Rafael Gonzalez recently won the VYPE Houston Boys Soccer Player of the Year Fan Poll! VYPE caught up with Gonzalez for the 411 on the star from Tompkins High School.
VYPE: How long have you been playing soccer and how did you get your start?
Gonzalez: I started playing soccer when I was around five, but I had only played to get quicker because I played baseball primarily and I was only trying to get faster. But after a while, I started enjoying it, and then I started playing on an actual team at eight.
VYPE: Who's your favorite soccer team and why?
Gonzalez: My favorite team is Real Madrid. I was a huge Ronaldo fan and I used to be a Barcelona fan, but my uncle in Venezuela was a Madrid fan, and so I started watching them and I fell in love with the team, and I've been a fan ever since.
VYPE: Go-to pregame meal? Routine?
Gonzalez: Usually before games, I eat pasta, any type of pasta really. Sometimes I have a chicken alfredo or a pesto pasta.
VYPE: Off the field, what is your favorite thing to do?
Gonzalez: Off the field, I love to hang out with friends and family. I play video games sometimes, but I prefer to be out. I love to eat. I love food and traveling. But I'm really up to everything and anything.
VYPE: In all of your years of soccer, what is the one memory you'll never forget?
Gonzalez: Obviously I'll never forget this season, but one memory I will never forget was going to play in a tournament in Sweden called Gothia Cup. I stayed at a school in Sweden with teams from different countries and we all watched the 2014 World Cup together and it was an amazing experience.