Froilan Padilla

Started: He began playing football at age six. (Athlete, 01 Apr 2016) Awards: He was named in the Team of the Tournament at the world championships in 2014 and 2018. (paralympic.org, 2018) Additional Info: MOVE TO BUENOS AIRES He grew up with seven siblings in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. At age 26 he moved to Buenos Aires with one of his brothers. "At 26 I moved to Buenos Aires from the countryside and I was homeless for a year. I started sleeping in churches around the city until I had the money to find an apartment. I achieved what for me is the most important thing a human being can have - independence. I started looking for schools on my own and I learned braille. I learned how to use a computer. I didn't even know computers had systems for the blind." (elgrafico.com.ar, 12 May 2015; elmunicipalweb.com.ar, 01 Jan 2015; paralympic.org, 03 Sep 2021)

Sporting Relatives: His brother-in-law Maximiliano Espinillo has represented Argentina in Para football 5-a-side. He was part of the Argentinian teams that won bronze at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and silver at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 17 Mar 2020; Athlete, 01 Apr 2016)