Jorge Cabello fulfills his dream and debuts in Santander
April 20, 2024. 4:15 p.m. El Sardinero Sports Fields. A day, an hour, and a stage that Jorge Cabello will never forget. In that moment and in that place, the dream for which any player fights from the moment they take their first kicks at the ball came true: debuting with the first team.
The Canary Islands-born center-back, who joined the Granota Academy in 2019, saw the illusion and desire that have accompanied him throughout these seasons become a reality. He did it far from his loved ones, who were in Las Palmas, but that was not an impediment for them to live this moment in a special way from a distance. "I've received many messages from family and friends congratulating me, and I still can't believe it," he says with emotion after his debut.
Jorge Cabello joined Levante UD in the 2019/2020 season to be part of the Cadete A squad. After this campaign, he played for Patacona CF's Juvenil A team in Division of Honor, and in the 2021/2022 season, he once again wore the Levante shirt for the Juvenil A team and later for Atlético Levante UD. Interestingly, the defender was able to experience this debut with the first team alongside another player with whom he had already shared a team as a youth player: Andrés García. "Sharing the locker room with him is a dream because he got here first and knows how I think. He gave me a lot of encouragement, and it's very nice to share that moment with him," says Cabello.
The Levante center-back was included in the squad announced by coach Felipe Miñambres to play the match against Real Racing Club. An experience he had lived before because he had already been part of several previous call-ups. However, what Cabello did not expect was that this time it would be different. Everything changed in his routine when he received the news on Saturday morning that he was going to start: "They told me after breakfast, and I was in shock. When the lineup was announced, my teammates encouraged me, supported me, and were always close to me, which gives you more confidence when you go out onto the field and especially in a stadium like this."
During the match, the player remained calm and confident, as Felipe Miñambres, as he acknowledged in the press conference after the match, asked him to "play as he trains. It was a difficult match, but if he debuts, it's because he's been doing things well for quite some time."
His family and friends also made this match a special moment. "I called my father as soon as I received the news. They were very happy, and my father started crying. They all gathered at my house to watch the match; my family couldn't believe it. They saw the warm-up, they saw everything. My friends also gathered at a house to watch it," Cabello says with a wide smile.
After his debut, the Canary Islander also expressed gratitude to everyone who has accompanied him in this process within the club's structure: "I want to remember my family, who has always been there in difficult times, the great work done by the entire coaching staff of the youth teams, the residence, which has been a very beautiful stage in my life, and everyone who works at Levante, who have welcomed me very well."
