Maximiliano Espinillo

Started: He began playing football at age eight in Cordoba, Argentina. (paradeportes.com, 24 Apr 2019) Reason: He used to practise athletics but he was later convinced by his brother Walter to take up Para football 5-a-side. "My father used to play football in Cordoba. My brother is also blind and when he started playing in a team, I went with him." (paralympic.org, 17 Mar 2020; paradeportes.com, 24 Apr 2019) Ambition: To win gold at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Paralympic Games YouTube channel, 18 Mar 2024) Awards: In 2023 he received the 'Condor de Plata' [Silver Condor] Award as Best Male Para Athlete of the Year in Cordoba province in Argentina. At the same awards ceremony he also received an acknowledgement for being part of the Argentinian national team that claimed gold at the 2023 IBSA World Games in Birmingham, England. (deporteadaptado.com.ar, 08 Dec 2023) He was named Player of the Tournament at the 2023 IBSA World Games in Birmingham, England. (unosantafe.com.ar, 26 Aug 2023) In 2023 he received an acknowledgement from the University of the Coast in Santa Fe, Argentina. (unl.edu.ar, 06 Sep 2023) In 2021 he received the 'Condor de Oro' [Golden Condor] Award as Best Athlete in Cordoba province in Argentina. He shared the award with hockey player Julieta Jankunas. (prensa.cba.gov.ar, 05 Dec 2023) He was Argentina's flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (unoentrerios.com.ar, 03 Sep 2021) Additional Info: EARLY DAYS He used to sell sweets to help support his family while growing up in Cordoba, Argentina. "My parents were sellers on the downtown streets. I started selling with them and then on the buses. We used to sell batteries, watches, a bit of everything. And I sold sweets, chocolates on the buses." (ole.com.ar, 30 Aug 2021)

Sporting Relatives: His brother-in-law Froilan Padilla has represented Argentina in Para football 5-a-side. He competed at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games, winning bronze in 2016 and silver in 2020. (SportsDeskOnline, 29 Nov 2023; Athlete, 01 Apr 2016)