There was a time when Xavier Tavera was unsure as to what to do with his life. Not the best of students, he had always wanted to try his luck in football but felt his future lay elsewhere. It was then that Isa, a friend from his neighbourhood, “forced” him to turn up for training with a local futsal club called Tigre Graph – an intervention that changed his life for good.

The 33-year-old, who now plays for Peruvian club Panta Walon, is one of the key figures in an Albirroja side that is aiming to qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Cup™ for the very first time. To do that, Peru will have to finish among the top four at this year’s Futsal Copa America, which kicks off on 2 February in Paraguay. Given the quality of South American futsal and the fact that the field contains two former global champions, among several other quality sides, the task will not be an easy one for Tavera and his team-mates.

Currently on national-team duty in Buenos Aires, where Peru have been warming up for the Copa America with some friendlies – they drew 3-3 with Barracas Central and lost 2-1 to Argentina – Tavera spoke to FIFA about his side’s qualification chances, his career to date and more.

Peru and its clubs would still seem to be lagging behind other countries in the region. How does that impact on the whole process?
We used to turn up to competitions knowing that we’d probably get knocked out, but now we go into things like the Copa Libertadores with the idea of winning it. We know it’s different at national-team level, but not that different. We still have a long way to go to match other teams, but the talent is there. We lack in intensity and teamwork. We don’t all realise the importance of what this means, and we need to work on that.

What would it mean to Peru to be at the World Cup?
It would be historic, both for us and the whole country. It would be the best thing that could happen to us. I can picture the scene, of us arriving at the airport after qualifying and me going back to my neighbourhood, a hero. I really can. Dreaming costs nothing and I’ve got that idea in my head.