“I wish and it is fair that we all earn the same” | Relief
Hector Bellerin is a different footballer: his style, his way of positioning himself in public affairs, his statements throughout his sports career, fashion… SER Network promotes a podcast called “In the Keys of Rhodes”, which is suitable for the player because it has a basic rule: the interlocutor moves away from his general topic of conversation, in this case football (male), to delve into other topics. And it was the Betis player who wanted to fully understand the task, very close to his discipline: equal opportunities and salaries with their fellow athletes.
When asked about the development of women’s football, he answered directly: “I think this is very necessary. My friends often ask me about it.“It is this collective interest that he notices that further develops his conviction in the fair distribution of resources between men and women in sport:”What I know, what I want and what is fair is that we all earn the same.that we are equally professional, that we have the same rights and that equality exists.”
A question that is precisely what is causing a deep discussion about the possibility of its application without harming the industry. Bellerin did not even need to be asked about this topic, he himself launched it: “How do we do this? That’s something I still don’t know. What I do know is that men’s football has to be the first to help. We have the platform, the resources, we have gone through this journey because they couldn’t. It all starts with us, because society is already making these changes. Look at the World Cup final.”
No one has a manual for solving these problems, so the solution found is perfect. But Bellerin believes that the first step is to raise your voice before change can happen: “We must take responsibility: clubs, organizations, major leagues… We have a very strong government. It is used for things that interest everyone. It is as if they were going to take away a piece of the cake from us, but if it were the other way around, it would be better for everyone.”
The footballer who keeps silent… and gives?
Of course, Bellerin is a rare bird in the world of sports and, above all, football. The Betis defender does not hesitate to defend social interests, but not everyone acts in the same way. Why? The footballer defends his union and considers it a structural problem that goes beyond the individual case: “You can’t just blame the footballer. We are made, they make you functional, they make you machines. You are ready to train, compete and be productive. They let you think about the field, but the personal disappears. “There are still teams that don’t have the resources for psychologists.”
This is partly due, of course, to the opinions that fans express on social media after poor performances by players and the connection they make with their personal lives: “I don’t read social media and my life has changed completely. The thing is that as a footballer you are treated like a fool. I’ve even been told that I play badly because I think about clothes. I understand the difficulty.. I had teammates like Borja, Aitor and Isco who expressed themselves. There are few of us and we are in one place.” She adds: “They called me a lesbian because I have long hair. “Doubly homophobic.”
Likewise, there is not a single player in the top five leagues who has openly admitted to being gay. There was even a campaign in which several players allegedly planned to come out of the closet on the same day. That did not happen. “I think it is very difficult. We footballers are not there yet, we still have a long way to go. There is a party of support for groups, but behind closed doors a lot of changes need to be made… That is what needs to change. From below. Career training, consent, care, mental health… “It’s the same in other industries and on the street. Football is a very masculinized environment,” Bellerin reflects.
The Rubiales Case
The extensive hour-long podcast also covered what happened to Luis Rubiales after the Women’s World Cup, a case that has caused outrage among the party: “I felt it was very unfair because all the spotlights were on the other side. They had just become world champions.. All attention was once again focused on one person, the only person other than the coach. “After everything they had accomplished as a group of women.”
It was an issue he discussed openly with other Betis teammates, who were able to change their minds given the social implications the issue had: “I think many of my peers now think completely differently. The sad thing about this is that something like this had to happen for people to think about this abuse and persecution. There is a part that I would call positive, which is how people realized this, but unfortunately it had to happen. There is no room for silence about these things. “They affect us all.”
Nature, Betis and Life
Bellerin began the interview by remembering why things are like this today. Progress has been made in this regard over the years. And it all started with the coronavirus and his desire to return to Spain: “I spent COVID alone on a farm. I spent it despite the tragedy in my bubble… I was in nature, I left the house and saw only trees, outside of buildings and noise. It made me rethink many things, what I wanted in this life and how to live it. I only listened to Camarón, José Mercé, I only wanted to eat lentils. The Spanish universe demanded me. Betis is calling me and I have been a Betic player since I was a kid. I came and said: “This is my place”. Thank God, I am back where I want to be.“.
More specifically about Betis: “I shared a dressing room with Ceballos and we talked about playing together at Betis.” During COVID, when you could stay with two or three people, we would get together and watch Betis games wearing the jersey.“London was different, of course: ‘It’s the tip of the iceberg of capitalism, economically and socially. It cost me a lot.’
His lifestyle led him to new relationships and a profile very different from the average footballer. Something that even cost her in her relationship with her current partner: “She would never have imagined herself with a footballer. She’s a university student, a social worker, a tattoo artist, an artist… When we met, she was throwing my life back. I became closer to her and she gave me life because football takes you away from social reality a lot.. Sympathy, these conversations… This everyday life made me very happy. “Football is conservative, it comes from the military, from the prototype of the warrior man.”
Finally, Bellerin touched on another issue that is relevant after Estopa’s speech, which went viral on social media, or Luis de la Fuente’s victory in the European Cup. Is there a meritocracy, a law according to which those who work hard achieve what they set out to do? Here is the defender’s opinion: “My life has been full of moments of luck. People told me that I worked hard, but I was also lucky. In the game against Espanyol, two right-backs were injured and I was playing, and that day an Arsenal scout was there. He called me and said he was a striker from Second B and a striker from the Champions League.“.
This is Hector Bellerin, with his strengths and weaknesses. Another footballerIt is clear, but who would dare to put forward the proposal: female football players should earn the same as male football players.