Cristian Montaño’s story is an inspiring one.
Four years after becoming a professional footballer, Montaño became homeless, depressed and had thoughts of taking his own life.
Since those darker days, the winger has played at the Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup and has achieved promotion to League One with Bristol Rovers.
Born in Cali, Colombia, Montaño moved to England at ten to join his mother, with his journey into football beginning at Chadwell Heath not long after.
“I was born and raised in Columbia and I always used to play football,” Montaño said. “At that age you don’t take things too seriously and my Mum and I didn’t actually realise that you could actually have a career in football. In my youth I played for the love of the game, which I still do now to be fair.
“We moved to the UK when I was ten years old. We lived in Tottenham and things were incredibly tough. There were several things that I had to adapt to at such a young age, whether that was learning a new language or the colder weather.
“I had no friends and I wasn’t playing football. It was hard, I remember I used to cry a lot and ask my Mum if we could go back home. Fortunately, my Mum found a football team called Universal FC. It was a Latin American team and they played Sunday league football. It was a really positive step for me.
“All the kids in the team spoke Spanish so for the first time since moving to England, I had kids who I could easily communicate with. I signed for them and six months later we played a tournament at Watford. I was scouted by West Ham and Charlton and, after trialling for both teams I decided to sign for West Ham.”
JOINING THE HAMMERS
It was the warm nature of the environment that saw Montaño decide that West Ham was the place for him, after arriving late for his first trial match!
“My first trial game for West Ham was against Coventry and we played it at Chadwell Heath. The training ground was a long distance away from my house and I ended up being late to the game. By the time I arrived the match had kicked off and I had to get changed quickly before warming up alone.
“I was extremely nervous, it was a bad start to my trial, even though the circumstances were out of my control.
“The match was split into four quarters and I came on in the final quarter and played really well. I scored twice and also won a penalty. After the match the Club offered to sign me and I had no doubt that I wanted to sign for West Ham.
“The Club made the decision easy for me. The way that they treated me, the way that they made me feel, it was fantastic.
“I was on edge after showing up late but everyone made me feel so welcome and so calm, which was incredible when you consider that I was a kid who couldn’t speak English. That’s how my journey with West Ham started.”
Montaño immediately felt at home, and the winger progressed through the youth system at Chadwell Heath.
He continued: “I settled in really quickly. I was made to feel so welcome. It was almost like there was no language barrier because it was all about football, and we were all there for the same purpose. I felt wanted and I felt part of something.
“I really struggled when I first moved over to England but all of a sudden I was really happy and loving life. That’s the impact that West Ham had on me.
“My time at West Ham taught me so much, I grew up at the Club. I learned about professionalism as well as how to treat others. If I am at a club and we make a new signing, I also try to treat the new player in the same manner that West Ham treated me when I joined.
“Another thing that West Ham drilled into me was high standards. That’s something that I have taken with me throughout the rest of my career. Whether it’s in a match, training or something else, always give your best and meet the required standards.”
BATTLE FOR MINUTES
Montaño faced tough competition for places during his time at West Ham. The winger featured regularly for the reserves but struggled to earn minutes in the first team.
After five loan spells between 2011 and 2012, Montaño decided to leave the Hammers in pursuit of first-team football.
“I did really well in the youth team, and I think I also did really well when I played for the reserves. I was playing a year or two up for the majority of my time at West Ham until I got to the age where I was in and around the first team. I was sent out on loan and it was a real experience to be playing men’s football. It was something that I had hoped to achieve at West Ham, but if it’s not happening then you have to look elsewhere.
“My first experience of men’s football was fantastic. It was the first time in my career that I was playing for something. Points were on the line. Jobs were on the line and we were playing for the fans, so it meant a lot. The competitiveness of matches were brilliant and it’s something that I really enjoyed.
“I had positive loans at Notts County and Dagenham and Redbridge, before a loan to Swindon where it didn’t work out. After five loans I felt like it was time for me to leave West Ham. The excitement of playing first team football was something that I craved. I was still a reserve player at West Ham and I was always told to be patient.
“I was offered a new contract and if I could turn back time maybe I would have been a bit more patient. However, at the time my first child was on the way, so I had to evaluate all of the options. I had to think about my family and also what was more beneficial for me.
“In the end I signed for Oldham in 2012.”
DEPRESSION
In December 2013, Montaño’s life turned upside down.
Allegations of spot-fixing would see the winger fired by Oldham. It was a charge he vehemently denied.
The then 22-year-old faced a difficult battle with mental health before eventually rediscovering himself back in Columbia. The charges against Montano were later dropped and the winger moved back to England in 2015 to sign for Bristol Rovers.
“When I was at Oldham I was young and naive,” Montaño reflected. “I was a ‘yes man’ and that got me into trouble. I ended up getting sacked after a match fixing accusation in 2013.
“After years of hard work and devoting my life to football I lost everything. I became homeless, depressed and suicidal. I was close to taking my life due to the circumstances, I couldn’t see another way out.
“Luckily I didn’t and that’s thanks to my wife and my Mum. I was bottling everything up and it wasn’t good for me. Opening up and talking saved my life. I started to feel like myself again and I went back to Columbia to rebuild my life.
“I ended up signing for América de Cali and I spent a season there before eventually moving back to the UK where I signed for Bristol Rovers.
“After my battles with depression, I decided to do a lot of work with mental health organisations. I became an ambassador of Men Unite in Stoke-on-Trent when I was playing for Port Vale, and I also now do some work in Scotland with a group called Kick Mental Health.
“The aim is to encourage people to talk and to demonstrate that they’re not alone. I just want to give people an opportunity to speak because there’s always hope. I am proof of that.”
LIFE WITH LIVINGSTON
Whilst Montaño always harboured ambitions of making his debut for West Ham, the Columbian has enjoyed a fine playing career since graduating from Chadwell Heath.
The 31-year-old is still enjoying his football and is currently representing Livingston in the Scottish Premiership, after securing a move to the Lions in 2021.
“I’ve had some fantastic moments during my career. I’ve scored some good goals which I look back on with fond memories. One goal that always stands out is a solo goal that I scored for Oldham against Stevenage. I ran the whole length of the pitch before chipping the ball over the goalkeeper, so that is a nice moment to look back on.
“Another moment that stands out is winning promotion to League One with Bristol Rovers in 2015/16. That was a fantastic season for the club and was something I was delighted to be a part of.
“One match that always comes to mind is Manchester City away in the FA Cup when I played for Port Vale. The Etihad is an amazing stadium and it was an incredible experience to play there against some world-class opponents. That’s what the FA Cup is all about and that’s the reason we play football, to play against the big boys. They played a strong team, including the likes of Agüero, Foden, Gündoğan and so on. I was at left-back marking Foden and in the second half they subbed him off for Mahrez. It was a great experience.
“I am now playing in Scotland with Livingston and I am really enjoying it. I’ve had the opportunity to play against more top teams such as Rangers and Celtic, so it has been great.
“My first season wasn’t as good as I’d hoped, I was getting used to the surfaces (Livingston’s home stadium has an artificial pitch), new tactics and so on. I’m now in my second season and I am consistently starting matches which is what you want as a footballer. We’re doing well in the league as well, so it has been fantastic.”
Cristian Montaño’s story is an inspirational one, and shows the importance of sharing your problems and taking care of your mental health, above all else.
Written by Jack Heffer
