Four Four Two - UK (2021-12)

Valencia brought in Rafa, who’d been doing

a brilliant job at Tenerife. He was perfect for

Valencia for several reasons. He was a clever

man and he treated people in the right way.

Our squad didn’t have a superstar, but it was

a solid group who were committed to Rafa.

In his first season, we won the league after

a 31-year wait. We would win the title again,

plus the UEFA Cup, two seasons later. I have

some great memories of my time at Valencia.

Do you remember the Champions League

semi-final victory over Leeds in 2000-01?

Of course. The second leg was my debut in

the Champions League! I was young and it’s

not easy to make your debut in a semi-final.

I was really anxious and knew I had to leave

You played with Ronaldinho in Brazil’s 2000

Olympics team. Just how amazing was he?

It was like something out of this world – he

could basically do whatever he wanted with

the ball. I’ve never seen a pure talent like his;

it was great to play alongside him for Brazil.

It’s a shame that we lost to Cameroon, who

eventually won the gold medal. We had such

a good squad and should have done better.

You joined Valencia in 2000 and spent six

years there. Why did Rafael Benitez have

so much success as manager?

I arrived before Rafa. Hector Cuper was still

the manager and we came close to winning

the Champions League – we lost to Bayern

Munich on penalties in the 2001 final. Then

always a dream to be part of the competition
someday – and sometimes dreams do come
true. Everything about that run was special.
We beat Manchester United, so it wasn’t an
easy route to Wembley at all. When we saw
the other three teams in the semis [Barnsley,
Cardiff and West Brom] we were motivated,
but nothing is given to you in football – we
had to stay focused. To play at Wembley and
bring home a trophy is something that stays
with you for the rest of your life.

You missed the 2010 FA Cup Final defeat to
Chelsea after snapping your Achilles. How
tough was that to take?
It was tough to sit that out. If I hadn’t been
there a couple of years earlier, when we won,
it would have hurt more. At least I’ve had the
chance to play in a final and become the only
Icelander to win the FA Cup. So, yeah it was
very disappointing, but you know you’re still
part of it, even if you can’t help on the pitch.

What was Harry Redknapp like as a boss?
His big strength was man management and
the transfer market. He did shrewd deals and
signed superb players like Glen Johnson and
Lassana Diarra, who he bought for £5 million
and sold for £20m. He’s larger than life, and
his energy and passion spreads to everyone
around him. It was a privilege to play for him;
an absolutely fantastic manager to work for.

You collected 89 caps for Iceland but never
reached a major tournament. Considering
what the team has achieved recently, are
you frustrated your era didn’t do similar?
Yeah. We came close to qualifying for a major
finals twice. When Lars Lagerback took over
in 2011, the year I retired from internationals,
he brought in more professionalism around
the whole Icelandic FA. When I played, it felt
like we occasionally cut corners. I wonder, if
we’d have done things properly, like they do
now, maybe we’d have qualified a bit sooner.

After hanging up your boots in 2014, you
served as David James’ assistant manager
at Indian outfit Kerala Blasters, and later
Sol Campbell’s No.2 at Southend. Did you
enjoy teaming up with your old Portsmouth
comrades again?
Very much so. It was great of Sol to give me
the opportunity and experience of working in
the Football League, which is what any coach
aims to do eventually. Sol’s just a winner – he
knows exactly what he’s after and wants to
do things right. It was challenging trying to
run a club with no money whatsoever, but he
did a good job. It was tough, but he’s gained
a lot of experience and deserves many more
opportunities. India was a real eye opener for
me, too. It was different from anything I’ve
ever experienced before, but it was amazing.
Football is bigger there than you think; 40,000
people inside the stadium, two hours prior to
kick-off, singing and going insane. The noise
they make is unbelievable. Full credit to the
Indian league. They’re trying to catch up and
promote their football. They want to achieve
something and make the world take notice.
It was incredible to see it up close.

Interview Felipe Rocha

The Brazilian recalls being awed by Ronaldinho’s magic and

bagging trophies with Rafa Benitez at Valencia and Liverpool

“BELLAMY JUST LOST HIS MInD AnD

WEnT TO FInD RIISE WITH A GOLF

CLUB, THEn THE POLICE TURnED UP”

TEAMS

Sao Paulo

Valencia

Liverpool

Gremio

FABIO AURELIO

FourFourTwo December 2021 93