At the age of five he began to kick a ball with his friends and at twelve he joined the youth team of Real Sporting de Gijón. With that same club he debuted in First Division in December 1985, the same year in which he was runner-up with the Spanish team in the U-20 World Cup held in the Soviet Union. Marcelino García Toral’s beginnings in football were full of strong emotions. With the ups and downs and experiences throughout the years, his career can serve as a mirror for many young people. For this reason, Nebrija University -on the occasion of the first edition of IMPULSA- thought of him to have a meeting with the students. The talk, held at the Madrid-Princesa Campus, received plenty of visitors.
“I don’t believe in DNA in football; You have to respect all ways of playing”, Marcelino pointed out, “although it is also important to know the club’s own philosophy developed throughout its history”. An open-minded and away from dogmas way of thinking that he has been acquiring over time. “When I was 20 years old I made my debut in the First Division and I thought I was going to eat the world. I made mistakes in decisions and ways of acting. At that moment I became an egocentric who believed that everything could be channeled from only one point of view, “Marcelino acknowledged. The Athletic Club coach answered all the questions raised by the attendees, in an improvised press conference.
“I don’t believe in DNA in football, you have to respect all ways of playing”
“The first thing is to have capacity, but also to cultivate three basic principles in human relations: sincerity, loyalty and fairness,” he commented out of his experience. In a few years, Marcelino went from debuting in the Third Division with CD Lealtad to being chosen as the best First Division coach (Miguel Muñoz Trophy) for his excellent work with RC Recreativo de Huelva.
“We don’t accept coaching an unmotivated player; if it happens to us it will end in short time,” he said with a smile. ” Surely there are coach staffs that work more than us, but not too many”. “We don’t accept coaching an unmotivated player; if it happens to us it will end in short time,” he said with a smile. ” Surely there are coach staffs that work more than us, but not too many .” The continued use of the first person plural reflects the extreme bonding and trust that exists within his coaching staff. He has been working with some of its members for almost two decades. These are the cases of Ismael Fernández, the physical trainer, and Rubén Uría, the assistant coach. They have been with Marcelino since 2003 and 2005 respectively.
“No solo debes explicar todo lo que sabes sobre fútbol a tu equipo, sino descubrir cómo transmitírselo de la mejor manera y ser un ejemplo profesional y humano para tus jugadores”, cuenta el ténico del @AthleticClub, @Marcelino, en su visita a Nebrija. #NebrijaImpulsa pic.twitter.com/inYOJVAO54
— Universidad Nebrija (@Nebrija) April 26, 2022
