“I didn’t act very well, but this contract solved many of my family’s problems” | Relief

Santiago Cañizares (Madrid, 1969) He communicates equally or better than he does when stopping opposing hitters, and those are big words. There have been three teams in the more than 15 years he has played in the First Division and two of them will face each other this weekend. Former Spain international talks about how Celta and Real Madrid are coming in to a duel that sees options for both, but above all He talks about his time on both teams. How Vigo’s team was “transcendental” in his sporting life, his controversial departure to Madrid 20 years ago, his few opportunities at Chamartin, his subsequent visits to both stadiums, and “the pain I felt throughout my career.”

How do you see the Celta vs Real Madrid match this weekend? How do you see both teams?

Both teams are meeting the goals they have set for this season. Real Madrid will win the League where they have every opportunity, even if they are not in the best shape or playing the best. And Celta is a team that shouldn’t have problems, it doesn’t have problems and I don’t think there will be any. In other years there was more expectation, and perhaps it was negative because the team did not start very well. This year I think he’s solvent enough to be in the comfort zone, and then we’ll see if he can strive for something more. I see it from the middle up rather than the middle down and I’m sure it won’t give me as much trouble as it has these years.

What determines more – the loss of Aspas to Celta or the loss of Carvajal and perhaps Militao to Madrid?

Madrid has more players and it is clear that losses are always important and transcendental. Losing Carvajal or Militao is annoying, but they have more players than Celta than when they have a significant loss, and in this case that’s the most important thing because for me Iago Aspas is the best player I’ve seen in the Blues. T-shirt, He loses not only a football player, but also a leader and reference. It’s a shame for Celta and the show. If you ask the coach or any Celta fan which player they would like to play for, they will probably tell you Iago Aspas, and then everyone else.

What do you think about the figure of Claudio Giraldes?

He has that gift that all youth coaches have. First, be prepared and know your profession well, and second, know your players very well. He has absolute knowledge of the team. I think Celta have done too much research on coaches in previous years, getting into risky situations with technicians who haven’t coached in the League before. Some of them were successful, but most were not. It has been shown that those coaches who have been prepared and know the players and the idea of ​​the club very well are ultimately the most profitable because they know what they can do on the field and what each player needs. There are those who need to be squeezed, pressed, and there are those who need calm, peace and confidence. And Claudio knows each of his players personally, and this is very important.

And the arrival of so many homegrown players in recent months?

The arrival of so many young homegrown players is a response to this because their coach knows them, knows very well what their level is and in some way protects them because they know that there is a coach who trusts them because they have improved with your coach. These kids like Claudio Giraldes much more than any other coach.

Does Real Madrid change much with or without Courtois?

Courtois is number 1, Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo among goalkeepers. It is undeniable anywhere, in any place and in any situation. Playing without Courtois is worse than playing with Courtois, that’s obvious, regardless of the quality of the replacement. At the same time, Lunin always gives a guarantee and stability in goal, and Courtois gives something that no goalkeeper gives.

The white team didn’t start very well. Is this worrying?

Of course, this is worrying, because in the end he always has to win, and he has no time to experiment. This is a team with a lot of pressure, where defeat entails a crisis, and this can be seen when it starts poorly and does not play games solvently, there is some concern, this is normal. It is during that period of changing course, after the departure of important figures, that it can sometimes be difficult. They have a team that offers a lot, with all the players playing forward but few who are able to maintain rhythm and control of the game. That is why the figure of Modric has arisen again, because there are no players with such conditions, but there are vertical ones, excellent ones, but with such a profile. We are missing someone who knows how to manage the rhythm, who brings relief when there is a certain amount of pressure and you give him the ball because he takes care of it better than anyone else. I’m talking about Toni Kroos, and the only figure in Real Madrid who is similar to him now is Modric, so he is more important than in previous years.

Take a trip back in time. How do you remember your time as a Celta player?

