Born in Camden to Colombian parents, Alzate broke into the O’s side as a teenager and made 12 appearances in the chaotic 2016-17 campaign, when hapless owner Francesco Becchetti ripped through five managers and the club came within a whisker of going bust.
Alzate’s efforts weren’t enough to avert the drop, but they did catch the eye of Brighton’s vaunted talent-spotters, who offered the young midfielder an escape route from trips to Braintree and Boreham Wood.
“When I joined Brighton, they’d just been promoted to the Premier League,” says the 26-year-old, who joined Hull in the summer after seven years at the Amex.
“I joined the Under-23 squad, but it was still a massive jump. The quality of the players was levels and levels above.
“I wasn’t intimidated, though. Even when I was at Orient, I always backed myself to play at the highest level. So when I did start getting games in the Premier League, I was kind of like ‘Okay, this is nothing special’. Then I got called up by Colombia.
“Looking back now, though, it all happened so quick. I didn’t have time to digest it. It was just like every day was another day, and I just had to take it on, meet the challenge, plough on. I probably didn’t appreciate what I’d achieved.”
Alzate emerged at the same time as Alexis Mac Allister, whose understated excellence for the Seagulls was exposed to a wider audience by his starring role in Argentina’s World Cup triumph in Qatar. Within six months he had completed a £35m switch to Liverpool and is now an integral midfield cog for Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders.
“I was with Alex for a couple of years,” says Alzate. “He’s a good friend of mine and we still talk every now and then.
Denne historien er fra December 22, 2024-utgaven av The Football League Paper.
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Denne historien er fra December 22, 2024-utgaven av The Football League Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Selles sees signs of Tigers' revival
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