The team is losing and the team is in a really bad position to get relegated to a lower division. So we're in a really bad position, okay? So the coach, it was the second half, we're losing one year, so half time, we're going back to the dress rooms, the coach talk, and there is a reason you're going in. Now, when everyone left the dress room, the coach...
say, hey, boys, come here. And I just walked back. And I remember he look at me and then he says, I'm not doing this for you. I just want you to know this. This is not for you. I don't give a care. I don't care if you get to play professional or not. I don't care. The only reason I'm doing this is because I believe that you can bring something on the field.
They can call me and I can help the team to win this game. So don't think that I'm doing you a favor. So you better go then perform and don't hide. And then he slapped me on the face three times. Like boom, boom, boom. Until I have my room. I remember, I still remember. I still feel the pain. I still feel the pain. Yes. And then he says, are you ready?
Are you awake? Are you ready? And honestly, you might think these days, you know, I can't imagine me doing right now. yeah. Imagine me to you ready. No, you can't. Honestly, he makes it does something on you at that moment. You know, like for me, it's like a bum, but I get cranky. And at the same time.
Honestly, it wakes you up. It wakes up something on your brain that, you know, I was not even thinking about how many people was watching the game about anything. All I was thinking was just angry of this slap in the face. So actually when I went on the field, was so nervous. Yeah, OK. Do you know what I mean? And I didn't know if he did knowing what he was doing. Yeah. I don't think so. He just used to be a very cranky man.
You know? But that was, and I went in. I didn't score, but I assist. And then we won 2-1, you know? And then he says to me, look, I said to you, I didn't do this for you. I did it for the team. I did it for me because, you know, I want to keep working at this club. And that's how it was, you know? So and that's what I mean, like a lot of the people are waiting or they want to do something for you. Yeah.
And no one is going to do anything for you. Do you have something important and good to bring to the table? Yes? Okay, we coming. No, get out of the table. You're not coming here and be part of this that we have here if you're not bringing something. And I think that's something I have to learn from years because when you grow with nothing, you get used to
of being seen from people that look down on you. So you can do two things. You can just look back to them. And for me, football was the thing that always make me feel proud and don't let anyone look down on me. Because every time someone will look down on me, I will do something amazing on the field. then, and then... 100%. So now I just feel like, yeah, I don't have your money. I don't have your shoes. I don't have all this. Can you do this? No.
And you can't buy this. you know what I mean? Yeah, that's right. So you can't buy it. So for me it was like that. yeah, that's the thing. When you don't have much, people will look down on you and you have to waste. You do what I did or you just become a person that you just feel sorry for yourself. Yeah. And then you look for that.
of other people and what it does is that you're looking all the time will be looking for someone to help you and someone to validate you. Yes. Yes. And to say, Hey, come here, be part of this. You're going to be doing really well on this. And I'm just thinking, yeah, it's good, but no, you need to understand that you have to do it yourself. There's no other way. Yeah. No one cares about you as much as you care about you.
What you're saying there as well is you've got to look at what value you bring because if you're feeling like you're waiting for someone to come to you and give you a run in the field, it's not going to happen. You have to keep putting yourself out there and show your values and what you just saw someone else. So that was your first one. was probably, we'll go through your professional career. What was your favorite team to play for? Because you played in Europe, you played in the United States, you played in Australia.
Costa Rica, you've gone everywhere, it's pretty impressive. So what was your favourite?
I will say, look, I enjoy my time in Switzerland because...
It was the highest level I got to play in Europe, the team and living there and everything. So I enjoyed the most there. But I did have really cool experience. For example, when I was playing in Salvador, we went and had preseason games in the United States. And at that time, David Beckham was playing for LA, so I got to play against him. It was a friendly game,
Um, I like to play against David Beckham. That's pretty cool. The other friendly game was against New York Red Bull and Thierry Henry was this. It was one of the most amazing football players from France in football history and Arsenal. So it was good. When I was in Switzerland, we were training and we were about to finish training when Brazil national team were about to use our fields to training. And then the coach from that team said to
the coach from my team, hey would you guys want to stay on extra 45 minutes so we can play against you guys? And then I got to play against Ronaldinho and Ronaldo and all these players and again... You got to play against Ronaldo. Yeah, but Ronaldo, the Brazilian Ronaldo. The Brazilian Ronaldo. Yes, yes, it is amazing. Yes, and Ronaldinho and Rivaldo and Adriano Sobo was the best... that was... that has been the best Brazilian national team in history.
