The national coach, Amarini Villatoro, is the coach in vogue in Guatemalan soccer. However, very few know the struggle and work behind the success of the first two-time departmental champion in the history of Guatemalan soccer.

He was born in Cobán, Guatemala and spent most of his childhood in Raxruhá and Sayaxché. Since he was a child he had an affluent life and was able to visit great places and study a lot. He dreamed of becoming a doctor, but ended up studying law. Although he makes a living as a soccer coach, he realized that his true passion is on the soccer fields.

To talk about soccer with Amarini you have to have time and be very attentive. He has many stories and above all a life testimony that allows him to speak with total solvency about the king of sports in his country. He knows the ins and outs of national soccer, since he started coaching children as a hobby at a very young age, without knowing that this would change his life.

How did Amarini Villatoro become a coach?

“A priest in Cobán asked me to help him train children in a red light district. I had time, I only studied at night at the University and had most of the day off. With that church team we soon won the U12 tournament and that awakened my enthusiasm,” he said.

Soon it was time to manage the basic forces of Cobán Imperial, when the Costa Rican Spaniard Juan Luis Hernández Fuertes, who is not remembered with much affection in the land of Carlos V because he relegated the team, took the reins.

“It was my first real experience, unfortunately it only lasted a couple of tournaments because in the First Division the special teams only played one tournament. But Juan Luis gave me the opportunity to prepare myself in Costa Rica and above all to mature as a coach,” he recalled.

He returned to Guatemala to coach “Los Potros”

When he returned to Cobán, he was offered the chance to coach Los Potros de el Tecnológico, a school that began its career in the Third Division, where it achieved promotion to the Second Division with only school kids, and then sought promotion to the First Division, but lost to Teculután. From there he went to Sayaxché.

With La Furia Verde he achieved promotion to the First Division and even reached the final for promotion to the National League and lost to Gabriel “El Chato” Castillo’s Coatepeque at the Israel Barrios stadium.

His first step in Guastatoya

In Jocotán he became close friends with Ariel Sena, who took him as assistant to Deportivo Guastatoya in 2015 and achieved a runner-up finish.

“We are only one tournament with Professor Sena and there was a change of directive, but out of respect and ethics, Ariel left and I’m leaving. The current directors had already spoken to me, but I told them no. I went to Jocotán and went to Jocotán. I went to Jocotán and once again I reached the final and promotion, but I lost in extra time against Carchá. There were already five finals and I had that little thorn of not being champion. That hurt me a lot,” he explained.

Two finals and a title with Guasta

Then came the first final against Municipal, where Guastatoya showed perhaps its best version, being a very offensive team.

According to businessmen like Juan Luis Bosch Gutiérrez, Amarini Villatoro’s career is fascinating and for him, as a great soccer fan, it is gratifying to find coaches with passion for their work.