0:00:02.063,0:00:04.230
I opened a blind man's head.

0:00:05.363,0:00:09.837
I didn't make him think or reflect --[br]I cracked his head open, literally.

0:00:10.564,0:00:12.969
We were walking with him[br]holding onto my shoulder,

0:00:12.993,0:00:15.833
I miscalculated how much space[br]there was between us,

0:00:15.857,0:00:17.622
and I knocked him into a gate.

0:00:17.646,0:00:18.813
(Laughter)

0:00:18.837,0:00:20.806
Five stitches in his forehead.

0:00:21.863,0:00:24.936
At that moment, I felt like[br]the worst teacher in the world.

0:00:24.960,0:00:27.068
I really didn't know how to apologize.

0:00:27.845,0:00:33.556
Luckily, El Pulga is one of those people[br]who takes things quite well.

0:00:34.228,0:00:36.752
And to this day, he says[br]that I was the coach

0:00:36.776,0:00:39.220
who left the most important[br]mark on his career.

0:00:39.244,0:00:41.417
(Laughter)

0:00:41.441,0:00:44.723
The truth is, when I started working[br]at the institute for the blind,

0:00:44.747,0:00:46.499
I was surprised by a lot of things.

0:00:46.926,0:00:50.450
A lot of the things they did,[br]I never imagined they could:

0:00:50.474,0:00:54.396
they swam, did exercise, played cards.

0:00:54.970,0:00:56.624
They drank mate, and could pour it

0:00:56.648,0:00:58.712
without burning themselves in the process.

0:00:58.736,0:01:00.529
But when I saw them playing soccer --

0:01:00.553,0:01:01.965
that was amazing.

0:01:02.672,0:01:06.547
They had a dirt field,[br]rusty goalposts and broken nets.

0:01:07.054,0:01:10.201
The blind who attended the institute[br]would play their games there,

0:01:10.225,0:01:12.800
just like I did at a field near my house.

0:01:12.824,0:01:14.916
But they played without being able to see.

0:01:15.534,0:01:19.015
The ball made a sound[br]so they could locate it.

0:01:19.039,0:01:22.050
They had a guide[br]behind the rival team's goal

0:01:22.074,0:01:24.078
to know where to kick the ball.

0:01:24.102,0:01:25.980
And they used eye masks.

0:01:26.004,0:01:28.240
There were guys[br]who could still see a little,

0:01:28.264,0:01:31.419
and they wore eye masks[br]so everyone was equal.

0:01:32.524,0:01:37.176
When I was more at ease with them,[br]I asked for a mask myself.

0:01:37.200,0:01:39.846
I put it on and tried to play.

0:01:39.870,0:01:41.567
I had played soccer all my life.

0:01:42.272,0:01:44.318
This is where it got even more amazing:

0:01:44.342,0:01:47.162
within two seconds, I didn't know[br]where I was standing.

0:01:50.126,0:01:53.880
I had studied physical education[br]because I loved high performance.

0:01:53.904,0:01:56.119
I started working[br]at the institute by chance.

0:01:56.143,0:01:58.990
My other job was with the Argentinian[br]National Rowing Team,

0:01:59.014,0:02:00.669
and I felt that was my thing.

0:02:01.262,0:02:03.065
Here, everything was twice as hard.

0:02:03.785,0:02:07.540
I'll never forget the first day[br]I did the warm-up with the team.

0:02:07.564,0:02:09.276
I lined them up in front of me --

0:02:09.300,0:02:12.169
I used to do that with the rowing team --

0:02:12.193,0:02:15.448
and I said, "OK, everyone[br]bend down," going like this.

0:02:15.472,0:02:17.414
When I looked up, two guys were seated,

0:02:17.438,0:02:19.747
three were lying down[br]and others were squatting.

0:02:19.771,0:02:21.137
(Laughter)

0:02:21.161,0:02:24.523
How could I do here[br]the same things I was doing there?

0:02:26.907,0:02:28.290
It took me a while.

0:02:28.314,0:02:31.778
I started looking for tools[br]to learn from them,

0:02:31.802,0:02:34.370
from the teachers who worked with them.

0:02:34.394,0:02:39.040
I learned I couldn't explain a play[br]on a chalkboard like a coach does,

0:02:39.064,0:02:41.844
but I could use a plastic tray[br]and some bottle caps

0:02:41.868,0:02:44.237
so they could follow me by way of touch.