And it was just a friendly game. was just 45 minutes. But to be able to, you know, for me, those experiences was like, wow, these guys were like my heroes, you know? And then now I just play against them right now. Right now. So there's a great quote actually for a lot of athletes, which is like, until your rivals become, no, train until your heroes become your rivals. And I love that. It's at the edge of one of the pools I swim in. So yeah, but
Yeah, probably at those places. Look, I did have amazing experience playing, but then every time when people ask me, what was the best part of the best memories you have playing football? And I always say playing with my friends in the street. That's it. Honestly, I won't change it. I will. I will love to go back there and play just outside of my house with my friends. We don't even have soccer goals. We put rocks as small goals.
And we played there all night until the neighbors called the police because it's midnight and we're still playing. We're making too much noise. See that's just a different type of living that a lot of people just will never get to experience. But it's just having that childhood fun. And that's where the love comes from. So then you're now moving on. You're now in Australia and you've set up your football academy.
Ruiz Football Academy. And tell me how you started that and where it's going because it's doing very well and you even are taking kids over to Real Madrid and the Germany club. I keep saying this wrong guys. Borussia Dortmund. Borussia Dortmund. You wouldn't think I'm great. I'm so good. So tell us.
Yep, when I stopped playing professional I was just looking for something to do and I tried to, you know, different type of jobs and I ended up finding a job that was just coaching at the kindergarten soccer with kids from three to five years old. So that was my first job. I remember the day they went to the audition or just to the trial. I did terrible. And they said to me, you're terrible. You can't even work with kids. And then I was like,
This is what I really want to do. Who is your best coach? And they say they're a big company. They coach like 8,000 kids a week. They are all very good company. And then I said, who's your best coach? And they said, oh, this guy is from Brazil. And I said to them, I'm going to go for free for two months with him at every single session he does. And in two months, you do the trial again. And he's like, are you really going to do that? Just yeah, because this is what I want to do. So I'm going to go with him for two months. You don't have to pay me all the time. Everywhere he goes, I'm watching him. I'm not from him.
And I did that for two months. And then after two months, they did the trial again and I get the job. I got the job. And after five months after that, I was the coach of all of the coaches. Right. And then after a year, I told them, look, you don't have your business very strong on the goal. Cause I'm happy to move there, open in there, and I can get a percentage from the business. And he said, no, you can move there, work for me, but I'm not going to give you any percentage. So on that day I just decided, okay, I'm out.
And then as I say, went to KMart put a bag of soccer balls and everything, the soccer balls, a jersey, sport jersey, the pants, I went to put the logo and stuff like that. created my own business in in the morning. Speed of implementation. That's it. Speed. But again, this goes back again to how bad do you want it? You're like, I want to give back. I love the sport. I love teaching kids. You went, you sucked at it.
And then you're like, well, how bad do I want it? Who is the best you've got? I'm going to learn from them. And then not only did you, then you became the best. And then you just kept going and growing and then you outgrew them. then speed of implementation. Well, then you're not going to it. I'm going to start my own job. Yes. Like there's a lot of steps there that are very repetitive in your life that gets you where you're going. And now how many, like how many kids are you servicing and what are you? Yeah. So we started with like a
I started with one kindergarten there. We have, I like 30 kids in there. And then we started getting more kindergartens because now I become their competition. The competition company was working because I was good at that. But anyway, we got one kindergarten, then we got another one, another one, another one. Until now, we're not just doing kindergartens. We have a proper football academy. And we work for soccer clubs. We work with...
private schools and we're coaching around 5,000 kids and that's just in pretty much in Queensland. Right now I'm starting to some work as you know in Darwin, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth. doing that and then I just thought, okay, we need to, this is good. And I was just thinking, I will have a nice life just doing this. But then I was just uncomfortable and I was just, okay, can we do something else? And then I was like, okay, I want to go to Spain.
