Bolivian international center back Jairo Quinteros trained voluntarily for the first time at the Inter Miami CF Training Center today, arriving early ahead of the start of preseason set to kick off on Jan. 16. The 20-year-old, who was signed by the club in February 2020 from LaLiga side Valencia CF before making 50 total appearances with Club Bolívar in his native Bolivia on loan during the following two seasons, is set to join Inter Miami in his first preseason with the Club.
The young center back returns to his parent club to officially meet many of teammates and coaches for the first time. Quinteros shared what the experience was like on his first day in the state-of-the art training facility.
“First of all, I’m very happy. It’s the first point of contact with my teammates, just getting to know them a bit and adjusting as quickly as possible. But it feels good, this is the path to follow. I have a lot of hope and I’m very eager to get to work, to compete with all my teammates and put together a great season,” said Quinteros.
Despite his youth, the center back has accomplished much to this point in his career. Quinteros impressed with Valencia at the youth levels, starred for Bolívar in Bolivia’s Primera División and in the prestigious international tournament Copa Libertadores, and even featured for the senior Bolivian national team in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the CONMEBOL Copa América 2021. With all these accomplishments under his belt, he is now looking forward to achieving new milestones with Inter Miami.
“The first thing is to adapt as quickly as possible, that’s my first intention after having just arrived. But obviously I want to do big things with the club. I have the ambition, the desire to grow as a fútbol player, but above all I want to bring my best to Inter Miami. That’s why we’re here, that’s our job, and above all aspire to the maximum, which is to win titles and have ambition to take the club as high up the table as possible and fight for our objectives.
“I have a lot of desire to learn, desire to show that conviction and character on the pitch. MLS has grown a ton in recent years and little by little it’s becoming one of the best leagues in the world. We’re also in a club that’s a reference point in that respect. That’s what we want to show, we want to elevate the name that we have on our badge as high as possible.”
Over his last two seasons, Quinteros has learned what it means to be a player at the professional level. Now, the defender is hoping to continue to build upon his experiences with Bolívar.
“I’ve learned a lot. Being alongside people of a high level in fútbol is what gives you that ambition, that desire to grow, that character. With Bolívar, I think it helped my career a ton, giving me that jump that I needed at the professional level. This is the next step and hopefully everything I’ve been able to do over the last two years will be reflected here with my teammates, coaches and fans. They deserve happiness and positivity and that’s why we’re here.”
The center back also expressed his continued excitement to be an Inter Miami player despite his time away and shared how he supported the team from Bolivia.
“From the first day I signed my contract with Inter Miami I’ve followed it as closely as possible. There were times I couldn’t watch because of conflicting matches, but other than that I always followed the team’s progress in the table and watched matches however I could. I think the guys have worked really hard. There have been times the results weren’t what we wanted, but the team has competed, has played well, and that’s the ambition it transmits to others for this season.”
Now, Quinteros is gearing up for a new challenge at the Inter Miami CF Training Center, finding form ahead of the 2022 season and getting his first chance to impress in pink and black. The young Bolivian shared a message for fans, expressing his determination to make a long term impact in South Florida.
“First of all, just want to ask you guys to keep supporting us the way you have been from the very beginning. I know we have amazing supporters, fans that give everything for this club, that are always at the stadium, that always support us. I just want it to continue this way and we’ll reflect that support on the pitch, we’ll fight for these colors and this badge and what Inter Miami represents. So, sending a big hug to you all and we’ll see you soon.”
