West Ham United defender Fabian Balbuena has admitted that heading to the Premier League in the summer was a dream come true for him as it is one of the top leagues in world football.
Balbuena joined the Hammers from Corinthians in Brazil on a three-year deal in July and has quickly established himself as a central figure at the heart of their defence under Manuel Pellegrini.
The 27-year-old caught the eye with impressive performances against both Chelsea and Manchester United at the London Stadium and is yet to miss a single league game for the Hammers.
The defender, who was called up to the Paraguay national team by Juan Carlos Osorio for their upcoming international fixtures, has also played every single minute of West Ham’s league campaign so far this season.
Balbuena admitted that it was indeed a dream come true for him to join the east London outfit as playing in England is considered a key test by young players growing up in South America.
“The dream of every player, at least in South America, is to play in the big leagues”, Balbuena told the club’s official website.
“The Premier League is one of the best, if not the best, it has the best players in the world.
“Every kid, when they start playing football in South America, can see the Premier League matches and dream about playing in one of those teams, so, obviously it was a motivation, a challenge.”
Balbuena is the first Paraguayan to have featured in the Premier League since Juan Iturbe during the 2015/16 season and is only one of seven players from his country to have kicked a ball in England’s top flight.
