me. I always believed in myself. I knew
that I was a player who could play for
Real Madrid, that I would succeed, and
that I would prove I belonged at Real
Madrid. That didn’t affect me, just like
many other things that people were
saying. I just had my goal, and wasn’t
going to allow something that people
were saying, or some obstacle, to stop
me reaching my goal. I kept believing
in myself and in the end, thank God,
I proved myself.
Towards the end of your first season
at Real Madrid, you hit the equaliser
in a victory at Manchester United, in
what was Alex Ferguson’s last ever
Champions League match. Was that
a key moment for you?
Kyle McGoldrick, Sale
Yeah, I think it was definitely a turning
point for my career in Madrid. I came
on for the last half an hour, played well,
scored a goal and we beat United 2-1.
After that, I started to play more often,
and from that point I started playing
better and better. But even before that
moment, I’d enjoyed some standout
matches for Real Madrid. Not just some
- a lot of games. Perhaps at that stage
people didn’t acknowledge it, because
we were seven or eight points behind
Barcelona in the league table – maybe
more. That Champions League match
was on the biggest stage: Old Trafford,
against Manchester United and in front
of Sir Alex, who has written a foreword
for my autobiography. It was a brilliant
moment, and from there I continued
to grow in Spain.
Which Champions League final win
means the most to you: 2014, 2016,
2017 or 2018?
HugoCampbell,viaInstagram
EveryChampionsLeaguetriumphis
special,butLaDecimain 2014 wasthe
mostspecialbecauseRealMadridhad
waited 12 years– andit wasnumber
10,whichis alsomyfavouritenumber!
[Laughs] Thefinalwhereweplayedthe
bestwasagainstJuventusinCardiff
[in2017],butthemostimportantwas
LaDecima.[FFT: Andinthe 2014 final
againstAtleticoMadridinLisbon,you
providedthecrossforSergioRamosto
heada crucialstoppage-timeleveller...]
Yeahthat’sright,I did.Thatgoalis part
offootballhistory,andI’msohappyit
happenedtomeandSergiobecause
we’reverygoodfriends.It wasa great,
greatmomentfortheclub.
You’veplayedforsometopmanagers
duringyourcareer.Whodoyourate
asthebest?
StuartMcevoy,viaFacebook
Wow...he’sright,I’veplayedforsome
superbcoachesovertheyears.I think
everymanagerhashelpedmetogrow
asa player,butif I havetochooseone- themanunderwhomI’veplayedmy
bestfootball– thenI’dgoforZinedine
Zidane.Myrelationshipwithhimis the
mostspecial.We’vealreadywonmany
trophiestogetheratRealMadrid,and
I believeI’veplayedthebestfootballof
mycareerforZizou.
What did Zidane say to you when he
took over as Real Madrid manager?
Abel Montilla, Madrid
Zizou likes to summon you to his office
sometimes, to speak about what you
need to do more of, how you need to
play, what you’re doing well and what
you’re not doing well, to try to correct
a few things. We had a conversation,
and he said how he was pleased with
me; that I needed to believe in myself;
and that I had potential to be a Ballon
d’Or winner in the near future. When
he said that, I thought, ‘Wow, I never
thought about that’. When a manager
who has recently arrived is telling you
this, it gives you so much confidence
and you’re willing to do everything for
him. For us, when he walked into the
dressing room it was something unique
because of what he represented and
how he was as a coach. His personality
is very strong.Did you consider withdrawing from
the 2018 World Cup, or even retiring
from international football, due to
the criticism you received in Croatia
during the Zdravko Mamic trial?
Karlo Tokic, Zagreb
No, no, not at all. There was loads of
pressure on me at the time, but I never
even considered not continuing to play
for Croatia. For me, to play for Croatia:
there’s nothing bigger. Maybe people
will think, ‘Ah, he’s just saying that’, but
I enjoy every moment. It never crossed
my mind that I wouldn’t play because
of what people were saying.How did it feel to reach the World
Cup final? Did you think the England
players, supporters or media were
arrogant ahead of the semi-final?
Michael Jordan, via Instagram
It was an extraordinary moment for us
to reach the final. It’s the biggest gameYOU ASK
“WHEN YOU GET USED
TO WINNING FINALS
WITH REAL MADRID,
IT’S REALLY TOUGH
TO LOSE THE BIG ONE
WITH YOUR COUNTRY”
10 November 2020 FourFourTwo