Roxana Badaloni
08/14/2021 2:42 PM
Clarín.com
Society
Updated 08/14/2021 2:42 PM
Ulises Salinas, just 10 years old, moved many Argentines when he went out to sweep sidewalks to
buy soccer boots and gloves
to train in San Rafael, Mendoza. Of course she did it: her story was shared by a neighbor and it went viral. His mother received messages from different corners of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and even Miami. In a week, they brought him three pairs of cleats and seven pairs of gloves, and professional players and a soccer club gave them gifts.
But the life of this boy, from a humble and hard-working family, is one of greater improvement than the moment that earned him a few days of fame.
Ulises had a difficult 2020.
He was depressed and sad like many boys who had to spend their days locked up in strict quarantine.
With the help of his parents and the arrival of a new member of the family, he was able to recover and play again.
It was when with his friends they
devised the plan of going out to sweep
to fulfill the dream of having new boots and gloves.
Ulises' family is made up of Lorena (42), the mother;
Marcelo (48), the father, and his brothers: Facundo (14), who plays football at the Las Paredes club, and Nicolás (16), who plays futsal.
The father works as a warehouse worker and the mother is a housewife.
Ulises, who is in fourth grade at Julio Argentino Roca School, is the most outgoing: “A squirrel,” his mother describes.
But, last year, when the boy stopped going to school and had to be isolated due to the Covid pandemic, his parents decided to look for a pet to serve as a companion.
"Ulises became depressed, he did not want to leave the room,"
explains his mother.
This is how Tomy, the toy poodle of the family, arrived at the house.
Ulises with Tomy, the toy poodle that they gave him to help him overcome depression.
Photo Marcelo Piaser
Lorena remembers how difficult 2020 was. “We were not used to classes over the phone and with photocopies.
We had a very bad time.
Ulises spent the whole day lying sad, crying, "he details.
Little by little, with the help of the family and the puppy Tomy, she started to go out and regained her smile.
The story that went viral happened in June, on a Thursday morning.
The baby went out to play, but did not find his friends.
He came back and asked his mother if he could go alone to sweep the sidewalks of the neighboring houses.
He gave him permission.
Ulises brought an old broom and a garbage bag.
He struck at the house of a grandmother who lives alone, two blocks from hers.
The woman told him that she had no money to pay him, but Ulises insisted: "It doesn't matter, I just clean the sidewalk and when I can, give me something."
The neighbor who lives next to that grandmother was surprised to see the baby with his broom on the sidewalk, she asked him what he was doing.
And uninhibited, Ulises, told him his plan to get some boots and gloves, because he repeated, "I want to be a goalkeeper."
The neighbor is Mariana De Lucca, the author of a Facebook post that moved.
After helping him clean the sidewalk, Mariana uploaded the photo of the baby sweeping and added the mother's contact telephone number: “I present to you Ulises, a 10-year-old boy who goes out every day to sweep to buy his boots and pairs soccer.
Here is a clear example that, when there is a desire, anything can be done,
”he wrote.
Immediately, his message began to go viral.
Ulises came home for lunch.
His mother's phone started ringing but she didn't answer because she was preparing food.
“My sister insisted on the phone and I finally answered her,” remembers Lorena.
Ulises' aunt told him: “Have you noticed what is happening on Facebook?
Everyone is talking about you
. "
Ulises wanted to buy clothes to train in a professional club.
He dreams of being a goalkeeper and admires "Draw" Martínez.
Photo Marcelo Piaser
From that moment, there were many surprises.
The first to arrive with a pair of ankle boots, size 36, was the coach of the Ballofet club.
Other residents of San Rafael appeared behind the family home in the Isros neighborhood.
They brought him soccer jerseys, boots, gloves.
money and a scholarship so that Ulises can play at the El Porvenir club.
Another joy was the call from Maximiliano Gagliardi, Barracas Central goalkeeper, who also sent a pair of gloves.
"The story of Ulises shows that the child is a good person and with initiatives, that is why one wants to help, especially in times like this with a pandemic," said the National Championship player B.
The mother says that the brother of an important leader of the first division soccer also contacted them to help.
Ulises' family clarifies that "we did not send him to work", but celebrates the praise that the boy received for his attitude.
Photo Marcelo Piaser
Lorena clarifies that they did not want to seek an economic profit: “We did not send him to work.
For us the first thing is the study and we try not to miss anything
", he assures.
The family wants to keep those messages that praised the "honest way" in which their son was earning the money.
Lorena says that many people congratulated her on "the son she has", although there were comments against it for "sending him to work."
He insisted: "We, as parents, only ask them to study and then we
share and endorse the attitude towards work
, but it is Ulysses who decides to go out to sweep, almost like a game," he explains.
Ulises already wears the Club El Porvenir shirt, where he began training as a goalkeeper.
That is the position he admires the most in a team: he likes how Emiliano “dra ”Martínez plays and he declares himself a fan of the former Boca goalkeeper Esteban Andrada.
He tells
Clarín
that one of his dreams is to visit the Bombonera, and see Xeneize play.
After fulfilling his goal, Ulises now organized a solidarity collection with his friends.
Photo Marcelo Piaser
Ulises, who has gained confidence,
now organizes solidarity projects
.
This new celebration of Children's Day finds him busy.
Together with their friends, they are collecting clothes and food for needy families who attend the parish in their neighborhood.
“We have already filled seven consortium bags with clothing, and four with merchandise,” he says.
And, after this, go ahead, he will sweep sidewalks again.
"I'm going to raise money to buy the Play 4," he says enthusiastically.
His mother laughs and takes his head, because he knows that in a short time he will get it.
Mendoza. Correspondent
ACE
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