Manu Gutiérrez was born in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, and medical negligence on the day of his birth left him with cerebral palsy. Since then, he has used a wheelchair, and his voice isn’t always easy to hear over the noise. None of that kept him from pursuing his dream: becoming a sports journalist.
He emigrated from Venezuela with his family, founded his own outlet, MVP Sports, and after several rejections, obtained press accreditation to cover the 2026 World Cup in the United States. In the mixed zone at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Alabama, he made his way through dozens of journalists to tell Lionel Messi: “I’m a journalist, Leo. One question, please”.
Messi heard him. He asked people to be careful with him, came over, shook his hand, and answered his questions as if he had all the time in the world. Weeks later, after Argentina qualified for the quarterfinals, they met again. Manu has also interviewed Jude Bellingham and several players from the Scaloneta. All recorded with a cell phone while his dad held the camera.
