Nelson Bustamante

Nelson Maximiliano Bustamante Lorca (born 23 December 1992) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a forward. Early life Bustamante was born in San Bernardo, Chile, and developed a passion for football from his father, who played for a local team. As a child, he would tell his father that he was going to mow lawns for money, but would instead go to dribble a football on the local streets, earning money from passers-by. In 2007, while performing on a street corner, he was spotted by Chilean investigative news show , run by Canal 13, and following the report, he was taken on by a group of businessmen, including agent René Curiaz and former footballer Frank Lobos. Club career Early career Curiaz and Lobos offered him to top-flight Chilean sides Colo-Colo and Universidad Católica, and he spent some time with the latter, but as they were unable to provide growth hormone treatment for his growth hormone deficiency, the same condition that afflicted his idol, Lionel Messi, he opted to move to Italy, joining the academy of Brescia. In 2011, he was released by Brescia, who deemed his short stature not an appropriate height to progress as a professional footballer, and he joined Bologna, though he only spent six months with the club before again being released.