As Nottingham Forest youngster Brandon Aguilera is wearing Costa Rica’s number 10 at the Copa America, there’s some expectation about what the midfielder can do in the tournament.
Local newspaper La Republica today features an interview with the player, asking if there’s any pressure on him for wearing the national team’s most important shirt.
“It’s a legacy that the greats leave us. For me, I’ve always said Bryan (Ruiz) is my idol, he’s the player I’ve always liked, he’s always caught my attention since I was a child. So it’s very nice and in the end I have to work to achieve great things like he did. In the end, the number is just a number, but a lot of pride and a lot of happiness to represent the flag of Costa Rica,” Brandon Aguilera told La Republica.
“If I play for the national team it means that I am among the best players in Costa Rica, because that is the Costa Rican national team. As a footballer when the game is over you know if you played well or if you played badly, if you gave everything you had to give and made an effort or if you were left in debt. So I think that, and also the coach’s criticism, is what you have to keep in mind.”
It was in Costa Rica that Aguilera managed to draw Nottingham Forest’s attention, as the Reds bought him from LD Alajuelense on a €950k deal in 2022.
The Tricky Trees loaned him out back to a club in his country, this time to Guanacasteca, then sending him to Portuguese side Estoril.
At the start of this season, Nottingham Forest kept Aguilera in their squad, giving him three appearances for the club. In the winter window, however, there was another loan, this time at Bristol Rovers.
The player will now return to his parent club’s squad, and perhaps some good performances for his country in the Copa America could now convince the club to hold him for a whole season.
That would surely be what he wants, given last week he said what a dream it is to be a Nottingham Forest player.
