One To Watch
"All of OM's matches are broadcast at home" Meet Marseille and Panama star Amir Murillo
Amir Murillo has helped cultivate an appetite for Ligue 1 McDonald's in his native Panama. In a recent interview with French sports daily l'Équipe, he spoke about his own rising fame and life in Marseille.
He's no longer quite sure of the date, "probably early 2013," but he remembers everything else, "the 130 kids" who came for a shot at greatness, and the "many curious onlookers" gathered in the stands of the Agustin Sanchez stadium to watch a scouting session organized by San Francisco FC and, above all, this "tall, fast and powerful player." The identity of the rare gem: Amir Murillo, 17, a defensive midfielder. "A quiet, taciturn kid" and a fan of Ronaldinho, he arrived from Colon, a port city on the Caribbean coast located at the entrance to the coveted Panama Canal, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Recently appointed head of scouting at the club based in La Chorrera, in the center of the small Central American country (4.4 million inhabitants), Pacifico Giron did not let the opportunity pass him by.
"We absolutely had to recruit him," he says. Even if it meant reserving a spot in the squad even though he was still due for a trial at Deportivo Saprissa, Costa Rica's biggest team, known in particular for having shaped former Parisian goalkeeper Keylor Navas. "We were lucky he wasn't signed there," Giron smiles. Later, the talent scout would train Murillo in the reserve team and use him as a right-back, "convinced that he would become the national team's future starter" in that position due to "his athletic and technical qualities."
It was a good call. Now 29, the player has 81 caps for "Los Canaleros," who qualified for their first World Cup in 2018, reached the quarter-finals of the last Copa América, and are currently ranked 33rd in the FIFA rankings. But his former coach admits, he "never imagined he'd end up at a club fighting for Champions League qualification." Especially since the player was playing catch-up. "The first time I went through the screening, there were so many young players that I couldn't play," Murillo recalls today. "Professor Pacifico interviewed me and organized a friendly match for me afterward. I signed my contract after his match. He helped me a lot, taught me a lot with his advice. I played center back, defensive midfielder for two seasons, then right back, my favorite position."
He has traveled the pitch in his career as well, and arrived at the New York Red Bulls with Europe in mind: "By signing for a Red Bull club, I knew the links with Salzburg and Leipzig. I knew that if I was good in New York, I could have a chance there. Finally, I had the opportunity at Anderlecht in 2020." He stayed three years in Belgium, before moving up a level by joining OM - where he just extended his contract until 2028 - a year and a half ago.
"It was a nice surprise," says David Samudio Garay, head of the sports department at Panamian outlet RPC. It must be said that Panama hadn't seen such a transfer since the signing of striker Julio César Dely Valdés to PSG in 1995. No other representative of the country plays in one of the five major European leagues. "The national sport has always been baseball," notes the journalist, while highlighting "the growing popularity of football since the World Cup in Russia." "The most important tournament of my career, every footballer's dream, an absolute privilege to be part of the first Panamanian team to play it," enthuses Murillo, less enthusiastic about baseball. "All my family members were baseball players; I even have a cousin who played for the St. Louis Cardinals (a flagship MLB team). But I don't like it."
With him, Panamanians can also watch something else. "All Marseille matches are broadcast here. The slightest news about Amir, like his recent hamstring injury, is widely discussed," explains David Samudio Garay. "He has become an icon of the country, like other great athletes before him, including boxer Roberto Duran, baseball players Rod Carew and Mariano Rivera, 2008 Olympic long jump champion Irving Saladino, and Julio César Dely Valdés."
Considered the greatest footballer in Panamanian history, Murillo debuted with the national team in 2019. "His potential was enormous, but he had to iron out some defensive shortcomings," recalls the 1996 Cup Winners' Cup winner with PSG. "He's improved a lot. And today, he's a very complete, explosive full-back, also capable of playing as a striker. He's our benchmark player because of his performances and his humility."
The Marseille defender's sunny personality is what first strikes those who have crossed his path, like Frenchmen Aurélien Collin and Florian Valot, who also played for the New York Red Bulls. "He's a great guy," they repeat without consulting each other, mentioning his "big character" on the pitch. "His mentality is his main strength," says Gary Stempel, his first professional coach at San Francisco FC in 2015. "He's very respectful, disciplined, and always a good listener. So it's easy to like him. He'll never change, even if he signs for Real Madrid, because he's down to earth. He grew up in a neighborhood on the outskirts of Colon, a very tough city. People also admire him for his life story." »
The devoutly religious Murillo, a father of two, has forgotten nothing of this difficult childhood, which he has turned into an asset. "Yes, my main strength is my mentality, 100%," he confirms. "When I was little, I didn't know you could make money from football. But when I signed my professional contract, I realized it was possible, that I could help my family. My mentality changed, and I took it all more seriously."
Thanks to football, he no longer had to work odd jobs to support his mother, who alone took care of him, his older brother, and his four sisters, all living in the same room. "He fights above all for her and his whole family; that's his driving force," confides Fidel Escobar, his former teammate in New York, who also became a pillar of the national team. "He always wanted to go higher. And today, thank God, he is rewarded for his sacrifices -- to the great joy of an entire country."
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