and see why not. Then I moved to Spain, I left my business, I was there for a year and a half and I went to go to all my coaching qualifications and stuff like that. And then while I was doing there and studying, I started to create some really good contacts. And yeah, and everything got me to get in contact with Real Madrid and start working with Fundación Ramadrid where they have programs all around the world. And we, yeah, we have a contract with them where we are able to take any kid from any part of the world
to be able to have experience of training with Real Madrid, with Real Madrid coaches. That's amazing. That would just change one little kid's, one little boy or girl's life going over to be able to train. They get to train, experience Real Madrid and what it's really like. think that would... 100%. And same with the Borussia Dortmund, you know, it's exactly the same with the club. But, yeah, that's pretty much about what is being happening now. We've been adding some extra things to the business like...
pretty much like we working with 300 universities in the United States. So we're able- 300 universities. 300 universities in the United States. And yeah, one of the guys that I used to play with, professional, he's my business partner in the United States. He got in contact with me like a year ago. He said, I see everything you do. I have a small business here in America where I'm sending players from America to-
all the countries who are receiving players from other countries to America to go to the universities. And I would like to see if you want to partnership with me and do something together. And we started and up to today, the last, what's it, the last two months, we signed 41 players. So we have 41.
teenagers to say like that 18 to 23. They are looking for an opportunity to go and play football somewhere. And right now we have 12 of those players are right now here in Australia. They organize everything. They're playing football here. They get a contract with some of the clubs that I do organize with. And we have some in Costa Rica and we're doing the same in Japan and we're doing the same in Spain. So.
So in any of your players that are feeding into any of these academies in America or in Australia or in Japan, like because of your connections, you say that they could possibly play for a team in Australia or America or anything. So you're very well connected there when it comes to the kids and teenagers, I call them kids, but they're all like teenagers, aren't they? Like to be able to connect, play and find what works. That's great. And then after this, like in four days you're off.
to Darwin but then you're off to Indonesia What's about? so they have the biggest university in Indonesia in Jakarta, President University. They have sports science, have so many things that you're able to study over there.
Yeah, so I've been in contact through one of the business partners that I have here about education. I always thought, you know, someone told me once, Luis, if you want to invest money on something or time on something, you should invest in education because people are always looking to study something or get some accreditation and so many different things. So then I just thought, you know what, I should take everything that I know and teach.
and pass that on, you know? And that's when I just decided to do coaching seminars all around Australia. So when I go to Derby, there's like 100 coaches that come and I'm teaching them how to work with kids from the age of five to all the way to 18. And then I work with some of the coaches that are coaching the seniors things. And I say, okay, this is you should be doing, this is the program. So I started to do that a lot until we create our own.
coaching license and then we got in contact with this university and then yeah they
came here, had a meeting and now they say, look Luis, we set up an office for you. They have a massive stadium, the university, they have 30,000 students and they say, we want you to come here and run your course for five weeks. So now I'm going to Indonesia and I'm going to be coaching at the university. Coaching at the university, so to become a like a football coach? Wow. So I'll be coaching the people that they want to be focused to, yeah, to become a
a professional football coach. I went to the university to coach there. So from the kid laying on the ground staring at the stars watching the planes with no shoes asking restaurants for food and then living on your own from 16 to now teaching at a university.
to creating your own coaching, you've played professional football and next up you are going to be a big TV star. Yes, this is the thing, as I say to you, I'll start something and I see that it's going well and I'm just, okay, yes, and something coming. But the good thing is that for me, I don't know,
And this is for me, know, there's so many people might think of me different, but for me, I was just, I want to be involved in as many things and as many different type of business related to football. It's not that tomorrow I'm going to say, I'm going to go and buy, I don't know, watches and start selling watches because I have no idea how to do it, but everything related to football, I just, I'll do it. So because I started doing this,
organizing these players to come, for example, to Australia. So right now we have like 12 players here and they organize their accommodation, they stay at different places and organize the soccer club. And once a week, I get all of them together and they come and do a session with me. So then I just thought, it would be really cool to record the life of these players here.
to be on TV's people can see what is it what is it takes exactly and then I just thought hey I think we should do a reality show when we record absolutely everything we get 22 players and three players from those 23 I have 22 players three players will get a professional contract okay so let's get thing on a house or in a hotel
for three weeks where I'm going to be training them, but not just training football. Like part of this show, reality show, for example, I want to take them for a day where they, they're not going to have, we're not going to give them any food. If they want to eat, if they're hungry, they need to go and ask for food. Because what I want to do is I want them to go to recreate what I went through.
