Iago: "Rivaldo was at the level as Ronaldinho"

Former Barcelona Atlètic and current Juventus player Iago Falqué gave an interview to Madrid sports tabloid As.





How is football in Italy?
Very different compared to Spain, starting with how young players are treated. You will hardly see boys of 18 years old playing with the first team unless they are real phenomenons. They put the emphasis on the fact that you should be well-prepared and that you need time to get there.

Which doesn't seem a bad thing to me. It's good to go step by step.
Indeed, and I have a lot of time: I signed for four years.

What about the game?
The tactical part is the most important one. Games are very carefully prepared. With attention for the little details, there's nothing that isn't discussed. In Spain, they don't work that much on the tactical aspect, there's more freedom, above all in the defense. Here they defend with eleven players. It's football and chess at the same time. It's just a totally different game. The mixture of both styles will sure make me a better player.

Which teammate has impressed you most?
Pavel Nedved. Of course, the fourteen years that Del Piero has been at the club isn't nothing and the day I sat by his side in the dressingroom, I got emotional. But the Czech is impressive: he's 36 years old and he has won everything but he still has the same desire and ambition as the first day. He plays ninety minutes, Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday.

What about Buffon?
I don't see him a lot. Since he's injured we meet almost never. But when we do, he always slaps my shoulder and greets me. It seems a good guy and he behaves the same with me as with the other teammates: well-mannered and always encouraging. None of the players behave like a star.

How are the fans? The press?
The fans are very passionate, I think it's comparable like in Spain. And the press puts a lot of pressure, also like in Spain. You have several sports papers, the general papers are also focusing on football, radio stations, television channels... This isn't England where a journalist appears every now and then. Here, there's pressure if you lose. And Juventus is the number one club in Italy...

But not in Turin, which is very strange.
Yes, Torino has more fans in Turin than Juventus. It's a historical thing since Torino had the first great Italian team. The memory remains and they are still loved by a lot of people.

Who was your idol when you were young?
Rivaldo. An extraordinary player who hasn't been treated fairly in Spain. For me he was at the same level as the best Ronaldinho... or even better. But he played in a Barça that wasn't as good as the team of today and he paid for that. But what a player!

What do people in Italy think about the Spanish league? They consider Barça to be far ahead of the other teams?
Well, the day they played against Madrid, that didn't seem to be the case to me. It wasn't easy for Madrid to play that game with that many non-available players, with a new coach. Of course Barça was superior, but I have the feeling that it's Messi who is superior, he makes the difference. And when Barça loses him one day, they will have a bad time because he's the one who decides the games. They are the favourites for the league title - saying otherwise would be strange if you look at the table - but there's a lot of season left. The reasonable thing is to wait and see how it will turn out.

What about the Spanish national team?
The Italians don't put in doubt the superiority and the quality of Spain. We won the European championship by playing football, not by speculating like Greece in 2004. Even the last fifteen minutes of the final Germany wasn't able to attack! Even then the chances were ours. What a tournament we played...

You could take part in the European Championship Under-19 and the World Cup Under-20 this season.
I would like to play both tournaments but the competition is realy strong and I'll have to fight for my spot.


This was the second and last part of this interview. Read the first part here:
"I had seven great years at Barça"

Read more:
Barça B: Iago talks about exit
Barça B - Official: Iago to Juventus
Barça B: Manchester United offer for Iago