Romell Quioto “feels good” in Montreal. And this, “despite the temperature which can sometimes be difficult”. We will not contradict him on this.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
The virtual interview The Press with the Honduran striker of CF Montreal takes place the day before the team’s return match in the Champions League, postponed for a day due to weather conditions threatening the integrity of the roof of the Olympic Stadium.
” Fortunately, [la météo] doesn’t touch us for a very long time,” he told us through an interpreter who translated his words from Spanish to French. “It’s going very well, I love the city and I’m very comfortable in all respects. »
Romell Quioto begins his third year in Montreal in 2022. He has been the top scorer in the meantime, with eight goals and six assists in each of his seasons.
And he has already unlocked his counter, with a goal and an assist on Wednesday, in a 3-0 victory over Santos Laguna.
Fan Rosales Selvin-Noel, a Honduran living in Montreal since 2004, witnessed his performance on Wednesday. He even gave Quioto his flag of Honduras at the end of the match. The striker reposted his story on Instagram, and wrote him a note in a private message.
“He promised me his original jersey for the next match,” he told us on the phone, the day after CF Montreal’s victory.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ROSALES SELVIN-NOEL
Rosales Selvin-Noel in the center, displaying the flag of Honduras. His son is on the left. On the right, his friend and his boy.
“Knowing that a Honduran who plays for my country is here, it touches me. It’s a big feeling because in addition, I like how he plays, I like his way of being. In Spanish we say orgullo. It’s good for pride. When I’m in the stadium and people shout his name, it makes me proud. »
“A Happy Childhood”
Romell Quioto is a big star in Honduras. We call him “el Romántico” because “he’s romantic with the girls, they run after him”, explains Rosales.
“Thank God, I was able to become what could be described as an important player for my country,” said Quioto. I was lucky to have a great trajectory, a great career. It is important for me to have the recognition of people in my country. »
Romell Quioto was born in Rio Esteban, a small coastal town in the province of Colón, Honduras. Type the name of this town into a search engine and you won’t even find a Wikipedia page. On the other hand, of the two photos available on Google Maps, one illustrates a beach, the other a soccer field.
“I had a happy childhood, I was a joyful, friendly child, says Quioto. I was going to school and concentrating on football. It has always been my passion. »
“What I dreamed of when I was a child was to be able to be professional. Thank God I was able to realize this dream. »
In 2010, at the age of 18, the young Romell made his professional debut with CD Vida, a club established in the city of La Ceiba. It’s just under a two-hour drive west of Rio Esteban.
“That’s where I was really able to have my first minutes and show what I was capable of. »
Given the proximity, was it the team of your childhood?
“I wasn’t really a fan of any particular club when I was a kid,” he concedes. I was mainly concentrating on the game. I had the opportunity to go for a test drive with them and that’s how things turned out afterwards. »
There was an unsuccessful loan spell in Poland at Wisła Krakow in 2012-13 and then a more convincing return to Honduras.
He got along with the CD Olimpia in November 2013, and that’s where his career took off. He scored 38 goals in 96 games, and won several national titles.
In 2016, he was sold to Dynamo in Houston, MLS. He’s had his ups and downs in Texas. His offensive flair is present (15 goals in 75 games), but his stay in the southern United States ends in a fishtail. On August 8, 2019, he was expelled from a game against New York City FC after an altercation with an opposing defender. His trainer Wilmer Cabrera publicly dissociates himself from his gesture and Quioto must apologize on social networks. After a suspension of two games and two months without playing, he announces that he will not play again in Houston.
That’s where the Impact, at the time, came in. In November 2019, defender Victor Cabrera and $100,000 in general allocation money were traded to acquire the Honduran international.
And he made his mark quickly: he found the ropes in his first game in Montreal, a 2-2 draw against Deportivo Saprissa in the Champions League on February 19, 2020. Just before the fateful March of this year- the.
“At the start of the pandemic, I lived all this experience alone here,” he says. Of course it was difficult. Fortunately, I was able to keep a certain mental strength through all this ordeal. The club supported me a lot in this and I am very grateful to them. »
“We arranged for me to train at home, they sent me equipment. It helped get through it all. Obviously, there were all the episodes of exile which were not easy. But the club has always made sure that I was put in the best conditions to get through a complicated situation. »
“He needs to be healthy”
The fact remains that for Quioto, the challenge will be to stay healthy this year. His absence at the end of the 2021 season, coupled with that of forward Mason Toye, has greatly undermined the club’s chances of qualifying for the playoffs. And CF Montreal does not currently have a clear cut successor to this position.
“We know his qualities, Wilfried Nancy told us after Wednesday’s meeting. He needs to be healthy to repeat that kind of performance. We had a good discussion at the beginning of the year to try to get him to improve on staying longer on the pitch. So to play more games while being less injured. »
Beyond all that, Romell Quioto seems to live peacefully in the Quebec metropolis, where he enjoys “shopping, reading and listening to music” in his spare time, in addition to taking the time to talk to his family. in Honduras.
He is seen on club publications dancing in training. Or laugh at his teammate Djordje Mihailovic, who tries a few steps of his own.
“I like dancing a lot, I like music a lot,” he said, with a smile in his voice. Since my arrival at the club, I try to transmit this good energy to the group, to always bring joy, positivism. It’s very important to be able to evolve in a positive atmosphere like that. »