It’s time to focus on the Liga again, after the international break. When not training, several members of our team found time to give interviews. Here are the best parts, along with other news!
ONE. Cristiano Ronaldo went to Antena 3 yesterday (and in an outfit I mostly approve of, even the belt (!) although I’m not sure about the white sneakers or the gold chain) to speak about the actualidad of Real Madrid. I LOVED his facial expressions during this interview! This man has charisma.
Here are the highlights, which I managed to translate and transcribe for you all the second time around, because the first time I was watching the video, I was too distracted by Cris’ tongue.
On the “same old question” (who’s better, Cristiano or Messi): I shouldn’t be the one to answer, because you all know better than me. It’s not important… we’re different players who just try to help our clubs.
On the last time he wasn’t recognized on the street: that’s a good question… it’s difficult to say. Perhaps people who don’t like football don’t recognize me. But I don’t pay attention to these details either.
On Mourinho: he’s a person with a lot of experience and a born winner. He makes everything easier.
On Pandiani’s declarations: (they also showed Cristiano what Walter Pandiani said about him and Cris kind of snorted and laughed): I’m not going to waste time responding to those things.
On Madrid: I’m happy and I play for the best club in the world, with the best teammates. And I hope to continue like this.
They also showed him a baby picture of himself, and he said “wow… this photo [the one below, on the far left] reminds me of my son. He’s changed my life a lot.”
TWO. The official decision of Valencia as the site of the 2010-11 Copa del Rey final was announced yesterday, following the meeting between the RFEF and the two teams in the final, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Also agreed upon at the meeting was that Barcelona would be the home team. The three organizations, along with the Casa Real (the royal house) and event security, will also decide who takes which bench and which areas each team’s fans will sit. Also left to be negotiated is the kickoff time – both teams want a 20:45 start time instead of the proposed 21:30; the time will be decided by the RFEF and TVE, which will broadcast the final. The RFEF also ceded 20,000 tickets to each team for the final, although both wanted more.
Real Madrid is deciding how to divide those tickets in the fairest way possible between their socios. Those who are “euroabonados” (holding season tickets for the Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey) are claiming preference, since they pay more for their abonos without actually knowing how many more games they’ll get to watch. Madrid also has to set aside tickets for their sponsors, and for the players.
THREE. Álex Fernández is the latest Castilla player to train with the first team, which he did yesterday. He had gone to the U.S. with the first team in their preseason tour. The team resumes training this afternoon!
FOUR. Mesut Özil spoke to Real Madrid’s web site yesterday; here are some highlights. I really, really hope journalists everywhere make up some new questions to ask soon. The one about how he gets along with Cristiano Ronaldo is getting very old, although it’s still nice to hear that Cris is a great guy.
On Cristiano Ronaldo: it’s clear that Cristiano Ronaldo and I have a great relationship. He’s been very good to me and he’s helped me a lot since I arrived in Madrid. He’s a fantastic person. Cristiano is one of the key players on this team. He’s scored many goals and he puts all his energy towards helping his team win games. I’m incredibly happy to be playing alongside him.
On Sami Khedira: the adaptation to Madrid has been made much easier with Sami Khedira here, because he was already here when I arrived. We know each other from the German national team and he’s been a great source of support. We spend a lot of time together and I feel very fortunate to have him here with me.
On Adebayor: he’s a great forward and we knew that he would understand us as a team. He’s a good person and he’s very friendly towards me and with everyone else on this team.
On assists: I enjoy scoring goals, but I also enjoy helping others score. Both things satisfy me and it always makes me happy to help a teammate score.
On his goal celebration against Sevilla: it was fantastic to be able to score that goal. Sami Khedira gave me the perfect pass, a great opportunity that we had to take advantage of. It was a great goal because it helped us to eliminate Sevilla. Then Adebayor closed things out.
