The always delectable Xabi Alonso (good looking, dresses well, smart, a family man AND Spanish – what more could you want?) gave an interview to AS that was published today. Excerpts below. Read on for his thoughts on the city of Madrid and his teammates. And by the way, Xabi please give some style tips to Iker, gracias!
Q: You haven’t scored your first goal yet. At this point during previous seasons, you had already scored two or three.
A: It’s true. I’ve tried… I’ve shot for afar like I like to, but I haven’t gotten it right yet… It will come, and as I tell people who remind me about this, the first one will be important. I really want to score one.
Q: The other day, I read that Pitu, your former coach at Antiguoko, said that when you were ten years old, you were the same player as you are now, just smaller. Have you always played the same?
A: Pitu’s right, I was always a midfielder, the type that likes to help out those behind me and join the attack when it’s possible to surprise defenses. I did that in la Real, in Liverpool, with the national team, and now here. Redondo and Guardiola were my reference points.
Q: Who has surprised you?A: Arbeloa, even though we were teammates in England. He’s become a very reliable defender that defends as well on the right as the left. He’s coming up more and doing it better each time. He knows how to surprise the defense.
Q: Talk to me about yourself. You got married this summer, and changed cities, houses, the climate…
A: I’ve adapted well to these changes. Life in Madrid is perfect. The city is perfect and the people great. In restaurants, people tell me that they’re very excited with this Madrid, and everyone mentions that the final of the Champions League is in the Bernabéu. I tell them to stay calm, that I haven’t forgotten that.
Q: Is Madrid’s locker room as complicated as it’s said?
A: No way! It’s full of talkative people with great energy. The DJs are Ramos and Marcelo. It’s never silent, although when we start training we take it seriously and professionally. But there’s a lot of joking around and cameraderie. There’s no egos or divas. It’s normal like that of Liverpool or the national team, with normal people.
