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Come November, if all goes as planned, Mario Serrano will be having the experience of his nine-year-old life attending the nine-day immersive Futbol Club Barcelona Soccer Experience, sponsored by the Barça Academy in Spain.
As one of fewer than 300 children selected for the honor worldwide, he will train under elite coaches from the Union of European Football Associations and enjoy cultural trips and stadium tours on the FC Barcelona team bus.
“At one point,” Mario’s father Diego Serrano said, “I was a kid trying to do something like that, and it’s amazing that he’s making a dream come true for both of us. And I’m going to be right behind him every step of the way.”
To help make the dream come true, Jardines de San Juan, where Diego works, will donate a percentage of sales made on Aug. 20 from 4 p.m. until closing.
“We preach the Jardines family here,” Jardines manager Nick Winkler said. “So if we can help Mario have this once-in-a-lifetime experience, we’re going to. We’re saying to him, ‘Hey, if you really want to go after something, you can do it.’”
According to Mario, his interest in soccer began at age three and a half, after becoming immersed in televised games, YouTube videos and kicking the ball around with his father.
“It just looked fun and it’s a nice sport,” he said. “I like to practice a lot, and during the games I work very hard scoring goals.”
In this, Mario takes after Diego, who played on recreational teams until he was 17. Seeing his love of the game, Diego signed Mario up with the San Juan rec team when he was four.
“The first year was a little rough with in-and-out playing time,” Diego said. “You don’t expect too much at that age; it’s more about touching the ball, getting familiar with the sport, and learning how to play as a team.”
Two years ago, while playing for San Juan, Mario caught the eye of Hollister Tremors coach Samantha Moreno, who recruited him for her team.
“I saw something in him,” she said, “and told my assistant, ‘Oh my gosh, we need to approach this kid.’ I was creating a competitive team, and he was the missing puzzle piece. We created the Blue Team and have been together ever since.”
What impressed her was Mario’s dogged determination during a game when his San Juan team was short a couple of players.
“He didn’t give up,” Moreno said. “That gravitated him to me. He was giving it his all until the end. He played the whistle and didn’t care if they were winning or losing. I’ve watched him grow from recreational to competitive soccer. It has been a blessing to see him develop these skills”
Since then, Diego said, his son has developed an “absolutely incredible skill level” and spends much of his time kicking the ball around at home or on the field.
“It amazes me what he does,” Diego said. “He plays as a striker and puts in his full effort, but he also works to play as a whole with his team.”
Mario attended a Barcelona team summer camp in Morgan Hill in late June with around 300 youth players. Diego said he was told a limited number of participants from the United States would be called up for the camp in Spain and to expect an email.
Both he and his son said they were stunned by the invitation.
“We are taking it very seriously,” Diego said. “I have been talking to him about a lot without putting pressure on him. He was surprised, but he said, ‘It’s okay, Dad. I got this.’”
Diego said Mario will maintain a rigorous training schedule ahead of the November trip, with team practices Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and private sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In the meantime, the Serrano family is working to raise the $12,000-$15,000 they expect the trip to cost.
Winkler said the Aug. 20 benefit is in the spirit of Jardines’ long history of community support.
“I have been here for 10 years,” he said. “And I’ve seen it nonstop here. It’s so important, especially in today’s society, to have that kind of support system always there. Even if someday he moves on from soccer, he’ll have this core memory of going to Spain and doing this.”
Mario is enthusiastic about the trip in that nine-year-old, hard-to-interview way.
“It feels good, and I hope I have fun over there,” he said. “I am going to train hard and try my best.”
The “Help Send Mario to Spain” benefit at Jardines de San Juan (115 Third St, San Juan Bautista) happens Aug. 20 from 4 p.m. until closing. A portion of the proceeds from sales will go directly to fund the trip.
The Serrano family has also set up a “Help Send Mario to Barcelona, Spain” GoFundMe account.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.
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