Guillermo Fernández Romo, kilometers, continuous training and ambition to get from grassroots football to the elite.

To become a professional football coach. There are only seven words, but to make it a reality there are many hours of effort, sacrifice, emotions... and much more. When Guillermo Fernández Romo was studying at Blas de Otero Secondary School in Aluche, Madrid, it was clear to him that he wanted to be a coach, so at the age of 18, because he was unable to do it before, and half hidden from his parents while he was studying a degree in Geography and History, he signed up for the courses with the dream of one day coaching at the highest level. He wrote down his desire but at the same time he was realistic and very aware that it is only within the reach of the privileged, without sometimes depending exclusively on oneself, hence the difficulty increases.

Step by step and without ceasing to believe, with his suitcase always ready to go to one destination or another, he has achieved it by managing Racing Santander in the Second Division at the age of 44, 26 years after crossing for the first time the door of the Coaching School of the Royal Football Federation of Madrid. It was 20 days, but a "brutal" apprenticeship after a season in which they made history by becoming super champions of the First Federation.

"With a super Depor and many good teams. It is a success that brings us all closer to professional football and when we make that leap we have the experience of having lived in a category as competitive as the First RFEF. When a year like this happens, it's because there are many good things, I had a great team, I don't know any coach who wins with bad players, they are all good, they can be more recognized or younger, and that's always lucky", recalls Guillermo, winner of the 'Ramón Cobo Award' in its ninth edition held this year.

Looking back, his service record would take up several pages, but it is the road he has had to travel to reach the elite of the bench, a term that still makes his hair stand on end: Coach at Escuela Deportiva Moratalaz, assistant to Eduardo Caturla at CD Las Rozas, coach of Madrid U-16 with which he won the Spanish Championship, Youth of Rayo Majadahonda, Pontevedra CF, Youth of RC Celta with which he won the title and was runner-up in the Champions Cup, SD Noja where he was proclaimed champion of the Third Division, assistant of Óscar Cano in his stages in UD Melilla, Betis Deportivo in Second Division B and CD Alcoyano, Villalonga FC in Third Division, Olímpic de Xàtiva, CE Sabadell, FC Jumilla, SD Ejea, UE Cornellà and Racing Club de Santander, club he arrived in May 2021 and with which he was promoted to Second Division. He has also worked as technical secretary of Real Murcia CF, sporting director of FC Jumilla and coordinator of the lower divisions of Real Racing Club de Santander.

Many coaches see him as a mirror in which to look at themself, nobody gave him anything for free and he has had to travel many, many kilometers to get to coach in professional football. "I don't know if I am a mirror, but it is true that I come from the bottom, from coaching in grassroots football for many years in many categories and going through the Third Division, Second Division B and First Federation until I finally got promoted and made my debut in the Second Division," he says, before stressing that "the ambition of wanting to do things well is always good, but it is true that as coaches we cannot lose that continuous training that we have to have and regardless of the results, is what we really have to be valued for, that is the path that I have to continue to have".

After finishing his time with Real Racing Club and, as he has done since he began to dream as a coach, Guillermo awaits his next project while he continues to train to be a little better every day in a profession as complex and demanding as that of football coach.