0:02:44.779,0:02:47.932
I also learned they could run on a track

0:02:47.956,0:02:49.979
if I ran with them, holding a rope.

0:02:50.656,0:02:53.823
So we started looking for volunteers[br]to help us run with them.

0:02:54.312,0:02:56.381
I was enjoying it,

0:02:57.764,0:03:01.056
and finding purpose and meaning[br]in what we were doing.

0:03:01.805,0:03:03.907
It was hard at first,[br]it was uncomfortable,

0:03:03.931,0:03:06.074
but I decided to overcome the discomfort.

0:03:06.098,0:03:07.520
And there came a time

0:03:07.544,0:03:10.308
when it became the most[br]fascinating job I'd ever had.

0:03:11.249,0:03:13.606
I think that's when I wondered:

0:03:13.630,0:03:17.854
Why couldn't we be[br]a high-performance team as well?

0:03:18.966,0:03:20.699
Of course, one thing was missing:

0:03:20.723,0:03:22.793
I needed to find out what they wanted,

0:03:22.817,0:03:25.396
the real protagonists of this story.

0:03:26.823,0:03:30.325
Three hours of training,[br]playing soccer on that field,

0:03:30.349,0:03:31.960
were not going to be enough.

0:03:31.984,0:03:34.119
We would have to train differently.

0:03:34.143,0:03:37.882
We started to train harder,[br]and the results were great;

0:03:37.906,0:03:39.195
they asked for more.

0:03:39.733,0:03:41.855
I came to understand[br]that they, too, wondered

0:03:41.879,0:03:43.787
why they couldn't do high-performance.

0:03:45.151,0:03:49.150
When we felt ready,[br]we knocked at CENARD's door.

0:03:49.174,0:03:51.914
CENARD is the National Center[br]for High-Performance Sports

0:03:51.938,0:03:53.282
here in Argentina.

0:03:53.306,0:03:55.723
It was hard to get them[br]to hear what we had to say.

0:03:55.747,0:03:58.203
But it was considerably more difficult

0:03:58.227,0:04:01.993
to get the other athletes training there[br]to consider us their equals.

0:04:02.662,0:04:04.598
In fact, they would let us use the field

0:04:04.622,0:04:06.835
only when no other teams were using it.

0:04:07.367,0:04:09.311
And we were known as "the blind ones."

0:04:09.724,0:04:12.269
Not everyone knew[br]exactly what we were doing there.

0:04:13.622,0:04:17.663
The 2006 World Championship[br]was a turning point in the team's history.

0:04:18.449,0:04:21.233
It was held in Buenos Aires[br]for the first time.

0:04:21.257,0:04:24.056
It was our chance to show everyone

0:04:24.080,0:04:26.003
what we had been doing all that time.

0:04:26.947,0:04:28.494
We made it to the finals.

0:04:29.020,0:04:30.741
We were growing as a team.

0:04:31.374,0:04:33.393
It was us against Brazil in the finals.

0:04:34.406,0:04:36.612
They were the best team in the tournament.

0:04:37.033,0:04:39.176
They won every game by a landslide.

0:04:40.264,0:04:44.803
Hardly anyone believed[br]we could win that game.

0:04:45.942,0:04:47.689
Hardly anyone -- except for us.

0:04:48.935,0:04:50.809
During pre-game meetings,

0:04:50.833,0:04:52.476
in the locker room,

0:04:52.500,0:04:53.901
during each warm-up,

0:04:54.592,0:04:56.127
it smelled of victory.

0:04:58.079,0:04:59.531
I swear that smell exists.

0:05:00.433,0:05:03.055
I smelled it several times with the team,

0:05:03.079,0:05:06.355
but I remember it in particular,[br]the day before we played that final.

0:05:07.328,0:05:10.440
The Argentine Football Association[br]had opened their doors to us.

0:05:10.464,0:05:11.930
We were training at AFA,

0:05:11.954,0:05:14.448
where Verón, Higuain and Messi trained.

0:05:14.472,0:05:15.881
For the first time ever,

0:05:17.081,0:05:19.461
we felt like a true national team.