First of all, a very good scene for me. It was my debut in the First Division, where Celta offered me this opportunity with the full confidence of Pedro Herrera, the then sporting director, and Tshechu Rojo. It was wonderful for me because the city of Vigo also received me very well. I spent two wonderful years and never felt such love in a stadium as in the one they gave me in Vigo. I was a boy just starting out in the First Division who needed the trust of his coach and he had it, who needed the trust of his teammates and he had it, who needed the trust of the fans and he had it. .. When I made a mistake, instead of reproaching me, criticizing me and being strict with me, it was the other way around. Playing football was very comfortable, I had two wonderful years and have exceptional memories of Vigo.

At that time, you were, so to speak, just starting your sports career. Were Vigo and Celta important in this?

I would say that it is more than important that Vigo and Celta played an outstanding role in my career. That’s why I mentioned making the jump and playing in the First Division. A team that also defended very well and this allowed us, in the two years that I was there, to escape without experiencing difficulties, and even play in the final of the Copa del Rey in the second season. In just two years I went from a good second division player to a national team player, went to the World Cup and signed a contract with Real Madrid. It was more transcendental than important.

I have a thorn in my side: this is the Cup final we lost in 1994 to Zaragoza. We were not favorites, we went to penalties, and even in the second half of extra time we had one more player… We were confident that we would win the shootout, perhaps even overly confident. We lost it and it was a big blow because it would have been the first title in its history and I would have liked to leave Celta on top. This is the pain I felt throughout my career, not saving a single penalty in that shootout because we did so well and everyone was confident that I would do better.

In 1994, he left Celta for Real Madrid. How do you remember this signing?

This was not an easy decision and was marked by personal issues I was having at the time. A family in which we were not rich, where in 1991 there was a very serious crisis and where we felt very bad. I needed the contract that Real Madrid offered me to support my family. I didn’t do everything well because I signed a pre-contract with Madrid, although I still had a valid contract with Celta. You used to be able to do this, but now you can’t, but this contract solved a lot of the problems my family had at the time.

There was a lot of fuss in Vigo that summer about his departure. Did you think this was unfair?

The fan did not understand that I had signed a pre-contract with Real Madrid without counting on the club, although Celta later collected a transfer fee in the form of players. The Vigo fan didn’t get it. I also had differences with the President because I asked him for money in advance to be able to solve my problems, he refused and in a way it was a situation between the President and me. Either way, I didn’t do very well. I know this, I understand it, and I have asked for forgiveness many times.

What was your time at Real Madrid like?

Bittersweet. Well, because I came in 1994 with the goal of winning the European Cup, something I hadn’t achieved for many years, and that’s what Ramon Mendoza told me the day I signed. I accomplished this task with that fantastic team that won the Champions League in 1998. Moreover, I played a lot of Champions League matches that season, more than half, but overall I couldn’t play as much as I would have liked.” I have an undeniable solidity of ownership and that is why I left.

Later, when you came to Valencia, what was it like to play at the Balaidos and the Bernabeu?

It was always special for me to play against the teams I played for. In Madrid I had the opportunity to play for Balaidos on a difficult day because they were in danger of relegation and we had already won the league. And I had to play, I was a substitute. We lost 4-0 and there was no color. To be honest, it would be difficult to send Celta into second place. And playing at the Bernabeu is the same. It’s always been special because the feeling is never bad, always good. I believe that a player should be grateful to the teams he plays for, regardless of whether things go well or poorly for him, because he is formed in all of them. They were very different stages, but for me Valencia, Celta and Madrid in the First Division, and Elche and Merida in the Second Division – the teams I played for – are the places where I I feel comfortable because I feel like a small part of the team. history of these clubs.

Now we have to finish and get back to playing this Saturday. Do you offer Celta options?

Celta are playing very well in Balaidos and we have already noted that Madrid are not in their best form. La Liga is very open, for example, the leader lost and did it brutally in Pamplona. This explains why everyone is subject to stumbling. Madrid are the favorites, but if they win it will be uncomfortable. At the start of the championship, Celta are playing very confidently. In other years it brings more pressure and need and makes the team tougher, but now I see Celta playing happy and attractive and that makes them more dangerous. I think it will be a good game and both teams have options.