Montoya: “I regained my confidence in Greece, the Cup with Aris is a dream”

THE Martin Montoya speaking on Marca radio, he emphasized that his choice to come to Mars and how the many Spaniards in the team played an important role in this. As he said, he felt like a football player again and focused on the team’s big dream, which is none other than winning the Greek Cup. What the 32-year-old back said in detail:

For moving to Greece: “The truth is that this is a completely different adventure. Apart from Spain, I had the opportunity to play in Italy and England. It’s another new experience for me. Now is good. Like any new beginning in life, it is difficult at first when you go with your family to a new country, where the language is different and you have to adapt quickly. But for now everything is fine. It’s true that I’m very happy and I’ve adapted.”

On the topic of consultation: “Everyone here speaks English. Wherever you go in Thessaloniki. English and in the locker room with the staff. Wherever you go, after all, English is necessary, you have to know it to be able to get along. Now we are starting to learn a little Greek, slowly, a few words. But I am lucky because there are several Spanish players in the team. In the locker room are Julian (s.s. Cuesta), Fran Veleth, Ruben Pardo, Loren (s.s. Moron). Manu Garcia, Fatore. There are also several Spanish-speaking players. I think we are 10-12 people. Of course, Cuesta and Veleth, who have been with the team for many years, stand out. So everything is easier, every day and more. They help me a lot with everything I need both inside and outside the team.”

About life in Thessaloniki: “The truth is that Thessaloniki is a nice city, with tourism, that is worth visiting. There are many people, many universities, it looks like Seville. People go out a lot. It is a big and beautiful city, which has a sea. But in the end, since I have my family here with my three children, most of a footballer’s time is at home. However, sometimes we go out a little when obligations allow it.”

On the decision to move to Mars: “The summer was a bit complicated for me. When you know that you are in a group that doesn’t give you opportunities, doesn’t trust you and tells you so, the best thing to do is to look for a way out. It wasn’t a pleasant summer, waiting every day for your team representative to call you to discuss how to leave. I also consulted my family because it’s a bit complicated. I spent three years at Betis and that was good. It is true that last year I played a little, I was left out of the UEFA list. I definitely could have fought a little more. Having played few matches, it is difficult to find a club to trust you, because they might think that you are physically bad. I had to look at the market to see what options there might be. This option (s.s. Mars) came out for Lauren. He came a little earlier than me, I spoke with him, discussed with my wife and my representative and we made the difficult decision to come to Greece. With the thought that the league might not be as competitive as in Spain, England or Italy where I also played. But in the end you have to make some decisions and all of that played a role.”

For his presence on Mars: “It is true that I regained my confidence in Greece. I feel important and play in most games. For a player who had no playing time and only played six matches last year it was not easy. When you don’t play, you don’t play, you don’t play. Here is my chance. In Aris they give me the opportunity to play, not so much on the right, but mainly on the left. I’m important here. I feel happy to be able to play minutes and feel like a footballer again. In the end, what you want in this profession is to play. No matter how much money you make, if you don’t feel appreciated you can’t go on.”

For the Mars targets: “The team is fifth at the moment, but we have a big dream. The conquest of the Greek Cup, where we are in the final”.