0:05:20.214,0:05:22.671
At 7:30pm, the day before the game,

0:05:22.695,0:05:26.523
we were in the lounge discussing strategy,

0:05:26.547,0:05:29.762
and a waiter knocks on the door,[br]interrupting our conversation.

0:05:30.646,0:05:32.330
He suggested we go to church.

0:05:32.354,0:05:34.154
He came to invite us to church.

0:05:35.253,0:05:39.115
I tried to get rid of him,[br]saying it wasn't a good time,

0:05:39.139,0:05:41.968
that we better leave it for another day.

0:05:41.992,0:05:47.483
He kept insisting, asking me to please[br]let him take the guys to church,

0:05:47.507,0:05:50.729
because that day, a pastor[br]who performed miracles would be there.

0:05:52.400,0:05:55.792
I was slightly afraid to ask[br]what type of miracles he meant,

0:05:55.816,0:05:58.052
and he replied nonchalantly,

0:05:58.076,0:06:00.276
"Coach, let me take[br]the team to the church,

0:06:00.300,0:06:03.653
and when we return, I guarantee[br]that half of them will be able to see."

0:06:04.129,0:06:07.177
(Laughter)

0:06:08.655,0:06:10.101
Some of the guys laughed,

0:06:10.125,0:06:13.275
but imagine being a blind person[br]and someone says that to you.

0:06:13.299,0:06:14.684
I didn't know what to say.

0:06:14.708,0:06:17.352
I said nothing; it was an awkward silence.

0:06:17.376,0:06:19.120
I didn't want to make him feel bad,

0:06:19.144,0:06:21.318
because he truly believed[br]this could happen.

0:06:22.032,0:06:23.994
One of the players saved me,

0:06:24.694,0:06:26.640
when he stood up and confidently said,

0:06:26.664,0:06:28.548
"Juan," -- that was the kid's name --

0:06:28.572,0:06:31.525
Gonza already told you[br]it's not the best time to go to church.

0:06:31.549,0:06:33.330
Besides, let me make this clear:

0:06:33.354,0:06:37.236
if we go to that church, and I end up[br]being able to see when we return,

0:06:37.260,0:06:40.278
I will beat you so hard[br]if I can't play tomorrow."

0:06:40.302,0:06:42.006
(Laughter)

0:06:42.030,0:06:48.891
(Applause)

0:06:52.998,0:06:56.942
Juan left, laughing in resignation,

0:06:56.966,0:06:59.012
and we continued with our pregame talk.

0:06:59.687,0:07:02.580
That night when I went to sleep,

0:07:02.604,0:07:05.925
I began to dream[br]about the next day's game,

0:07:05.949,0:07:08.628
imagining what could happen,[br]how we would play.

0:07:08.652,0:07:11.108
And that's when I noticed[br]that smell of victory

0:07:11.132,0:07:12.346
I mentioned a while ago.

0:07:12.806,0:07:14.969
And it's because[br]at that moment, I thought:

0:07:14.993,0:07:19.676
if the other players had the same desire[br]as Diego going into the game,

0:07:20.261,0:07:22.261
it was impossible for us not to win.

0:07:23.779,0:07:25.961
The next day was going to be wonderful.

0:07:26.446,0:07:29.502
We got up at 9am, the game was at 7pm,

0:07:29.526,0:07:31.747
and we were already eager to play.

0:07:32.227,0:07:38.092
We left AFA, and the bus was full[br]of flags that people had given to us.

0:07:38.608,0:07:40.767
We were talking about the game,

0:07:40.791,0:07:43.331
and we could hear people[br]honking and cheering,

0:07:43.355,0:07:46.665
"Go Murciélagos! Today's the day![br]The final challenge!"

0:07:46.689,0:07:50.410
The guys asked me, "Do they know us?[br]Do they know we're playing?"

0:07:51.134,0:07:54.542
Some people followed the bus to CENARD.

0:07:55.237,0:07:58.827
We arrived and found an amazing scene.

0:07:59.247,0:08:02.313
In the corridor leading[br]from the locker room to the game field,

0:08:02.337,0:08:04.289
I was walking with Silvio,

0:08:04.313,0:08:07.401
who was holding onto my shoulder,[br]so I could guide him.

0:08:07.425,0:08:09.688
Fortunately, there were[br]no gates along the way.

0:08:09.712,0:08:10.712
(Laughter)

0:08:10.736,0:08:13.848
When we reached the field,[br]he asked me about everything.

