212 games played in the NFL. 14 seasons; ten with the Chicago Bears and four with the Atlanta Falcons. Super Bowl finalist in 2007. One of only thirty Hispanic players in the history of the NFL and a sports icon both in Latin America and, especially, in the U.S. Latino community. Few players, especially Mexicans, have managed to play at the highest level, but Roberto Garza (03/26/1979) is one of them.
And despite hanging up his cleats ten years ago, Garza remains closely tied to the league and the sport that saw him become one of the best offensive linemen of his generation. In recent weeks he has been touring Spain, visiting Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia - to name a few - ahead of the highly anticipated Super Bowl final, which will take place on Sunday
"I expect a spectacular game," he explains to MARCA during his 'Mini Monsters Clinics' in Madrid-an initiative he leads with the goal of promoting and growing the NLF outside the United States, and Garza is the international director of its sports campuses. "The 49ers have the best ground attack with Christian Mccaffrey, Trent Williams...and on the offensive line there's George Kittle and Brock Purdy. But playing against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and considering Andy Reid's offensive scheme is going to be very explosive...it's just really hard to know which one of us is going to come out on top," he explained.
Heading into Super Bowl LVII, there has been a lot of talk about Patrick Mahomes (quarterback) and Travis Kelce (tight end)-the NFL's 'it' duo over the past few seasons. The two were key to the Chiefs winning last year's edition and, along with coach Reid, have made the Chiefs one of the best NFL franchises in recent memory.
"I think they've sured Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, or at least are tied or going to go down as the most historic duel in the playoffs," he explains. They have a special chemistry between the two and know each other very well. The reasons they've gotten to this point is because they're still that type of team that scores points week in and week out," says Garza, reflecting on the impact of the two stars.
Should they win on Sunday in the U.S. - the Kansas team would be marking its second consecutive Super Bowl triumph, having won the previous edition. In doing so, they would also become the eighth team in NFL history to win it in a row.
The Chiefs have won three Super Bowls overall, two of them in the last four seasons, and could become the seventh team in history to win four with a victory on Sunday. That would put them within two titles of the Patriots, who are widely considered the greatest franchise of all time. "The best franchise is the Patriots, of course, what Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have done is still the benchmark," Garza acknowledges. "Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are on their way to becoming a dynasty but of course, you have to win five or six to be one of the best, because that's what the Patriots have done," he continues.
Near Super Bowl champion: "A wave of adrenaline."
Garza knows exactly what it's like to play in a Super Bowl and understands both the pressure and the excitement that players like Mahomes and Kelce will be feeling these days. "It's like a dream, it's something you think you're never going to do. And when you're there, before you walk into the stadium, that's when you feel all that excitement, that adrenaline. When you walk into the stadium and all the lights come on and you go 'wow,' here I am, at the Super Bowl," explains the former Chicago Bears player.
"The week before, it changes your routine because the normal thing is you have 'media day' and then you have all these events. You have to adjust your routine a little bit and that's the hardest thing, because you get distracted from what you've been doing for 20 weeks straight, which is studying, training until such hours. You have to adjust your routine and preparation a little bit."
There is no doubt that the margins will be razor-thin in Monday's clash. And even though there is little difference between the two teams, it seems that for the former NFL star there is a narrow favorite: "If I had to pick one, I'd say the 49ers will win the Super Bowl," concludes Garza.