• Edison Azcona set to represent Dominican Republic at Olympic Games

• Attacking midfielder has joined Las Vegas Lights on loan from Inter Miami

• He speaks exclusively to FIFA about his football journey

‘Vamos! Happy feet!’

When twinkled-toed Edison Azcona was lighting up youth football leagues in Tennessee and Florida, his biggest fan would regularly belt out those words of encouragement from the sidelines.

“It’s from that movie with the dancing penguin,” Azcona told FIFA. “My dad and I watched Happy Feet one day and he was like, ‘That’s how you need to move on the field’. From that moment, he’d shout ‘Vamos! Happy feet!’ at all my games. It was so funny. Everybody we've met through soccer know him by 'Happy Feet'. That's what they call my dad!”

Now aged 20, Azcona is primed to showcase his silky footwork on one of sport’s greatest stages. The attacking midfielder will be an integral part of the Dominican Republic team making their Men’s Olympic Football Tournament debut this year.

Azcona was born in the Caribbean nation and moved to the United States with his family the day before his fourth birthday.

A naturally gifted all-round sportsman, he excelled at baseball, basketball and taekwondo, in which he earned a black belt. Azcona felt the most freedom on the football pitch, however.

“When I was eight, we moved from Tennessee to Florida and dad asked me which sport I wanted to focus on” said Azcona. “Financially, it’s tough to pay for four sports in the US. I wanted to stick with soccer because I had the most fun with it. Playing was like an escape for me.”

Azcona’s burgeoning football career has already featured some incredible moments. Last year, he scored the Dominican Republic’s first goal at any FIFA World Cup™ tournament, netting in their opening game at the U-20 global finals. The midfielder has already won seven senior caps for his country and played a pivotal role in their Olympic Games qualification.

At club level, Azcona etched his name in Inter Miami’s history books in 2021 when he became the club’s first academy graduate to feature in an MLS game. One year later, he was playing alongside his childhood idol.

“I remember when I was around six or seven, I was watching Messi highlights on YouTube and I told my mum and dad, 'One day I'm going to play with him'. That dream came true, and it was amazing. He's an awesome guy, honestly. He's very humble. He doesn't act like what he is [raises both hands up high above his ahead]. He's very cool to all his team-mates. He’s great with the younger guys, he says hi to everybody and he'll have a joke with us.

“Seeing him up close, he is even better than I thought he was. What I really admired about him was how he still practised on his own after training. And he is very competitive. He does not like to lose, even in training. If we were playing a small-sided game, he's on it every time. People might think it's all about his talent, but there's no way you can be the best in the world without working and he showed that to me. It’s very inspirational.”

With Azcona facing fierce competition for places in Inter Miami’s star-studded line-up, he joined USL Championship side Las Vegas Lights on loan last month. His new club, he believes, provides a perfect environment for his qualities to flourish.

“I've enjoyed it so much,” he said. “I love the direction we're going in with the team. The coach, Dennis Sanchez, really believes in my abilities. I'm an attacking midfielder who can find spaces in between lines, who can turn and make chances going forward. I like to create and score – and I want to do that as much as possible. It’s a great group to be a part of and I’m excited about what we can achieve.”

Azcona had never experienced Las Vegas’ world-famous glitz and glamour before joining his new club.

“There’s even a casino in the airport, that's wild! I live about 15 minutes away from the strip and I like the city a lot. It’s very pretty. It’s a 24/7 place, which you might think is not ideal for an athlete, but I don’t get involved in the party side of things!”

Instead, he is focused on building momentum ahead of the Olympic Games. While it’s been 16 years since Azcona lived in the Dominican Republic, he remains intensely patriotic, and spoke with tangible emotion when visualising representing his nation at Paris 2024.

“There's nothing I want to do more,” he said. “I love my country and I feel we have such an amazing culture. I love the people back home and, when I represent them in the Olympics, I'm going to fight for our colours and leave my heart out on the field.”

Azcona has visited the Dominican Republic “about twice a year” since emigrating in 2007. He recalled how one trip in particular fuelled his desire to forge a path in professional football – and use his profile to support those in need.

“One day, I went to the house where my grandfather used to live,” he said. “It didn’t even have any roofing apart from some metal sheets over his bedroom, so his bed wouldn't get wet. It broke my heart. That lit a fire inside me to fight to get to where I want to be. One day, I want to be one of the best players in the world. With that, I want to help my country. I’d like to help build schools and sports academies where kids play football, baseball and basketball. I just want to do whatever I can.”

That Dominican Republic are competing at the Olympics is in no small part down to Azcona’s efforts. They qualified for the men’s football tournament for the first time ever by finishing as runners-up at the 2022 U-20 Concacaf Championship. Azcona captained that team and described their penalty shootout victory over Guatemala in the semi-finals – which clinched their place at Paris 2024 – as “the best feeling I’ve had in football”.

The match had finished 2-2 after extra-time, with Azcona rifling home the Dominican Republic’s equaliser as they battled back from two goals down. He then displayed nerves of steel to score in the decisive shootout. “The game showed how we are as a team,” he said. “I may have been the captain, but everyone was a leader. We’ll always keep fighting to the last whistle. That’s our mentality. Our team at the Olympics will have a lot of quality and a lot of heart."

When Azcona pulls on his Dominican Republic jersey ahead of their opening game against Egypt in Nantes, family will be at the forefront of his mind.

“I'm going to dedicate my Olympics to my grandmother, who passed away earlier this month,” he said. “I was very close to her. She would always show me so much love. I'm going to give it my all at the Olympics for her.”

Azcona is also hoping to hear a familiar voice roaring his support from the stands, urging him to use those ‘happy feet’ to dazzle on the world stage.

“Most likely, my dad will go to France,” he said. “He goes everywhere! I remember when the Inter Miami academy took our U-18 group to South Korea. Therefore, obviously, my dad went to South Korea!

“It would be amazing to have him there at the Olympics. I want to make my family proud and my country proud.”