Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s sports drama film ‘The Champion’ chronicles Alejandro “Álex” Castro’s efforts to help Diego, one of the hottest prospects in European soccer, deal with his dyslexia and mental health concerns. As a psychology professor, Álex dives into the psyche of the athlete to find out what has been bothering the latter. Slowly, he garners Diego’s trust, which not only opens a door for the “treatment” but also serves as the foundation for their relationship. Álex’s role within the Atlético de Madrid, a real soccer club, setup may make him appear as a character based on an actual person working in the field of sports psychology. However, the truth is far from it!
The Creation of Alejandro “Álex” Castro
Alejandro “Álex” Castro is a fictional psychology professor conceived for ‘The Champion’ without a real-life counterpart. Even though the narrative of the film is set within the world of soccer, the foundational themes explored through Álex and Diego are trust and understanding. Screenwriters Joan Gual and Joaquín Oristrell used the setting only to explain Diego’s mental health struggles, especially since the realm of the sport is highly provocative, even in real life. Therefore, we will not be able to find Álex among the support staff of Atlético de Madrid.
Ever since the announcement of the sports drama, Spanish media outlets have been comparing Álex and Oscar Ortega, who served as a fitness coach for Atlético de Madrid for more than a decade. Known as “El Profe,” Ortega is known for handling some of the most notorious soccer players in the club’s history, including Diego Costa and Luis Suárez. His way of dealing with athletes is deemed “extreme” and “unconventional,” which are words that can be used to describe Álex as well. However, the psychology professor is not at all based on Ortega. In an interview given to El Periódico, Dani Rovira, who plays Álex, clarified that he didn’t base the character on anyone in the world of soccer.
Even though Álex strives to ensure the well-being of Diego, just like how Ortega made sure that his players were healthy and fit, there are significant differences between the two of them. The professor is someone who cannot watch a soccer game sitting in the stands of Cívitas Metropolitano. On the other hand, the same stadium was Ortega’s home for more than a decade. While Álex is someone who generally hates the sport, the real-life coach has been working in the field for more than two decades.
Álex and the Growing Significance of Sports Psychology
Although Álex is not based on a real soccer figure, the film uses the character to explore the need for ensuring soccer players’ mental well-being. Irrespective of the advancements in the sport, clubs are still not completely open about recognizing the need for sports psychologists within their system. Over the years, several soccer players like Tottenham Hotspur Women’s Molly Bartrip, Burnley’s Marvin Sordell, and Arsenal’s Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema have advocated the need for a system to address mental health. Alex’s influence in Diego’s life can be paralleled with these players’ experiences with the professionals who helped them in reality.
Like how Álex is brought to Atlético de Madrid, several soccer clubs have appointed psychologists to help their players. In 2022, Erik ten Hag set out to revolutionize the support staff structure at Manchester United, one of the biggest soccer clubs in the world, by hiring “mind coaches” to offer counseling sessions twice a week. “Helping people is something which makes me very happy. I do that by listening, watching, and feeling what is going on with the other person — and making them aware of unconscious behaviors,” Rainier Koers, one of the hires, stated after his appointment, as per The Sun.
Koers’ words echo the principles of Álex and several other psychologists as well. The co-protagonist connects with the reality of today’s soccer through these similarities despite being a fictional character.
Read More: The Champion: Is the Netflix Movie Inspired By True Events?
