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Ex-Celtic star Efrain Juarez on managing Alfredo Morelos, Old Firm taunts and bonding with Ronny Deila over the Hoops
Juarez also reveals his favourite memories from life in Glasgow
THEY both played on opposite sides of the Glasgow divide.
Yet for Efrain Juarez and Alfredo Morelos, Glasgow is the city that connects them.
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They are a long way from the West End neighbourhoods they lived in during their careers at Celtic and Rangers.
But for the manager and striker of Atletico Nacional in Medellin, Colombia, the Old Firm fixture is never far from their minds.
Mexican Juarez, 36, only had one season in Scotland, after being signed by Neil Lennon in a £2million deal in 2010.
But the club remains close to his heart — just as hitman Morelos still defends Gers with everything he’s got.
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Juarez told SunSport: “We talked before the derby earlier this season.
“I was saying, ‘We’re going to kill you’, and he was saying, ‘No chance, you guys have been lucky’, and how it was because of the referees that Celtic always win.
“I like joking and always push it. I mentioned how we were in the Champions League and they were in the Europa League.
“I told him, ‘Yeah, you always play on Thursday, and we play Tuesdays and Wednesdays because the big clubs play Tuesdays and Wednesdays!’.
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“Alfredo got crazy because he has a big part of his heart for Rangers. But in that situation, we talk about how big that game has been.”
Morelos scored 78 goals in 178 appearances for Gers during six torrid seasons, before leaving on a free to join Santos in Brazil.
Ex-Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos crashes into a biker in Colombia while under the influence
He is now back home in Colombia on loan, with Juarez getting the best out of the striker.
The Nacional coach added: “One of the things I asked him was, ‘How was your life in Glasgow?’.
"Alfredo knew I played for Celtic and he said it was really good.
"Although, he told me about a situation he had with his car when he lived in Glasgow.
“He was driving a big car and he told me he needed to sell it because it was too big with a shiny colour.
“I said, ‘My friend, why did you decide to drive a big shiny coloured car in Glasgow?’.
“It’s not like there are thousands of other similar cars. Everyone knew it was his.
“But of course, because you are Morelos, you always want to get attention. But in the end he had to sell it.”
Juarez is doing an outstanding job at Nacional after taking his first steps into management having worked at three different clubs — New York FC, Club Brugge and Standard Liege — as Ronny Deila’s No 2.
Dealing with a volatile player like Morelos could be a real challenge.
But he said: “As soon as I came here, I sat with Alfredo and I could see in his eyes he is a really good person with a good heart.
“Physically, he’s a tough guy. But when you eventually see his smile and he really talks to you, then you see an unbelievable person.
“At the beginning we made a deal. I said he would get everything from me and all I expected in return was everything from him.
“Now he is one of my leaders and we have an unbelievable relationship. On the pitch, he’s the same Alfredo that was in his prime at Rangers.
“He’s pushing himself, pressing high, keeping the ball, scoring goals, fighting for the team. I trust him 100 per cent.”
But Morelos is never far away the headlines, and only recently he was involved in a horrific car crash which saw a motorcyclist badly hurt.
There is still an ongoing police investigation amid allegations the star was over the drink-driving limit.
Juarez added: “It happened on the one-way street from the training facility. I was in the training ground on that day, and the first person he called was me.
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“I was preparing for a meeting and I couldn’t take the phone call.
“But he was in his lane and the motorcycle tried to go away from another car and they crashed.
“Thank God the guy on the bike is still alive because otherwise it would be a real catastrophe for the guy, and also for Alfredo.”
Juarez has empathy for a player like Morelos, given the mistakes he owns up to from earlier in his career.
Even now, he regrets how he didn’t make the most of his time at Celtic. Well, on the pitch anyway.
He said: “I had the opportunity to go to Celtic and in the beginning it was unbelievable.
“But then I started to lose. That’s when I need to be honest.
“I would go out in Glasgow, and it’s a thing I need to accept because I started to think about other things.
“When you are young, you don’t reflect on these things. You say, ‘Oh no, the manager doesn’t want me’.
“You say, ‘Oh no, they are against me’. You start to think stupid things.
“But you don’t need to blame the world. It was down to me so that experience changed my life in a good way.
“That year at Celtic, it helped me for the rest of my life.”
But it seems Juarez spent a little too much time enjoying the Glasgow nightlife.
He added: “I was in church all the time! No, we had a young squad in that time and the majority of us were single. We enjoyed nights out.
“I remember there was a nightclub called Karbon, and there was also the Corinthian club that had a casino. I had a good time.
“But Glasgow made me grow a lot. It’s a city that has a charm. It’s a city that has a life.
“It is also the city where I met my wife, so I have a family because I have been there.”
And could he one day return to Scotland to manage a club in Glasgow?
Juarez said: “I’m not going to say the club, for respect to the people already there.
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“But for me, it will be a dream — and I am a dreamer!”
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