Frank, direct and disruptive. Jorge Vergara Madrigal (RIP) was never shy about telling things straight. Time ago, he shared why he created Omnilife: "it was born out of necessity; I was fat, broke and sick".
That same nonchalance with which he always spoke and, above all, with which he faced life, was also part of his essence in the soccer scene with his beloved Chivas.
Today, on the 68th anniversary of his birth, we fondly remember our hierarch, who was an example of perseverance, conviction, vision and innovation in achieving multiple accomplishments in various areas of the country's industry.
"I joined the Chivas project not only because of soccer matters and not only because an Americanista chilango wanted to buy the team, which seemed horrible just thinking about it, but I won the game and I got Chivas with a very big dream: to have 11 Chicharitos (Hernández) on the field to communicate to young people that it’s possible to be successful in Mexico. The thing is to be more capable as Mexican talent, as Mexican players and to succeed as Mexicans," he explained during a TED Talks session in which he participated in 2016.
"Why did I start what I did at Chivas? Why did I become the leader of Chivas with so much controversy early on? Because I needed to give Chivas back its identity of being Mexican, of passion, to show that we are staunch sporting enemies of América, out there (in the audience present) there will be some Americanistas and I just remind them that there are mistakes in life that can be corrected and they are very much in time," he maintained during the same talk.
His emergence in Liga MX in 2002 as owner of the most popular and beloved team in Mexico of course resonated very strongly at all levels and even owners and directors of other clubs always recognized his vision and inventiveness to spice up the show and promote rivalry within the national league.
"Jorge was one of those guys you learn from because he knew how to make it in life, starting at the bottom and getting to where he was because of his tenacity, his hard work, his ideas, his creativity and for having pants the size of the world, for daring to be disruptive and do different things, He was a much-loved manager, with new, revolutionary ideas," said Arturo Elías Ayub, Director of Strategic Alliances and Content at América Móvil, General Director of the TELMEX-Telcel Foundation, Director of Uno TV and Claro Sports, and former manager of Pumas, in an interview for ChivasTV.