You're teaching them resourcefulness. It's like the paperclip challenge, which I don't know if you've ever heard of. you ever read that book, the red paperclip? I'll have to. Have a read, but it's very similar. So it's about resourcefulness. So this person started with a red paperclip and he ends up trading it up to a house or something like that. And I have done a similar thing before, but that's what you're effectively teaching them is that you're not going to have everything. So how do you think outside the box?
throw the box away, how do you become more resourceful? Because you're going to that on the soccer field, you're going to need that with your teams, you're going need that locker room, you're going to need life. 100%, 100%. And that's the main idea. Not just as well, like of course, three of the players will get a contract and stuff like that, but I want everyone because it's going to be in Costa Rica National TV. So the biggest TV channel bought the program. I actually, I wrote the whole idea. I sent it to one of my best friends in Costa Rica. He's one of the most famous.
um... and TV presenter I sent it to him and then two days after he said, Luis is an amazing idea um... one of the TV shows already bought it and I was like, what do mean? I believe you sent it to me to try to do something with it I was like, yeah but and he said, man, Luis they love the idea they just absolutely love it and they want to start recording now and I was like, really? and he's like, yeah you need to come here as soon as possible because
This is going ahead. So this is the thing. Listen to this. We haven't even started that one. It's just got approved by the TV channel and everything. They already got the sponsors where we're going to film everything. And then I have a friend here in Australia that he has been in a few Hollywood movies and stuff like that. And just last week I text him and I say, man, look, I'm going to do this in Costa Rica. And straight away he texts me,
this idea, would be amazing for Australia. Can we catch up next week to talk about it? So he's already thinking we want to do it here in Australia. I want to do it in Darwin. So we already thought about that. I feel like Darwin is the best representation of what real Australia is, even though you don't really know. Because, OK, listen to the Sydney in Melbourne, Brisbane. Yes, it's amazing. But you know, it's like a...
It's amazing about Australia that we are all multicultural and all different types of cultures. But the people that live in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, we live in a completely different world. It's different. You go to Darwin and you go down to Earth and I really for the first time, I went to Darwin for the first time, I've been here for 14 years. I went to Darwin for the first time like two months ago. And since I got there I was like, oh my God, this is Australia.
this will be amazing. So this is Australia. For me it's like I want this TV show to show the world what Australia is because that is there, you know? With the people, with the accent and the way they behave and the talk. slang and the... They're so friendly, serious. Like as soon as I walk there, everyone's like, hey man, how are you? It's hot. Yes, it's hot. It's hot. But it is good, serious, it's good.
So yeah, so we're working on that. So we're already thinking we're going to do definitely something in Australia. But as I say, we'll first start in Costa Rica. There going to be 11 players from America, 11 players from Costa Rica for three weeks. America versus Costa Rica. And a football camp. And the good thing is to say as well, some of the sessions are going to run in just in Spanish, so the American kids won't have idea what I'm saying. And some of the sessions are running just in English. So the kids from Costa Rica.
as well so as I say for me when I went to Switzerland I couldn't speak German or Swiss German or you know more in the area that I was living and the coach would tell me pass the ball to the right or keep passing it to the left yeah yeah so yeah you're going back to resourcefulness and how bad do they want it and how 100 % like what are they going to do outside their comfort zone to show their value yes so that's what we're doing I roll the whole thing so actually
That's funny. That's funny. It'll be great. Alright, so that's three weeks. what's five years from now for? Three years from now. Poof.
It's tough because, I'll be honest with you.
One of the things that I always, people sometimes ask me this question and they say, Luis, what is the biggest fear you have in life? And I always say that the kid that I was when I was five, six, seven years old, don't feel proud of the person that I am today. So I keep that in mind always. And sometimes I just...
