Venezuelan futsal is moving forward with every tournament. Following Centauros’ third-place finish at the last Copa Libertadores, the national team enjoyed their best-ever Copa America, beating hosts Paraguay to finish third. With that unforgettable achievement came a place at the next FIFA Futsal World Cup™.

Key to Venezuela’s charge to the continental podium was Jean Trujillo, who struck four goals to end the tournament as joint-leading scorer and help fire La Vinotinto to a second global finals. Fresh from that success, Trujillo spoke to FIFA and revealed his hunger for yet more glory.

Can you give us your thoughts on the Copa America?
Jean Trujillo: It was incredible. Like any team wanting to qualify for a World Cup, we had to fight for it all the way, but we got there in the end, thank God. The first goal was to reach the World Cup. Then it was a question of beating Paraguay and taking third place, which was another great achievement for the national team. We made history for the team and the country as a whole. We came third at the Copa America, having finished fourth in the last qualifiers. It was historic for our country and a beautiful thing for our families, fans and everyone who supports us.

What did it mean to you to be the tournament’s joint-leading scorer?
Thanks to God I finished among the top four goalscorers, with four goals. It was really great to do that and make my family happy. And they were important goals for Venezuela too. It will be our second World Cup and, God willing, I’ll be there.

How is futsal doing in Venezuela?
It’s wonderful to see the sport growing in Venezuela. You can see how Venezuelan players are improving and there’s a lot of them in Europe now, which is a sign of how the sport’s continuing to grow in the country. The Venezuelan futsal scene is thriving right now, with all the fans and the crowds. It’s a real spectacle. We have two short league tournaments, the Apertura and the Clausura, which run for around two months each, and we have around six months of competitive futsal a year. It’s intense, very technical, and it’s grown a lot. It’s great entertainment for the fans and most of the arenas are filled to capacity. They’re always full.

What’s the reason behind Venezuela’s growth?
It’s all down to hard work. That’s why we’re developing. Then there’s Centauros, who provide the core of the national team. Most of the players at the Copa America play for Centauros – ۱۰ of them in fact. They’re a well-drilled side and that all helps with the development of the national team. It’s important to have that solid foundation.

What is it that sets the national team apart?
Our togetherness. We really stuck together [at the Copa America], we were there for each other, all shouting, and we were all in it together. We said to ourselves that we could do it, that we had to qualify, that we just had to win. We had this amazing unity and connection. We knew that, with third place at stake, Paraguay had home advantage and we were really focused on our team talk: ‘Let’s stick together and win this’. We’ve reached the World Cup, but we have to show that we can have a good tournament when we get there. We always believed in ourselves. We want to go and have a better World Cup than last time, when we went out in the last 16.

What’s the strongest part of your game?
My ability to score goals. I’m left-footed but I can shoot with both feet . I’m pretty deadly in one-versus-one situations. Everything’s led up to this, all the work on improving my game. When the holidays come around I practice one-versus-ones and shooting. It’s made me who I am. I’ve got to work on the defensive side of my game a little though. I need to do that. It’s a struggle for me.

Which teams are the favourites and who are the best players in the world?
To my mind, the favourites are Brazil and Portugal. I’d also mention Kazakhstan. All three are lethal and they’re my World Cup contenders. My three favourite players right now are Ricardinho, Ferrao and Pito.