Article content

TORONTO — A year ago, Guillermo Villalobos was selling real estate back home in Mexico, also keeping in shape for the Liga de Futbol Americano Professional, where he played.

Then came CFL 2.0, with a draft of players from the Mexican league. The Ottawa Redblacks drafted Villalobos, a receiver, with the 11th pick. The real estate thing got pushed aside — at least from May until November. And the 28-year-old has been on Ottawa’s roster for six games this season, including Friday night against the Argos at BMO Field.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Redblacks receiver Villalobos catches on in new country, new league Back to video

“I never thought this opportunity would come,” said Villalobos. “You always dream of being a professional player; now I’m getting the chance and I have to take advantage of it.”

Going to a new league with its different rules has worked out just fine.

“It’s been incredible,” said Villalobos. “When I first came here, everything was super new to me — the splits, the concepts — but now I’m understanding Canadian football. It’s been a really good experience, learning about the game and (my teammates). (Receivers) coach (Winston) October has shown me a lot techniques, the correct way to run my routes; of course, I’m a better player than I was a couple of months ago.”