​Manu Gutiérrez has secured interviews with some of the World Cup’s brightest stars this year, including Lionel Messi (two times), Lionel Scaloni, Jude Bellingham, Cuti Romero, James Rodríguez, and more. Not bad for a fresh-faced independent journalist from Venezuela. Yet the remarkable thing is that Gutiérrez managed to land these conversations in the midst of the mixed zone—a narrow corridor where a throng of reporters jostles to get players’ attention as they walk off the field—and he did all of it while using a wheelchair.
Gutiérrez was born in Punto Fijo, a small city in Venezuela. He has described complications at birth that Infobae reported as cerebral hypoxia, meaning his brain didn’t receive sufficient oxygen. He does not have a cognitive impairment, but he explains that the incident affected his motor skills, mobility, balance, and the strength in his legs and arms, which is why he cannot walk. Despite this, his passion for sports has never waned.
The impairment has not dampened his love for the game. In a reflection about his journey to obtain media accreditation for the tournament, Gutiérrez wrote that he images the boy he once was—the one who slept with his ball and his Vinotinto jersey, the boy who would hide with his group during recess to listen to matches on the radio, even if that meant climbing through a beehive of curiosity and noise inside the gym of childhood. That image underscores how far he has carried his dream into the present.
Consider the moment after Argentina played Iceland in a friendly. When Gutiérrez could not secure an interview inside the mixed zone, he did something bold: he moved into the crowd outside, where the fans gathered, and waited for his opportunity. He spotted Messi in the crowd, despite Messi’s attention being absorbed by the media inside the zone. Gutiérrez pressed his case, telling Messi, “I’m a journalist, Leo. One question, please.” He explained his profession again because Messi hadn’t recognized him from the mixed zone, partly due to his height in the area. Undeterred, Gutiérrez persisted, and, as he hoped, Messi granted him the interview.
Gutiérrez arrived with thoughtful, weighty questions. The first probed Messi’s proximity to becoming the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, noting Messi’s distance of four goals from that record. Messi responded with characteristic humility, saying, “To be honest, I’ve never focused on individual records. I always try to achieve collective goals, whatever is best for the team and the group. We’re going to take it one game at a time, do our best, and compete the way we always have.” The second question turned to the 39-year-old veteran’s decision to continue competing in another World Cup.
Gutiérrez’s story illustrates the power of perseverance, the thrill of pursuing journalism from challenging physical circumstances, and the extraordinary access he’s managed to cultivate at the world’s largest sporting event. His work offers a vivid reminder that talent and determination can open doors even when the path is crowded and difficult to navigate.