FIVE. And it looks like Sergio has finally found the “help” he’s been looking for since last year, because he once again promised to start tweeting in English, after “Manolín” Adebayor revealed to everyone that Sergio speaks that language. Will “soon, really soon” and “I will try it” become the new catchphrases?
SIX. Rubén de la Red has his Juvenil A players in awe, because he’s such a young coach who was playing with the first team only a few years ago. And because he always has candy with him on the bench. LOVE IT.
SEVEN. And finally, José Mourinho spoke with RMTV – in Spanish and in English – recently. Here are the best quotes, though I recommend you also watch the videos if you have time. English here, and Spanish here, here and here. But I’d like to have a word with whoever chooses the music for all of Madrid’s videos.
On who has impressed him: Arbeloa is the kind of player who doesn’t impress people because he’s not Maradona, Zidane or that sort of player, but he’s the kind of footballer that impresses coaches. And he impresses me because, on a scale from 0 to 10, he is not a 10, but he’s never a 6 either. He’s always between 7 and 9. You can always rely on him. He usually faces the best player on the opposing team and keeps him in his pocket. I’m very calm on the bench whenever he plays down either wing. Of course, he can’t attack down the left because it’s not his natural position, but he’s the kind of player you need on a team.
On who has been his biggest influence as a coach: I think I’d say myself. Thinking alone, asking questions to myself, studying reactions I had, studying decisions I made, studying what happened during the match, what I felt during the match, what I thought during the match… Trying to devise training exercises to work on things we need to explore… I think it’s me against myself.
On his biggest influence outside of football: I’ve been married more than 20 years, so you can imagine my wife and I share a lot. She doesn’t like football nor understand much about it, but she knows me well, so I can say she’s always been a good influence on me.
On what one word describes Real Madrid: huge… and so difficult (laughs).
On what one word describes him: …so difficult, too (laughs).
On football: it’s taken away more from me than it’s given me. It’s given me the personal satisfaction to be successful in a world that I wanted to work in from the time I was a kid, it’s given me a pleasure that not everyone has. But it’s also taken a lot from me, basic things in life. Being able to tranquilly enjoy an ice cream with my wife and kids, to have a tranquil vacation… it’s taken away all the privacy I had and those who are the most affected are my family. Football is part of my life, but my life revolves around those who are in my home.
On what he would be if he weren’t a coach: I would have a very tranquil life. I have a degree and I think I would be working as a professor in the university where I studied, with a tranquil, private and family-centered life.
On friends in football: of the people I’ve worked with, 95 percent are my friends. That’s why I wish that, after me, who will win each weekend will be Inter, Chelsea, a player of mine who went to another team… I have many friends in football… I never say “my former players” because my players are those I have now and those I used to have.
On winning individual accoldades: in 1996, the IFFHS gave me a bronze trophy after I won the gold one in 2004 and 2005. When I got home, next to the two gold ones was one that said, “to the best father in the world.” What do I need with golden trophies? I prefer the other one, which has much more meaning.
On his technical staff: in two months time, Karanka was already one of us. He’s a great boy, and I hope he grows a lot as a coach with us and I also hope to have the pleasure of watching him coach one day. He has a great desire to be useful, to learn. He speaks better Portuguese than Silvino Louro speaks Spanish. He’s very honest.
On Iker Casillas, the “silent captain”: he’s calm, he doesn’t make a lot of noise, he does what he has to do. We all know what kind of goalkeeper he is. He’s one of the best. And after that, he’s a humble, tranquil and fantastic kid. It’s very easy to work with him.
On Cristiano Ronaldo: he’s absolutely impressive, and not just as a player. He’s hardworking, humble, simple… he’s another one who lives with a mask on, with an image that has been constructed that has absolutely nothing to do with the fantastic person that he is.
On his arrest: in England, they wanted to put my kids’ dog in quarantine because he didn’t have the necessary vaccines. I told the police, “but my kids sleep with him! He’s a very important part of this family.” In the end, they arrested me for two hours for obstructing justice.
