Blood thicker than water for Spain’s soccer-playing twins

La Paz — The soccer careers of Spain’s Callejon twins have taken very different paths, one in Europe and the other in South America, but Juanmi says that seeing Jose play for big European clubs has never been the cause of any resentment.

“I have never been jealous of my brother because he plays for that kind of team or has achieved important things,” Juanmi said in an interview with EFE.

Jose was with Real Madrid between 2011 and 2013 before joining Napoli, where he has scored 60 goals as a regular starter, while Juanmi wears the colors of Bolivar de La Paz, the most successful club in Bolivia.

That Jose plays for a big club in a major European league has no relevance to Juanmi, much less does it make him feel “inferior” to his twin brother.

“Each of us has had his path, you can call it luck or because - at that moment - one is better than the other. But when all is said and done, I still enjoy soccer, which is what I am passionate about,” he said.

“Having a twin brother gives you everything,” Juanmi said of the unbreakable bond he has with Jose.

Born Feb. 11, 1987, to fruit sellers in southern Spain, the twins did not have an easy start in life, Juanmi said, though adding that he and his brother did fulfill their father’s “grand dream” of seeing his boys become professional soccer players.

Juanmi and Jose were only 13 when they entered the Real Madrid academy.

While Jose eventually made the Real Madrid first team, Juanmi spent time with the B and C squads and went on to play with lower division Spanish clubs such as Mallorca, Albacete, Cordoba and Hercules.

In 2013, he signed with Greece’s Levadiakos, later moving to Bolivar in July of the same year.

He has won two titles with Bolivar and led the league in scoring in 2014 and 2016. Juanmi scored four goals for the side during the run that brought them to the semifinals of the Copa Libertadores in 2014.

Looking back, he calls it “a glorious and historic time for the club.”

After what turned out to be an unsatisfactory experience playing for Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, Juanmi returned to Bolivar in 2018, an easy decision in light of how much he enjoyed his first stint in La Paz.

The warmth and support of his teammates and the club’s supporters makes up for being so far from home and family in Spain, Juanmi says.

Bolivar is currently second in the Bolivian league with 32 points, five points behind Nacional Potosi.

With 12 goals, Juanmi is hot on the heels of top gunners, Rolando Blackburn of The Strongest and Carlos Saucedo of San Jose de Oruro, each with 13.

For the Spaniard, being a top scorer is not “the main objective.”

“The main thing is the group, to put the team at the top, to win the championship. And if the entire group doing well, all of the shine,” he said.

Juanmi has a contract with Bolivar until the end of the year, but he hopes to stay longer in the land that has become his “second home.”

“Bolivar has given me everything. I have many games with Bolivar, including many goals too, so I hope there can be more to come and there can be Callejon for a little longer,” he said.

By Gina Baldivieso