Diego Mendoza: "Coming to Spain was my dream and thanks to Ibiza, I could fulfill it"

The team bus of Club Atlético Huracán was involved in an accident on 10 February 2016 in Caracas. El Globo, as Huracán's team is known, was in the Venezuelan capital to play a match in the Copa Libertadores, but the result was of no interest that particular night. «We were lucky to be alive», explains Diego Mendoza, who was a passenger on the bus and now wears the Unión Deportiva Ibiza shirt. The Argentine striker mentions the shock he suffered that night during his official presentation by the sky blue club which took place at Can Misses. He does so after journalists ask him why he chose Ibiza to continue his career far away from home: «From that day onwards [the accident] my purpose and objective is to fulfill dreams. One of the biggest dreams I've always had was to play in Europe. Of all the leagues, the Spanish is my favourite. My family is from here. Here at Ibiza, I can turn my dreams into reality», says Diego.

For Amadeo Salvo, Ibiza's president, it is an «immense pleasure» to welcome the new striker because his addition means that a player is joining the club «who is coming from the Argentine Superliga, one of the top ten leagues in the world». Salvo defined Diego as a «very competitive» striker, who, according to Fernando Soriano, the club's sporting director, «complements the profiles of players we already have in the attacking department». For Soriano, the mentality of the club's latest signing (he joins the club on loan with a buying option) fits perfectly with the ambition of «a squad with a lot of hunger».

As far as Diego is concerned, being in a competitive squad is a reason to be motivated: «Here at Ibiza we train and play with a high level of intensity. It like that as it reminds me of Argentina, where we battle hard. Apart from that, I like the fact that short-term goals are being set. What's important for us right now is Sunday's match against Pontevedra». The club's new number ’18’ was already part of the squad for last weekend's away match at San Sebastián de los Reyes and therefore still looks forward to making his debut in front of fans «full of enthusiasm and expectation». Who better than Diego to know that working hard really can allow you to make your dreams come true.