Jorge Diego Ortega '25 Recruiting Profile

Succeed Through a Ball 

I have been playing football for 15 years. Some said that I would be useless, some said that I have a heavy character, but everything I have done has been with passion, discipline and character.

Since I was little I have had the dream of being a professional player, over the years I have had to battle with two things. Criticism and my discipline. My father taught me to be confident, to be sure of where I am and why I am there. I have always been unsure of myself, but I show people that I am mentally prepared for everything. I have always been a player recognized by people since I was little.

I grew up with the idea that being a professional with talent alone is something very simple. Later, I entered an academy of a professional club, and I learned that talent goes beyond playing. One afternoon during a training session, the sports director of the academy approached me and told me that he saw me in the future as one of the best in the club, and that I was his machine gun. At that time, I felt like I had a bright and calm future. But what is talent? Discipline is an area that I have had to take by the hand in my life. I didn't know what respect was outside of home, growing up and sharing my life with people with the same dream as me, made me realize that the basis of success is training and the passion you have for what you are doing.

I have always had an open relationship with my father, but sometimes it was very complicated. But something that I will always be grateful for is his mentality and how he transmits to me day after day, the desire, hunger and passion with which I have to see life and my sport. I grew as a person, but my height did not grow more. Since I was little I have struggled with my hormonal growth more than normal. I remember going to the doctors many times to find out about my body, and I always came out with the same answer, "You will grow as much as you have to grow." At first it was very difficult to know that with my physique I would have to compete with people bigger than me. But something inside me, and with help, made me go out and want to take on the whole world. Life doesn't end when you receive bad news or had a bad day. You have to know how to face it and handle it in your own way, in the best way.

In the future I would like to study Dentistry, for two reasons. One is because I like the work they do and I think I would master it very well, and the second, which is very special, is because my mother always dreamed of studying and being able to graduate from a career, and the one she chose was dentistry. But due to her financial problems she had to give up that dream in order to get ahead. My mother is the most important person in my life, her honesty, her courage and her perseverance that she does for everyone is the most authentic and beautiful in this world. And thanks to her I continue to strive even in the worst moments.

These experiences, ideas and values have shaped me to be the person, student, and player that I am. And thanks to this I lead a straight life, and even if you sometimes stumble or get out of line, you have to get up, fight and keep going.

I am not the best at playing or studying, but I use my tools to be able to be. Where there is a will, there is a way, and the effort you put in today is the success you will have tomorrow.