Many football players feel empty after hanging their boots. Has it happened to you too?

The feeling I have is that I ended up with the best. I don't feel so excited when I see my former colleagues in the field. I have naturally adapted to the new situation. I'm comfortable. It's not easy to find your place in this transition, and I think the adaptation process started yet with football. I was warned and I have come to this new stage.

As a child you follow the ball, but one day you end football. And you just have to cross that ravine.

I think there is a clear gap there. There are dynamics to help those who have to leave football. But this guidance is still not very available. In clubs there is no person who can help you and should be. Fortunately, more and more players are finishing their studies, knowing that life is long. Many football players do not have enough money to spend our whole lives peacefully. The paths of the future must be addressed from the youth.

After retirement, what do you miss?

I will refer to the relationships that arise in a locker room. Sharing experiences, everyday life… The dressing room was my second family, I spent almost more time with my colleagues than with my family. Very strong relationships are established within a group. They're now cooling down, even if they try to keep them.

In another case, what is a dressing room of 25 players?

Each player has physical, technical and psychological characteristics. Managing these three areas can be difficult. I, as captain, have been much easier to manage a Segundo costume. In First Division, there is more ego and more power. When playing amongst the best, criticism and amendments are not taken entirely well.

Do players have more strength than coaches? What are the power relations within the group?

The trainer must be consistent with his/her point of view and properly convey it to the team. If it is not consistent, the footballers do so immediately. “Now you’re saying this, but before you said the other.” Players don't become so accomplices against a coach, but if they see that they're weak or have contradictions, they stop believing in the coach's message. This inevitably affects the countryside. Try to do the best you have, but inside you have a conflict. They are not the best conditions to compete.

Where does love come from to football?

More than “love,” I would say “hobby.” As a child I spent the day behind the ball: in the hallway of the house, in the ikastola… For me, the ball is the most beautiful and entertaining toy in the world. With such a simple thing you can spend hours. That's what makes football big, and that's why it creates so much hobby. I've always managed very well. He had a natural skill with the ball and was one of the best in class.

He then turned 15 as a professional and played 400 games. What do those figures say? Have you fulfilled all your dreams?

Being young, professionalizing myself wasn't a dream for me. I saw it far away, and even more, I did a bit of rejection, because it seemed to me a demanding world. Life has ultimately led me down that road, but I've never had expectations. I was still too young when I became a professional, and I didn't make great reflections. But at first I played very little and had a crisis. It wasn't clear whether or not I was still in football. It went through my head to quit football and start working as a professor. It was difficult times.

And how did he release the knot?

I put it all over the table and I decidedly bet on football. I had the opportunity to go to Vigo. There I clarified my future. I returned from Celta to become a football player and full of trust. Since then I have had some changing moments, but for all these years I have felt strong. I have worked hard to be important in Health and have had the honor of being a captain.

What did you like the most in these years?

Have turned the state of health and lived the centenary in Primera División and as a player. We experienced a very harsh situation ten years ago and I am very proud of how the club is now. I am not saying that it was just a merit of the players, all of us who formed the club participated in the transformation, including the amateurs. It was a great feat. It's amazing because Health was about to die. There was not even money to buy fruit. I asked myself here a fruit maker from the area, to see if she would give us fruit in exchange for sponsoring the group.

Is there something like the excitement of playing a game or scoring a goal?

You don't enjoy the match day. Nervousness and tension overload you. Instead, what comes after a victory is nice. And what goals do is also very special. On the one hand, I would mention the noise the ball produces with the net when introducing a goal. It's very special. And of course, what to say about the excitement that it feels at the time… Nothing else has made me feel like this. It's a three-second explosion. He is very happy and at the same time provokes very strong emotions in amateurs. I don't know if another person is able to generate these kinds of feelings.

In a sport that attracts so many people, criticism is also the daily bread.

