El veintiuno de enero/January 21st

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¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Marco Asensio! (1996-         )

Photo from skysports.com. Click HERE
A Spanish soccer player (and therefore not Latino, which is a term used in the United States to group together many different people from Spanish-speaking countries of South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, but just too important to not highlight here!), Asensio is currently signed with Real Madrid through 2023. Born on the Balearic Islands of Spain (in Palma, Majorca) to a Dutch mother and a Spanish father, Asensio was named after legendary soccer player Marco Van Basten. When he was still only eight years old, his mother was saying that he would someday play for Real Madrid. She passed away (cancer) in the summer of 2011, when Asensio was only fifteen, and he now dedicates every goal he scores to her.  He, his brother Igor (also a professional soccer player), and his father are close, and they were all clearly moved when Asensio signed with Real and spoke about how he knows his mother is still with him, supporting him from above (click HERE to see the speech). Some have called Asensio the next Ronaldo or Messi (click HERE), and Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal is a fan (the admiration is mutual).

Click HERE for a video in Spanish on nine interesting facts about Asensio (includes great soccer footage from his entire career) and HERE for the "Draw My Life" biography.

For resources for teaching Spanish, Level 1 through AP, CLICK HERE.

Other January 21st birthdays:

Cristobál Balenciaga (1895-1972): Spanish. Legendary fashion designer and founder of Balenciaga.

Plácido Domingo (1941-       ): Spanish. "The King of Opera," he is a tenor, conductor, and arts administrator.


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