He’s still in Spain, eating at the Hard Rock Café of all places (when there are thousands of better restaurants in Madrid!!!), and also on his way to Barcelona for a showdown with Gerard Piqué. Who else but Chad Ochocinco? He also found time to chat with AS, and this is the resulting interview.
Now I don’t follow American football, but to me it seems like he’s on self-promotional tour of Europe. Why else would there be all this talk about “playing” for Madrid, and why else would he only tweet pictures of himself with Madrid players who are on twitter? (Mou is an obvious exception, plus Pepe, because of the same name novelty.)
Q: Just four days after ending your season with the Bengals, you hopped on an airplane and came to Madrid to see your friend Cristiano.
A: Yes, I wanted to see what Real Madrid was like. It was impressive to see it up close. It was a dream come true.
Q: What did you think of the squad?
A: I enjoyed being with them. They welcomed me and I felt like one more player on the team. I took photos with Mourinho and a lot of players. When I went to have dinner with Cristiano, I also met some players from Atlético. As a football fan, I also want to go watch other teams. I would like to go to Barcelona and I also have plans to see Arsenal and Chelsea play. I know Henry and Drogba.
Q: I heard you were very impressed with the Champions League cups…
A: Yes, Madrid has a lot of trophies. I know the importance of winning the Champions. I wish the Bengals had such full display cases (smiles). In any case, I still have some years ahead of me, so I hope to achieve some trophies.
Q: What can you tell us about your friend Cristiano?
A: He’s a great guy. And a complete player. I like him because we have the same attitude when we play. We always want to be the best one out there.
Q: Who would win a race of speed between the two of you?
A: I would, of course. Cristiano is like a thunderclap, but I’m like a flash of lightning! (Laughs).
Q: You’re addicted to twitter. The other day, you exchanged messages with Piqué…
A: Yes, I told him that he should be worried when I sign for Madrid. I can beat him, he’s very slow and too small to deal with me…
Q: You’ve joked about trying out for Madrid.
A: I would like to play with Madrid. When I retire from the NFL! (Laughs).
Q: Really?
A: As a kid, I played soccer. It was my first love. I always wanted to play, but it’s not developed professionally in my country. That’s why I chose American football. I wanted a long career. But I play soccer when I can.
Q: Well, Mourinho said he wanted another forward…
A: I know, I told him that I’m on vacation until June. I was a forward! I was a good one, I scored a lot of goals.
Q: You’re a celebrity in your home country but here American football is not very popular…
A: I know. The only people who recognized me here in Madrid were two Mexican families (laughs).