Spanish left wing-back Hugo Bueno discusses the ups and downs of his early days as a young footballer when he was trying to make his way into the game.
Who was your role model when you were growing up?
Outside of football, my role model was Rafael Nadal because of his mentality and I think he’s just brilliant. For me, he is one of the best athletes of all time, without any doubt. I just enjoy every time in a match when it looks like he’s losing, but then somehow he comes back. In football terms, when I was young I really liked Mesut Ozil when he was at Real Madrid, and I think he was brilliant, but my role model is Nadal.
Did you have a mentor who helped guide you?
With regards to a family member, it was my dad. He’s been a huge part of my career and he is still there for me now. Every time I finish a game or something happens, he is the first guy I call. That’s just how it is. He always tries to calm me down and relax me. My dad is the one that trained me when I was younger, so it has to be him. Coach-wise, I would like to mention James [Collins] and Steve [Davis]. They both really helped me when I was coming through the academy and they gave me the confidence that I needed to be here today.
What setbacks did you have to overcome?
When I was younger, I did loads of trials. I went to trial at Celta de Vigo and loads of other professional teams and they all would say, ‘No, no, no.’ At the beginning, it was a bit frustrating because the years were coming up on me fast and I wasn’t in a good team until I was 16 and came to Wolves. I was thinking that maybe that was too old, but I always believed that I was going to make it somehow. Another setback was when I was here and that hamstring injury I had a few seasons ago at Coventry City in pre-season. I was out for four and a half months and it was a really gutting, annoying time for me, but I always thought that it helped me come back stronger.
What was your biggest success as a young player?
After being signed by Wolves at 16, the biggest moment in my career was last season. The Palace game. That was the biggest day since I’ve been playing football. I have a tattoo on me to remember that day. It has to be making my senior debut and getting an assist as well made it a great moment.
Do you have any moments you still remember from that time?
I have two memories of football from when I was very young, one was from my cousin’s house and I was just fighting with my brother the whole time. We were playing football in the garden, but we ended up fighting the whole time because we are really competitive. I think that is where I got my competitiveness from. But also, back home, I lived next to a football pitch and me, my brother and our friends would be out there playing all of the time. They are two of my best football memories from when I was younger.
What have you learned most between then and now?
The main thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t matter how good other people are. Hard work beats talent. That’s the thing I always believe. I wasn’t the best football player when I was young, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t brilliant, and I had friends who were better than me. But I always worked, worked, worked and the results came which allowed me to be where I am right now. Since I was young, I’ve believed that it doesn’t matter who you have in front of you. If your prepared to work harder than him, you will be better, for sure.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2023/24 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
