Him excitement of him for what he achieved with her AEK and his intention not to be satisfied with these was expressed by Matias Almeida.
In an interview with Buenos Aires radio and Roman Iucht, the Argentine clarified that he does not designs about the future and all he thinks about is how he will get there even higher with the “Union”.
So in this context, he was not afraid to put high up ahead of the new season, emphasizing that dream and big goal is participation in its groups Champions League.
Almeida’s interview in detail
– You are in Guadalajara to rest but also for personal-family reasons. Don’t forget that in Mexico you have won two titles, you have experienced great moments…
“Yes, I had time to be with the family and now I enjoy every moment with them…”
-How did your first year in Europe go, specifically in Greece?
“The truth is that it went very well, it was my first time as a coach in Europe. We did great, we won both the Cup and the league and now we have the chance to play in the Champions League. Everything is going well, I’m meeting new people and new cultures and that’s great. We keep improving, learning things and getting better all around.”
-How are the Greeks? We hear the pitches are very… hot. It’s hard to play there. Stadiums with warm fans like the Latinos, something you always liked…
“The Greeks are very passionate as we are. It is as it is in our own fields. I’m constantly learning new things about them too and the truth is that I really like it.”
-You have been through so many countries, so many leagues, so many teams, so many moments, so many different players, so many different nationalities. How have you been doing so far?
“As a player I have experienced this. There were a lot of foreigners in the teams I played in and now in Greece there are different foreigners but this is what I like: Being able to communicate and impart knowledge to other people and to get from them. It’s very pretty, which I like and which is ultimately something that pays off. There is absolutely no problem, just the opposite, it’s nice to communicate.”
-Your dream is to one day reach higher, for example one day to coach Inter, Parma, teams you played for?
“I never like to talk about such things, I don’t dream. I live today and tomorrow and my tomorrow is AEK and how we will build the team to enter the Champions League groups. I am very well here, I am very happy, they treat me excellently.
I came here for a year, but it was the window to Europe. They finally gave me a contract for another five years. They appreciate me, I and the technical team worked very hard and we did very well. I am very grateful for what they have done for me. I’m doing too much work and I’m not moving forward. What I want is to work and achieve things. I’m very well in Greece, I’m doing what I like, I’m in football, although of course it’s always difficult to be away from your family and your people.
Now I am with them again after a year and a half I see my sisters my relatives again. This life always affects but that’s life, that’s football. I live today and do my best.”
– Didn’t someone call you from other teams to tell you to come back, make you a proposal, leave Greece and all that?
“Phone calls have always been there, they haven’t stopped. I don’t know when or if I will return to teams like my beloved Banfield or River that I adore. This is something I don’t know and don’t want to think about. In any case, I am not going to work in Argentina again. I live today and today I am in Greece. Everything is going very well and again I am grateful for that. Know that I have no intention of training until I’m 70. Life has other things, but I live today and today is in Greece.”
-How is football in Greece compared to ours and other leagues in the world?
“Wherever you look at football and the five major leagues in Europe or in Greece or Turkey or America or Argentina, things are clear: There are five teams everywhere that are leading and there are specifically us where you see very good football and there are others that I don’t see the same good football. This is happening everywhere and we need to understand it very well.”
-The Champions League final took place on Saturday, we all saw it. Are you thinking about it for next year?
“Obviously I think so, that’s why we’re building the team. We have to play two qualifiers to get to the groups and hear that famous Champions League music which we really want. At least with one win we can play in the Europa League and at least we have the Conference. But certainly the Champions is the big goal and that’s why we are working to get through to the groups.
It is a challenge for all of us to play in the Champions League, it is very important we want it very much it is a great competition with great teams. Of course going in is difficult, but in a football game it’s 11 against 11 and anything can happen. Certainly there are teams with great personalities who can judge a game by themselves but on the other hand there is strategy, there is tactics, there is passion, there is mood and I say again football is a sport in which anything can happen.
In the final City won because they completed a perfect year. She wanted the trophy and she got it because she herself tried and fought. “Inter are deserving and should be proud, but City showed they were better.”
– Have you ever thought about becoming a federalist?
“There were moments when I was very close to the bench of Chile and Costa Rica and Ecuador. Now I’m in AEK, my present is in AEK, I don’t know what will happen in the future. It is something different, it also has the work and effort it needs, it is another life. Now I’m not thinking about it, I can’t rule it out in the future, but I say again, I’m living today.”
-You have worked in America. Messi will play in America, how do you see him there…
“It’s one of the best leagues in the world, it won’t be easy at all. They may be far from Europe, but the organization and development they have is impressive…”
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