0:08:13.872,0:08:15.808
He didn't want to miss a single detail.

0:08:15.832,0:08:19.651
He said, "Tell me what you see,[br]tell me who's playing the drums."

0:08:19.675,0:08:23.570
I tried to explain what was happening[br]with as much detail as possible.

0:08:23.594,0:08:28.394
I told him, "The stands are packed,[br]a lot of people couldn't get in,

0:08:28.418,0:08:31.012
there are blue and white balloons[br]all over the field,

0:08:31.036,0:08:35.177
they're opening a giant Argentine flag[br]that covers the entire grandstand."

0:08:35.201,0:08:37.298
Suddenly, he cuts me off and says,

0:08:37.322,0:08:41.157
"Do you see a flag that says 'San Pedro'?"

0:08:42.674,0:08:44.279
That's the city where he lives.

0:08:44.641,0:08:46.456
I started looking into the stands

0:08:46.480,0:08:48.989
and I spotted a little white flag

0:08:49.013,0:08:52.063
with lettering done[br]in black spray paint, that read:

0:08:52.087,0:08:55.690
"Silvio, your family[br]and all of San Pedro are here."

0:08:56.227,0:08:58.959
I told him that and he replied,

0:08:58.983,0:09:03.032
"That's my mom, tell me where[br]she is, I want to I wave at her."

0:09:03.564,0:09:04.996
I pointed him toward the flag

0:09:05.020,0:09:07.566
and showed him with his arm[br]where they were sitting,

0:09:07.590,0:09:09.574
and he waved his arms in that direction.

0:09:09.598,0:09:12.689
About 20 or 30 people stood up[br]and gave him an ovation.

0:09:13.341,0:09:14.730
When that happened,

0:09:14.754,0:09:17.079
I saw how his face changed,[br]how moved he was.

0:09:17.615,0:09:19.461
It was moving for me, too;

0:09:20.106,0:09:22.296
two seconds later,[br]I had a lump in my throat.

0:09:23.318,0:09:26.604
It was strange -- I felt both[br]the excitement of what was happening,

0:09:26.628,0:09:29.786
and the anger and the anguish[br]that he could not see it.

0:09:31.457,0:09:36.540
A few days later when I told him[br]what I had experienced,

0:09:37.266,0:09:40.510
he tried to reassure me, saying,

0:09:40.534,0:09:43.111
"Gonza, don't feel bad, I could see them.

0:09:43.135,0:09:45.852
Differently, but I swear to you[br]that I saw them all."

0:09:47.248,0:09:48.644
The game started.

0:09:48.668,0:09:51.506
We could not fail; it was the final.

0:09:51.530,0:09:53.955
The audience was quiet, like here,

0:09:53.979,0:09:55.623
because in soccer for the blind,

0:09:55.647,0:09:58.646
the public has to be quiet[br]so the players can hear the ball.

0:09:59.064,0:10:01.813
They're only allowed to cheer[br]when the game is over.

0:10:02.265,0:10:04.906
And when there were eight minutes to go,

0:10:05.747,0:10:09.194
the crowd did all the cheering[br]they hadn't done in the first 32 minutes.

0:10:09.218,0:10:12.847
When pigeon-toed Silvio[br]nailed the ball at an angle,

0:10:12.871,0:10:14.959
they cheered with all their heart,

0:10:14.983,0:10:16.557
in an incredible way.

0:10:18.848,0:10:23.466
Today, if you go to CENARD,[br]you'll see a huge poster on the door,

0:10:23.490,0:10:25.411
with a photo of our team,[br]Los Murciélagos.

0:10:26.227,0:10:30.871
They're a model national team,[br]everyone in CENARD knows who they are,

0:10:30.895,0:10:33.478
and after having won[br]two World Championships

0:10:33.502,0:10:34.899
and two Paralympic medals,

0:10:34.923,0:10:37.382
no one doubts they are[br]high-performance athletes.

0:10:37.406,0:10:44.055
(Applause)

0:10:52.001,0:10:54.001
(Applause ends)

0:10:55.148,0:10:58.836
I was lucky to train[br]this team for 10 years,

0:10:58.860,0:11:02.052
first as a trainer[br]and later as their coach.

0:11:03.110,0:11:07.969
I feel that they've given me much more

0:11:07.993,0:11:09.412
than what I've given them.