I just want to go back to live in Costa Rica and in front of the beach with a small house and just live, you know, going fishing and that's my dinner and, you know, grow some veggies and I go in there and get it and just have that have like super, super simple life. And sometimes I'm just thinking, yes, in five years, that's what I'm gonna do. Oh, this business is gonna be so well set up and so good that I just have.
money coming in and everything well organized that I'm just gonna retire and live there and just do that but at the same time I just feel like yeah but at the same time so you know you have a gift you have so much that you can offer you can do and you can help you know all this with and I'm just thinking okay maybe no maybe I just see what else will come along. You didn't know you were gonna be a TV star and you know
five weeks ago. Exactly. And to be honest, to be honest, I do like being on TV. Like last time I went to Costa Rica, I got invited to a few TV shows and some of the TV shows were comedy. It was talking about football, but it was a comedy thing. And they have some comedians there as well. So it was just making jokes and talking on TV. And it was a really good time and it was fun. So I wouldn't mind, you know, getting into
into that, as I say, always related to football because it's what I love. at the moment, I think I just focus on, well, keep growing what we're doing at the moment. We just have so many players signing in every day to come and work with us and focus on the TV show. think the TV shows are going to take a lot because, you know, you can take it to a different countries. You can do females as well. If people, football is growing, so you can do the males and then you do the females. So.
Amazing. Really, the world's your oyster. You're like, it sounds like you just want to have the freedom to choose. Yes. Right? Which you didn't have as a kid, but you're like, want the freedom to choose if I want to go fishing or if I want to start another TV show or if I want to go and train some more kids. And the thing is, as I say, the thing is, you just have to protect, I always say to people, imagine you have a candle, right? Like we all have one. We all do. Right? Yeah.
But some people, it's off, you know? There's no light out, right? So you have your one, and you have to protect it. Because the people that don't have it lighted up, they're going to come and try to blow it off, right? So you have to protect that. You're walking and you're light, and you're just walking there. Now, if you see someone trying to give someone their one is there in the dark, you you can't give some light, share it, but just...
always be really careful that why are you doing that? They don't blow off your one, you know what I mean? Because it happens and that's what I say. for me, even with this TV show, I did not ask anyone. I didn't even mention this idea to my friends, family, anyone. No one. No one. All I did was I sit down and I wrote it and I put all the ideas and then I sent it to my friend, but because
I knew that he would give me a feedback on that. But before I got that feedback to send it to an important person that is the one that makes decisions, I didn't tell anyone. Because I know that every time you come up with something, there might be people saying really good things, but there are a lot of people that will say, you know, fine way. you know, fine way. Yeah. You know, they put their own securities onto you and projected onto you. 100%. You take that energy. And I never, I never do that.
I just like, I'm doing it and people will annoy when they see it. That's it. That's it. So you've just got to trust yourself, double down on your focus and get in there and do it. Thank you for everything and for coming on and for chatting. This has been great. I think a lot of parents out there and kids are going to really enjoy. They're all going to be looking at, we're all going to be waiting.
I know it's in Costa Rica in your next TV show, when it comes to Australia and Darwin, some of you going to eaten by a crocodile. I'm just thinking this is going be a challenge. You could take him out near the ocean and just see if can avoid the crocs and whatever else is out there. Darwin, oh my God. It will be fun. It will be fun. will be. They'll have to really get into the red sand out there. Thank you so much. I follow you, of course, your social media.
and the way that we met, you know, on the Vince Vaughn exactly. That's how we met. With all the really famous people, you know. And then we were there talking to Be Strong, you know, having a drink with them. And I was like, you know, was lovely to meet you. And at the same time, you know, with all the content you have on the social media, you're talking, you know, to helping so many people with the business and the strategies and everything. you know, it's really good. And I really...
Honour to be here talking with you as well. It's been an absolute honour and pleasure of mine. You're so humble and you just bring anyone back to reality when they're around. Your energy is so positive and it lifts you up to go, alright, he can do it, I can do it. You just need to double down focus and how bad do you want it? I think that's my total takeaway is how bad do you want your thing?
Yes. Love it. Thank you. No, thanks. That was good. Thank you so much.