I have received criticism at the most critical moments in the group. It's normal, but it's not easy to manage. When this happens, you destroy yourself completely in the field. But turning around makes you stronger and you reach another level of consciousness. More and more clubs have a sports psychologist. It is necessary, but I have some doubts. Because I don't know if you have to protect the player so much, or if you have to live on your own situations in order to open your eyes. Sure, a psychologist will give you tools, and that's fine.

Is the body given too much wood in professional football?

Yes, calls from the body are not served. It must always be prepared. If you're not, another will advance you. The body sometimes needs rest, but you keep squeezing. More and more games are being played and I am concerned about the health of football players. Pushing the body to the limit, I don't know how we're going to end.

What do you think about the importance of football today?

I've been a football player, but I don't understand how people are so obsessed with football. I am referring to those who have that point of fanaticism. I find it sad not to have another issue, and to think only of the Sunday match. I am sorry that there are so many people who only eat football. It's a tool for working very nice values, okay, but it's also an opium from the people. I am very critical of that. They keep people entertained, while we don't pay attention to much more important things.

Did he have the same vision when he was fully performing in football?

Yes, I used to feel that anger. Moreover, from within, I think it is a liar world. There is great competitiveness and people use you. In these situations, I've never felt comfortable.

So you would feel great contradictions within you.

Totally. And when I was overflowing with those contradictions, I lost my passion for being a football player. I have usually left that internal conflict aside, because I knew that only a few years ago in football. I really like sport and economic performance is very high.

Have you had freedom of speech as a football player or had to measure words?

This has been one of the great conflicts I have had within me. I have had to measure words a lot, especially when it comes to showing my political and social trends. He knew that he was not just a football player, but a representative of a club, in a territory as complex as Navarre and wonderful. I have had to bite my tongue many times.

You have often had the Basque language and have had a place in Osasuna.

My personal commitment has been to involve the Basque people. Protecting the Basque country did not feel the need to be careful. I think I have had a good job in promoting linguistic normalisation together with coach [Jagoba Arrasate]. I am concerned about the use of Euskera and there is a lot of work to be done. In this sense, Basque referrals are necessary.

How important have you been to participate in the Basque selection?

Being honest, I also have a contradiction. On the one hand, I am proud to have represented Navarre in the Basque selection, or rather in the selection of the Basque Country. Navarre is the mother of all and I have had the honour of replacing myself as a Osasuna player. On the other hand, I was aware that I was not called because I was one of the best players in Euskal Herria, I was going as a representative of Navarra, almost by militancy. I was a little embarrassed because I saw that the others were better players.

If the Spanish team called you, what would you do?

Well, I think I would go. I have a militant, romantic party that asks me to bet on our land. But I have another voice telling me that I have to relativize. It is football and I believe that playing in the Spanish team does not compromise your Basque identity.

When football teams are losing the local, Osasuna remains tied to the roots. Proof of this is the importance of the quarry.

This wager is there and the adherence of fans remains important. Let us see if this is the case in the future, but it is not easy. Groups today are large companies that risk losing their natural idiosyncrasy. The authorities will have a great challenge if football continues to develop in that direction. However, it has been observed that there are also cycles on the football route. We are now at a high point, but there can also be a decline, whether economic or otherwise.

Looking forward, are you attracted to the job of a coach?

I think it would be able to do well. As a player, I've been the extension of the coach in the field. But I know what it means to be a coach and I'm not totally convinced. In addition, the weekends would be filled with work again and would have to drag the family. It's not comfortable. Yes, I finished my soccer career in Cyprus, and it was a very nice experience. I also formed a rock group, The Clozes, along with some members of the group. I am proud of that too!

What does your body ask for now?

I'm spending time resting and trying to put things in place. In this process, I found something very interesting and motivating: breathing. I'm doing good training on this. Aimed at the well-being of people. Breathing is a basic function that we must relearn. It is closely related to sports, as good oxygenation brings great benefits. There's something done and I'm very active. Will I join football? I don't know. You know.