Abidal: "I'm not worried about Maxwell's arrival"

Barcelona player Eric Abidal gave an interview to Spanish sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.





What have you done during your vacation?
I have travelled a lot with my family. I've been in Miami, New York, Italy, Tunisia, Mallorca, France and Barcelona.

Are you worried about having to compete with Maxwell?
I am not concerned about Maxwell's arrival. He will make the team better and that is fine by me. The more competition there is, the higher the level will become within the team.

Any thougths on Maxwell?
Vieira has told me about him. He is another type of player, he is technical and a quality player that often joins the attack.

This is your third season in the club. What do you like best about Barcelona?
Everything. The club is perfect, the food, and people who are very nice to me, not just at the club but everywhere I go.

What food do you like?
That must be 'pa with tomaquet' (literally: bread with tomato), with potatoes and pasta at Negro. I've never tasted anything like it. It's splendid.

Since we talk about food, have you thougth about expanding your restaurant business to Barcelona?
Not to Barcelona yet, but to Paris. At the moment me and my partner are looking for a place in Paris. We want another 'Cafe dels Negociants' as the one in Lyon, in Paris.

An old friend and colleague of yours in Lyon, Benzema, will now be your rival in Real Madrid. You know him well, will you ask Guardiola to mark him?
No, I won't ask anything. He tells me where to play, either as a full-back or central defender, but we're having many good players in the centre, so it might be better they mark him.

Another friend of yours is Ribery. Do you think it's more likely to see him at Real Madrid than at Barca?
I think that he likes both teams because the football style suits him and he would have friends in either club. It's not so much that he prefers to go to Madrid, but his wife prefers Madrid over Barcelona. I have sent pictures to him via my mobile phone of all the pretty houses here, but it is difficult to convince him. Besides, he has the same agent who used to represent Zinedine Zidane. 'Zizou' is now at Madrid and as he's a reference for all the French players that can also play a role. But it seems like Bayern won't sell.

Have you tried to convince him to join Barcelona?
I told him that it would be better if he signed for Barca, a club that is perfect for him because we will come back and win another treble, and he can play alongside Leo Messi, the next Ballon d'Or winner. That's my dream, and I'm convinced we will win at least two or three titles. Besides, Anelka also already warned him that Real is not an easy club to play for.

translated by: Sandvik


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Abidal: "I stand in line like everyone"

Barcelona player Eric Abidal gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





Are you aware that the start of your season wasn't the best we have seen from you?
It wasn't the best, that's true. The thing is that we played a bad European championship with France and I wasn't at my best level. I started the season with Barça at the same level and things didn't turn out the way I wanted. My head wasn't good, my legs either. If you don't feel well, that has an influence on a lot of aspects of your life. But I want to point out one thing: the people in this club are intelligent and they understand that someone can have troubles at a given moment. It's normal there are highs and lows in the career of a football player and sometimes it's better to take a break to come back with renewed energy later.

You're refering to the technical staff?
I explained them what was happening and they immediately understood it without making any problem. But I'm also refering to my teammates. They have behaved in a spectacular way and I thank them for their support.

What would you highlight from Pep?
He has a way of working that is quite different compared to Rijkaard: with Pep everything is clear and that has an influence on the results. If you train and work well, you know that you'll also going to play well. What I like about Pep are those details and those gestures off the pitch. This year there are new rules, that's true, but it works. We started well and we won our games but nothing is decided yet. The system is hard but it's a good way of working. We're all in it together, that's the most important thing in every project.

You're a good professional, so you didn't find it hard to adapt.
Integrity is my device. I always work very seriously but off the pitch there should be happiness and companionship. We all have the same objective. Last year we just hadn't enough luck. Only that, because we had a quality squad with great players. We all have our qualities and this year the group didn't change a lot.

You always look very serious. Is this real or are there two Abidals? You're just acting cool?
There aren't two Abidals! There's only one. The one looking that serious on the pictures you showed me is real. I'm feeling good, I'm happy, I'm a good person who wants to share everything with everyone, but if you're messing with me, you're out. I'm serious and straightforward and I like people to be straight with me as well. If they hurt me or my family, that's the end.

Seriously, when do you smile?
Every time I'm with my daughters. My life now turns around football. It's true that my work is my passion, but that's not the essence of life. We'll see where we will go or what we will do after my career. Abidal always has that in mind, what will come afterwards. There are people who are going through bad times and who aren't as fortunate as we are. There are days you can be happy but you cannot forget the world in which you life and where some people have nothing to eat.

You feel privileged?
Privileged because I like football and because that's my job, but when I'm going shopping at the supermarket I stand in the line like everyone. Children have a positive idea of football players and that's a good thing.

What kind of person are you off the pitch?
Abidal is always at home. My daily life is easy to explain. Training, going home to do a siesta, getting my daughters from school, eating at home and that's it. I like the city but I don't go out a lot. Sometimes I go out for a drive but only to go and eat quality fish, which I like a lot. I adore fish.


This is the second part of this interview. You can read the first part here:
Abidal: "If Busquets was black, he would be 35"

Abidal: "If Busquets was black, he would be 35"

Barcelona player Eric Abidal gave an interview to Catalan sports paper Sport.





How is your second season at Barça going? Are there differences with the first one?
For me, the two seasons are completely different. The first was all about adapting to a new coach, new players, I didn't understand the language. It wasn't impossible to communicate but it's always better to talk Spanish. The worst thing was that at the end the results weren't like we expected. Despite the players being almost the same ones, this year we have a new coach, the games turn out well, we're first and everything goes fine.

You had problems finding your place last year?
When I arrived, I noticed that the rhythm of the league was different. I already said that playing games at 10 pm is very strange. Everything is done very late here. Lunch at 2 pm. Everything changed. My body didn't accept that way of working but now I already know how things work and I feel very good and well-integrated. I don't have any problems.

The injury is also something of the past.
Yes. More than two weeks ago, I returned after having been injured for one month. I didn't take part in a few games but the most important thing is that the team did well.

You were afraid to lose momentum in a team in which a spot in the starting eleven is very expensive.
At Barça, it's hard indeed. But the best thing to recover from my knee injury was to stop a few weeks to then afterwards come back even stronger.

You considered to undergo surgery?
I wanted to avoid it at all costs and I achieved it. Surgery meant being out for three months. I talked with Bernard Moyen, a surgeon who works for Olympique Lyon and a close friend of mine, and with Barcelona team doctor Ramon Cugat and both recommended a conservative treatment. Moyen knows me well since he already operated me twice and I have full confidence in his advice.

How is the atmosphere in the dressingroom now?
Very good. It truly is. Of course it's easier when things are going well. Every morning there's loud music, we're all happy to train and motivated to play games. There's that positive dynamics due to the results.

How is the team doing in your opinion?
Incredibly, a touch here, a touch there. During my injury, I saw the games from the stands and I found out the other teams couldn't hold the ball more than 10 minutes in a whole game. It's difficult to defeat Barça, but I think we still can make progress. There are always things that can get better. We're playing at a good level, but the most difficult thing is to keep the level. Barça has to continue like this, with caution and modesty, because there's nothing decided yet. If we are too sure of ourselves, we'll pay it in the end.

What do you think about the youth players?
Oh man. Sergio Busquets plays like he's playing in the first division for years. He looks young, but in fact he isn't. If Busi would have been black, he sure would be 35 years old, but since he's white, he should be 20. Guardiola knows all the youth players very well and it's positive he gives them chances.

This was the first part of this interview. You'll be able to read the second part in the coming days with Abidal talking -among other things- about what he's doing in his free time and revealing if he ever smiles, and if so, when he does it.

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