Andres ‘Andy’ Borregales not only wears the number 36 on his uniform but above all the hopes of Venezuela, which for the first time will see one of its own kicking for glory on the biggest stage of American soccer.
On Sunday, February 8, when the New England Patriots step on the turf of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the land of arepas and baseball will stop for an unusual reason, Super Bowl LX, to watch what Borregales, the first Venezuelan to play in the NFL’s most celebrated game, does.
From Caracas to the NFL elite
Andy Borregales was born in Caracas on January 2, 2003 and his rise in American soccer has little or nothing to do with chance.
Selected in the sixth round of the 2025 Draft (182nd overall), he came to the Patriots with the distinction of being the Miami Hurricanes’ all-time leading scorer with 405 points.
In this, his first season as a professional, he has already proved that the nickname ‘Mr. Automatic’ is an understatement:
He finished the regular phase with 27 field goals made in 32 attempts.
The hero who emerged from the snow
Andy Borregales became a legend last January 25 in the American Conference Finals (AFC), which was played under a snowstorm in Denver.
On that day, the Patriots beat the Broncos 10-7 in a game in which the Venezuelan rookie connected on the 23-yard field goal that sent the Patriots to play in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2019.
This milestone confirmed the kind of player he is and why the Patriots did not hesitate to sign him.
In his rookie season, he broke the distance record at Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium.
This was when he kicked a 59-yard field goal in the game against the Miami Dolphins, proving that his right leg has plenty of power even in the cold climates of the northeastern United States.
Another event, which marks his character as well as his talent, occurred in 2021 in his freshman season in college.
In a game against Virginia he missed a 33-yard field goal that would have given his team the win.
The ball hit the post and went straight back into his hands.
Instead of getting depressed, Andy Borregales used that fact as motivation to become a reliable kicker.
A family yearning
His rise in football is no coincidence at all
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The Borregales family moved to the United States when Andy was just one year old.
He grew up in Miami, the language of his upbringing was Spanish and arepas remained a tradition.
As a child, he was attracted to American soccer, something that later became a life choice.
This was mainly due to two people:
One and the most important is his older brother, Jose, who was a standout player at the University of Miami and signed in 2021 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“He is my inspiration and my mentor, his path was bumpier than mine but he paved it for me,” he said.
The other is Adam Vinatieri, his idol and to whom he owes being a kicker instead of a quarterback or receiver, after watching him succeed with the Patriots.
It is precisely the team that Andy Borregales defends today and with which he hopes to emulate to become the first Venezuelan Super Bowl champion.
With information from EFE
For more information, visit QuéOnnda.com
