Andy Baquero’s dream comes true as he joins Eikon Sports Group

“I think the word ‘obstacles’ is the best one to use, when characterizing my career, my life in football, and my life outside of it.” Andy Baquero Ruiz tells Joshua Carabatsakis of Eikon Sports Group.

Andy Baquero Ruiz officially joins Eikon Sports Group

Indeed, Andy has had to overcome many obstacles to get to the point he is at now, signing a professional contract in Canada of all places. Of course, every footballer will have to overcome obstacles, and many seem to have crazy stories of what it took. However, very few have a story that’s craziness can rival Andy’s.

In September 2019, Baquero made a decision that would forever change life for himself and his family back home in Cuba. He and his teammate Alejandro Portal decided to do what a number of Cuban national team athletes have done in the past; defect from their homeland. Just like that, Andy and Alejandro did what they had to do, fleeing the hotel by way of the emergency exit, sprinting for a few blocks, and hoping to find freedom in Canada. Thankfully, they were successful in their attempt and have been able to find stability and tranquility in Richmond Hill, a city that is part of the Greater Toronto Area.

In Havana, Cuba, Andy first started playing soccer at age 9, he recalls kicking a basketball in his backyard when he was just a toddler. His first-ever coach, “Lotina” told Andy’s father that he should “take care of that child, he will be a good footballer”. Lotina, has since passed, Andy is very proud to have proved him right and still remembers him fondly. Andy’s talent caught the eye of the Cuban Selection, receiving call-ups at the u-17, u-20 & u-23 levels, before ultimately getting into the senior team. Despite being one of the top 25 Cuban players in terms of senior caps all-time, Andy was left out of the senior squad twice after unsuccessful pre-tournament camps in his early years.

These early obstacles for Andy fueled him even more, strengthening his desire to show he belonged. Not long after, he’s the only ever Cuban footballer to play in both a u-20 World Cup (Turkey, 2013) & a Futsal World Cup (Colombia, 2016). Twenty-seven caps later and Andy sits ranked #25 on the all-time list of national team caps for Cuba, had he stayed in Cuba all this time, he surely would find himself higher on the list, and probably inside the top-10 by the time it is all said and done.

Baquero at the 2016 Futsal World Cup

When Andy defected from Cuba and was granted permission to stay in Canada as a Convention Refugee following the 2019 Gold Cup match against Canada, he was aware of the newly minted Canadian Premier League that had just launched earlier in the year. For him, that was a target he had his sights on.

Before Canada was ever an option, he had played domestic football in Cuba from 2013-2018, with La Habana, Villa Clara & Pinar Del Rio, accumulating 41 appearances and scoring 8 times. In 2019, he was allowed to leave Cuba to sign with Delfines FC in the Dominican Republic for the duration of their half season. Surprisingly, he first went to Dominican on a trial with Atlántico FC, who decided not to sign him. Fortunately, a friend at Delfines put in a word for Andy with the club directors and they brought him in, it didn’t take long for them to sign him. With “The Dolphins” Andy played 9 times, scoring 3 and adding 2 assists, before returning to Cuba and then shortly after landing in Canada with the Cuban national team.

In the Gold Cup match that took place at BMO Field, it was big moment for Andy. Of course, he knew what was awaiting him after the match. A possible life of freedom he and his family had been seeking for so long was now within his reach, but he also knew he had to play well in this match, to give himself the best chance of being recognized by scouts of the Canadian Premier League, who might be watching. Andy played as a holding mid-fielder. Across from him were the likes of Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, in the mid-field three for Canada that day was Osorio, Kaye and Piette. Andy was on the wrong side of a 6-0 thrashing at the hands of the “golden generation” Canadian side, but despite that, he had his moments and met the challenge head on making a good account of himself. One that he hoped might open doors following his defection from Cuba.

Andy taking the ball from Alphonso Davies in a 2019 Gold Cup Match

Shortly after escaping from Cuba’s grasp and settling down in Richmond Hill, Andy found himself in the right place at the right time. He showed up to a Vaughan SC training session that he had heard of through word of mouth. He stuck out at first, because he only had his Cuban national team gear to wear. Patrice Gheisar, the head coach of Vaughan in League One Ontario immediately recognized Baquero’s talent and shortly after that invited him to continue training with them. Patrice was gracious enough to take Andy under his wing from that point forward and was instrumental in guiding Andy to signing his first pro deal here in Canada.

Fast forward to late 2020 and we (Eikon Sports Group) were in contact with Patrice about this “Elite-level Cuban national team player that had defected and was now living and training in Canada.” Before getting in touch, Andy had already hit new obstacles in Canada that he never would have anticipated.

The impact of COVID-19 up to this point had really slowed down Andy’s progress of getting into the pro level in his new home country. With semi-professional sporting leagues feeling the brunt of the impact from the pandemic, Vaughan and League One Ontario never got to kick off their 2020 season – this left Andy in limbo. The plan between him and Patrice had always been to have him play a season at Vaughan and then the influx of offers from CPL clubs would naturally follow suit. Unfortunately, that reality never materialized for Andy, who was still optimistic and never allowed his faith to waver.

Andy with Vaughan in 2019

After a few conversations with Patrice and some exchanges of Andy’s details and career history, our interest in Andy had been piqued, that is for certain. While Cuba is not known as a powerhouse in international football, I recalled watching the Gold Cup match that Andy played in before defecting and I remembered acknowledging him as one of the top players in the Cuban side that day. This type of gritty, tenacious, and talented footballer would be a welcome addition to any CPL club, I remember thinking to myself.

The challenge now was finding out if he would qualify as a domestic player in the league, given that he was now a convention refugee in Canada and had protected person’s status. After a phone call with the CPL Head Office and an exchange of the relevant documents we had on hand for Andy, the league was able to verify that Andy would indeed qualify as a domestic in the Canada Premier League.

This was amazing news and hence started the journey of getting Andy an opportunity to fulfill his dream of signing a professional contract in Canada. Fast forward to June 2021, after 6 months of canvassing and offering Baquero’s services with CPL clubs by Eikon, two trials arranged that had gone awry last second, and finally a third trial that did come to fruition but involved 14 days of quarantine and a further 14 days of training, Andy had been offered his first in the Canadian Premier League. A dream come true; Andy Baquero Ruiz will join Valour FC of the Canadian Premier League when they kick off their 2021 season in “The Bubble”.

Andy will have to wait a few weeks to official make his debut, as his ITC could be received by the Canada Soccer Association as late as July 15, 2021, but make no mistake about it, Andy Baquero will take the pitch for Valour FC this season in the #82 kit, one he plans to have remembered amongst supporters of the club. When that moment finally comes, the dream that Andy has long held, will finally be real and after all the obstacles he has been through, it will all have been worth it for that moment.

Andy with Valour during their 2021 pre-season