Nicolás Otamendi: the former boxer who became an Argentina star

Nobody believed in the Manchester City defender but, after a dalliance in the ring, he battled his way to the very top

This article is part of the Guardian’s 2018 World Cup Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 32 countries who have qualified for Russia. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 14 June.

Even now, Nicolás Otamendi can remember the seemingly endless journey he made every day as a child. His seven-year-old self would gratefully accept the food his mother, Silvia, packed for him and then off he would go. First the number 721 bus, getting off at the crossroads of Panamericana and route 197; then hopping on to the number 15 to Boulogne bridge; next, cramming on to the 57 as far as Camino del Buen Ayre and Martín Fierro.

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