After making his debut in a 90-minute performance against York United and ahead of a massive match against CF Montreal in the Canadian Championship, we take a look at Alejandro Portal’s story thus far:

Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Alejandro’s first sport was baseball – more than Cuba’s national sport, it is a fundamental part of the Cuban national identity. However, after watching some of the older kids in his neighbourhood playing soccer, he was captivated and discovered that it was his passion. Growing up, his favorite player was Ronaldinho, and Alejandro would often try to imitate his moves.

He started playing at the community level when he was 9 years old and then began to appear in interschool tournaments. Here, he garnered the attention of the coaching staff from the municipal team who recruited him to play at that level. After playing for several years in Cuba’s juvenile categories, while competing in the 13-14 age group, he made it to the pre-selection round of the Havana provincial team. Unfortunately, due to the level of talent, Alejandro didn’t make the final cut and decided to move to neighbouring Mayabeque province where he debuted for the provincial team in the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Cuba (Cuba’s first division) when he was 17 years old. Due to his performance in this arena, he was chosen as a “reinforcement” player on several occasions by various teams. (In the first division, when teams are disqualified from playoffs, other teams that are still in competition are able to bring in the top players from those disqualified teams.) This made him a household name in Cuban soccer and at 18 years old, Alejandro was called up to Cuba’s national U-20 team.

After playing several friendlies in Cuba, Alejandro’s first international game was in January 2015 in the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship in Jamaica when Cuba beat Canada 2-1. In November 2015, he debuted for the Cuban men’s national football team against Santos Laguna (Mexican club competing in the Liga MX). Over the course of his career at the national level, Alejandro made more than 10 appearances for his country.

Alejandro’s last game was against Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League in September 2019, where he was tasked with defending Alphonso Davies and Junior Hoilett, a responsibility that he did not take lightly and which required much preparation both on and off the field. Shortly after the 6-0 loss to Canada, Alejandro made the difficult decision to defect alongside 4 of his teammates. For this, he will not be able to return to Cuba to see his family for 8 years, a reality all too familiar for Cuban athletes pursuing a better life. Shortly after, he started to train with Vaughan Soccer Club under head coach Patrice Gheisar, one of the foremost development programs in the country, where he was welcomed with open arms and able to maintain his physical and technical abilities.

Alejandro learned of Eikon Sports Group due to their increasing reputation and number of players in the CPL and beyond. In the weeks before signing with HFX Wanderers FC, Alejandro went through some of the toughest moments in his career. As the deadline to enter the CPL was fast approaching, Alejandro was worried but never lost faith in himself and his agency. To take his mind off of the situation, he decided to go to the Canada vs Honduras game at BMO Field, the place where he made his last appearance as a Cuban international. It was here that he received the call about a potential opportunity in Halifax…

Alejandro now wears number 19 as a tribute to Karim Benzema, his favorite player.

Alejandro believes that sacrifice, humility, and patience are the keys to success not just in soccer but in life.