0:11:10.209,0:11:16.236
Last year, they asked me to coach[br]another national team, Power Soccer.

0:11:17.394,0:11:21.228
It's a national team of young men[br]who play soccer in wheelchairs.

0:11:21.824,0:11:24.871
They use motorized wheelchairs[br]that they drive with a joystick,

0:11:24.895,0:11:27.453
because they don't have[br]enough strength in their arms

0:11:27.477,0:11:28.770
to use conventional chairs.

0:11:28.794,0:11:32.504
They added a bumper to the chair,[br]a safeguard that protects their feet,

0:11:32.528,0:11:34.647
while allowing them to kick the ball.

0:11:35.548,0:11:39.715
It's the first time that, instead[br]of being the spectators,

0:11:39.739,0:11:41.556
they're now the main characters.

0:11:41.580,0:11:46.790
It's the first time their parents,[br]friends and siblings can see them play.

0:11:47.760,0:11:50.103
For me, it's a new challenge,

0:11:50.127,0:11:53.371
with the same discomfort,[br]insecurity, and fear I had

0:11:53.395,0:11:55.371
when I started working with the blind.

0:11:55.860,0:11:58.577
But I approach it all[br]from a more experienced position.

0:11:58.601,0:12:03.803
That's why from day one,[br]I treat them as athletes on the field,

0:12:03.827,0:12:06.437
and off the field, I try[br]to put myself in their shoes

0:12:06.461,0:12:07.888
and behave without prejudice,

0:12:07.912,0:12:11.869
because treating them naturally[br]feels best to them.

0:12:13.326,0:12:17.714
Both teams play soccer;[br]something once unthinkable for them.

0:12:18.303,0:12:22.059
They had to adapt the rules to do so.

0:12:23.129,0:12:25.653
And both teams broke the same rule --

0:12:25.677,0:12:28.449
the one that said[br]they couldn't play soccer.

0:12:29.589,0:12:33.813
When you see them play,[br]you see competition, not disability.

0:12:34.568,0:12:37.722
The problem starts when the game is over,

0:12:37.746,0:12:39.221
and they leave the field.

0:12:39.245,0:12:41.741
Then they step in to play our game,

0:12:41.765,0:12:45.719
in a society whose rules[br]don't really take them into account

0:12:45.743,0:12:46.908
or care for them.

0:12:47.520,0:12:49.340
I learned from sports

0:12:49.364,0:12:52.996
that disability greatly depends on[br]the rules of the game.

0:12:53.512,0:12:57.576
I believe that if we change[br]some of the rules of our game,

0:12:57.600,0:12:59.882
we can make life a little easier for them.

0:13:01.209,0:13:06.089
We all know there are people[br]with disabilities; we see them daily.

0:13:06.644,0:13:09.605
But by having no direct contact with them,

0:13:09.629,0:13:13.179
we're not aware of the problems[br]they face every day,

0:13:13.203,0:13:15.310
like how hard it is for them[br]to get on a bus,

0:13:15.334,0:13:16.985
find a job,

0:13:17.009,0:13:18.162
take the subway

0:13:18.186,0:13:19.336
or cross the street.

0:13:20.367,0:13:23.538
It's true that there is an increasing[br]social responsibility

0:13:23.562,0:13:27.408
regarding the inclusion[br]of people with disabilities.

0:13:28.466,0:13:30.959
But I think it's still not enough.

0:13:30.983,0:13:34.022
I think change needs to come[br]from every one of us.

0:13:34.046,0:13:37.692
First, by leaving behind[br]our indifference toward the disabled,

0:13:37.716,0:13:41.067
and then by respecting the rules[br]that do take them into account.

0:13:41.091,0:13:42.848
They are few, but they do exist.

0:13:45.158,0:13:48.158
I cracked a blind man's head[br]open -- El Pulga's head.

0:13:48.669,0:13:52.523
I can assure you these two teams[br]opened mine as well.

0:13:52.547,0:13:53.984
They taught me that above all,

0:13:54.008,0:13:56.132
you have to get out there[br]and play every game

0:13:56.156,0:13:58.386
in this beautiful tournament[br]that we call life.

0:13:58.410,0:13:59.566
Thank you.

0:13:59.590,0:14:05.642
(Applause)