Iker at AS

Iker gave an interview to AS which was published in their Jan. 30 edition, and he was also on the cover.  He talks about Filipe Luis, Benzema, Van Nistelrooy…

Q:  Is it a relief that Filipe Luis won’t be playing?

A:  No, it’s a shame.  He’s a kid from our youth team, with a great attitude… I called him to cheer him up, I told him to be strong mentally and to only think about getting better, that he should forget about the World Cup, that he has to be calm and strong.

Q:  He was really happy that you called…

A:  Was he?  I had to do it.  He was playing really well and deserved it.

Q:  Is Guardiola’s contract renewal bad news?

A:  No, it’s something to be happy about.  I had him as a teammate and now I admire him as a coach.  What he has done is praiseworthy.  We like having people like him in football.

Q:  What do you think about football returning to Mondays?

A:  It’s something new for me.  I’ve only seen it on TV and I liked it.

Q:  Why hasn’t Benzema become a star yet?

A:  Karim has a lot of things that Zidane had.  I like the moves he has, he scores a lot in the training sessions.  Higuaín is becoming a star now, and he’s only 22.  It’s about confidence and tranquility.  Karim is a great kid.

Q:  Do you regret the departure of Van Nistelrooy?

A:  I do, a lot, because he’s the type of player you like having around, he was very well-liked.  He was one of those that would be called Sir in England.  If we win La Décima, it will be partly his, because he was a part of this team.