Cris & Pipita – World Cup reflections

Both Gonzalo Higuaín and Cristiano Ronaldo passed through the sala de prensa yesterday with their respective teams.

Cristiano Ronaldo (and his shiny face) talked about Kaká and recycled a quote from our old friend Ruud van Nistelrooy (coincidentally, it was Pipita who first brought it to our attention) during his time before the press.  With regards to Kaká, he said he expects him to have a great World Cup, and that he’ll make history in Real Madrid.  He added that it’s a privilege for him to have Kaká as a teammate and as a friend.

He also talked about another friend, Wayne Rooney, saying that he was sad that England did not win, because he has a lot of friends on that team.

Asked about his goal drought (he hasn’t scored with Portugal for 15 months), Cristiano repeated a quote attributed to RvN (I wonder if Rutgerus had told Cristiano this at Manchester or Madrid?):  goals are like bottles of ketchup, you can hit it and hit it and the ketchup won’t come out, but then all of a sudden all of it comes out.”  He added that he’s not worried, and that he’s going to continue working like he is now, and that goals will come.

As to himself, our favorite Portuguese (tied with Pepe, although that may change depending on how Mou does with Madrid!) said that he’s working hard to have a great World Cup because he would like to “explode” and be the best of the competition, although his first priority is to get his team as far as possible.

He also touched upon Jabulani (it’s “difficult” but he’s been specifically training with it to adapt to it) and vuvuzelas (no one likes them and it’s hard to concentrate when there’s that much noise but you have to respect the public).

Kaká, meanwhile has been hiding from the press.  He has only made a brief statement in the last several days: “I feel good, but I’m still recovering.  I only need a bit more time, and I’m anxious to get back to playing.”  His teammate Maicon said, “we have a lot of confidence in our number 10.  All my teammates and I are sure that he’s going to have a great World Cup”

Mark your calendars for June 25, the day that we can see Cristiano and Pepe face Kaká!

Meanwhile, Pipita, whose Argentina beat Nigeria 1-0 on Saturday behind a goal from ex-madridista Gaby Heinze, spoke about the importance of the victory and the need to improve before their next game against South Korea on June 17.  Of the first game, he said it was important to win since it was the first game.  He admitted that he didn’t have a great game, but added that that winning was the important thing.

Pipita also touched upon the hug he received from (ugh) Maradona after he was subbed out in the 79th minute: “it gave me strength.”  He described his coach as a “born motivator” and said it was a “privilege to see him on the bench.”  As for Messi, he said he was “an important player for us.  It’s a pleasure to play with him.”