FOOTBALLThe Payero dynasty, a family story These days, the national media are talking about Martín Payero, the young player born in Pascanas, who is with the delegation of the U-23 National Team that will play the Olympic Games and was recently transferred to English soccer. However, his surname, in the locality of the Beccar Varela League, has a long history that we review together with his father José.In most inland towns there are two clubs, with the logical exceptions in each case. In some localities, a single sports organization brings together the whole town and it is necessary to go to the nearest urbanization to look for a classic. In others, the fewest, there are more than two. In a town with two soccer clubs, the division is easy: you sympathize with one or the other, the club in the center or the one in the neighborhood, the one in the south or the one in the north, the one on one side of the road or the other, however the division is made. Usually when someone falls into a family that belongs to one, he or she is destined to carry that color in his or her heart for life. As the years go by and each surname is identified with one of the clubs in town, some descendant may decide to change sides and then he will spend his life telling the rest of society that he belongs to that family, but not to the same club. At the moment of looking for the beginnings of Martin Payero one comes across the news that he wore the jerseys of the two entities of Pascanas: The "red and black" of Independiente and the "alba" of Atletico. The curious thing is that the new reinforcement of the English Middlesbrough is the fifth player of the family, and all of them crossed from one sidewalk to the other. The story began with grandfather Doncel, who was champion with both teams in the Doctor Adrián Béccar Varela League tournaments. Those who comb gray hair in the area, tell that he was the best of all, he started playing in Independiente and then moved to Atlético. Doncel Payero played "in Independiente and in 1951 he moved to Atlético, where he was champion in 51, 52 and 53", says his son José in a conversation with Al Toque Deportes, and after asking for some time to check the dates with his relatives. Doncel played as a 5, a position inherited by all his descendants until the appearance of Martín as a midfielder. The best known in the area was dad José, the "Negro" Payero also played in the two clubs of the town, but he was also in the historical team of Argentino de Monte Maíz that became Provincial champion, defeating Centro Cultural Alberdi de Río Cuarto in the final, and one season in Estrellas Recreativas de Jovita. His beginnings were in the "albo" and after the passage through the Roca League he returned to wear the "rojinegra". He was twice champion with Atlético and once with Argentino de Monte Maíz. Eduardo Rodolfo Payero, Doncel's son, José's brother and Martín's uncle, also played in those days. Like the other Payero, he wore the jersey of both Pascanas clubs and won 2 titles with Atletico. José Payero in his time with Estrellas Recreativas de Jovita (First crouched from right to left). In the third generation of the family, the first to appear was Ezequiel Payero, Martin's older brother, besides having fulfilled the family custom of defending the colors of the two local entities, he played for a long time in the youth teams of Instituto de Córdoba and then played for different clubs in the Argentino A and B tournaments. "Ezequiel played in the youth ranks at Independiente and left at the age of 12", says José about his eldest son, who was with the Cordoba "glory" until he reached the first division. Martín, the fifth member of the Payero dynasty started his career in Independiente, "at the same time he played in the Baby League of Villa María and when he was 6 years old he started to play in different tournaments with Instituto", says his father. José adds that the youngest of his sons, "when he was 8 years old he was spotted by River Plate and they incorporated him to participate in different tournaments throughout the country". When he turned 12 he was signed by the "Millonario" in their AFA squads. José Payero and his sons Ezequiel and Martín. "At 14 he began to miss, he returned to the town and joined Atletico until he was 16, where he was a teammate of his brother," he continues, describing his son's career. "Then he went to Banfield, made his debut in the First Division, and spent 6 months at Talleres", adds José to review the best known part of a story that began many decades ago with his father Doncel. Then came the return to "Taladro", the runner-up in the Cup against Boca, "in between a call-up to the U-20 (national team) where he trained for a week and got injured, this call-up and now the transfer to this English club (Middlesbrough) that I can't even remember the name, ha ha, everything very quickly", José closes. The question that was latent during all the talk, came out before the farewell: Los Payero, are they from Independiente or Atlético? "I don't know if I identify myself with one of the clubs, my dad identified himself more with Atlético, but I can't tell you exactly", José left the engagement with more skill than his son in front of a rival defender.
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