For Olympichis world, the great moments he lived in the port, the historic season that the people of Piraeus are going through and Medilibar, with whom they are friends, spoke Ernesto Valverde.
“The only message I could send them is that I am one of them“, he said through Mega, addressing the friends of the “red and white” (or the Olympiakares, as he characteristically mentioned).
At the same time, he mentioned his presence Jose Luis Mendiliberwho he knows very well and revealed the message he plans to send him after the Conference League final against Fiorentina.
He spoke in detail about:
– his bond with Olympiakos: “Of course yes, it is. There are things that when you go to a group you can’t imagine that can happen. When I came to Greece I could not have known that all this would happen. And there it was all strange to me. From the moment I made the decision I never imagined that I would spend three years there. That I would have this terrible experience. So incredible for me, both for me and my family and sharing these years with people who didn’t make me feel like a stranger.
Because I was a foreigner going there to look for a job, to have a job and to work in Greece and see how people treated me, how they recognized me, not only the fans of Olympiakos but also the other teams and the generosity that all these people had with me. That relationship will always be there.”
As for what he loved most about Olympiakos, he said that “it’s hard to single it out.” After all, it always is. The club is a whole. From the people, from the chairman who helps you and pushes you to be there, from the people who work for the team every day and you see them willing to help you win games.
And of course the amazing fans that Olympiacos has and they encourage you every second in Karaiskakis. Where you go to Australia and they are there and you don’t know how they got there. You go to Germany and it’s the same. Olympiacos is a way of looking at things. They are the emotions of the world and you carry these emotions with you. In the end you realize that this means a lot to a lot of people».
-how he felt when he heard his name, while he was on the bench: “I don’t know, so that was amazing. It happened to me when I was in Bilbao. I was walking in Bilbao and I met Greek tourists and they started singing (it) in the middle of the street and I was ‘dying’ from embarrassment. The whole street was full of people and everyone was singing to them. And I was telling them stop, stop please!
Don’t say anything. I do not know. It is something that has not happened to me many times, but I experienced it many times in Greece. I would love to say it. I would love to sing it to them from the field right? It is something like that but it didn’t look very good and I wouldn’t know how to do it. But as I explained to you it is an incredible thing»!
– the memories he has of Olympiakos: “For the memories he had he underlined how he has “many pictures with the fans. I remember the people who came when the bus stopped. When we went to play in Volos or Panaitolikos. We went everywhere and Olympiakos fans were everywhere! Or in Athens when we went to play derby. Amazing pictures. I have memories of incredible situations.
Also the generosity of the people towards me was incredible. I remember a story when we went on vacation with my family to Mystras to see Monemvasia, Sparta and Mystras. We parked the car at the hotel and the day after we left they had painted on the road: ‘Thank you Ernesto for everything you have given us!’
Olympiakos fans painted a graffiti, which usually gets you jailed. There was the graffiti, in front of my car and I and my family were ‘hallucinating’. They asked what is this? I explained to them that this is how things are here. The same when I was lost in any place. In an island. In Milos. And you arrive at a restaurant and a lady, even though she was AEK, invites you to eat. No, I want to pay. No, no, we’re inviting you, please. There was something special that I felt there and people felt it with me.
I do not know. I often wonder why. I guess it helped that we were winning games. And in general what we achieved. We turned the volume down a bit. In Greece, people are very carried away with football. Sometimes (a little) too much importance is given to it».
– the fact that in Greece they live football more intensely than in Spain: “Yes. More than Spain. In Greece they always like to say: ‘We are crazy about football’. Here in Spain it is less though. But Bilbao is also a bit like Olympiakos in that sense.”
What matters more is the style the team has. It’s what you call the team’s DNA. It is important that players and coaches can adapt to this. It is clear that each coach has his own way of coaching and that is why they are hired. That’s why Olympiacos hired me. That’s why he also took Medilibar.
Because he has his own style that he wants to bring to the team but at the same time the coach has to take into account what the team needs and what the team is. Olympiacos is a strong team. It is a team that always fights. This is what its fans are asking for, a team that always chases victory. There lies the key. That the coaches and the players can adapt to them».
-whether it is important for a coach to have been a player: “No, it is not important (that the coaches have been there before the players). It helps to have been a player as you know the climate. You know the game and you know the dressing room which are things that help to know but many managers who were not players or were not good players have achieved a lot in football. It is not a necessary condition but it helps».
-Medilibar’s friend and their successes: “Of course he is (Medilibar is his friend). We played together about 40 years ago. We were teammates. We are now fellow coaches and have faced each other many times with different teams. We know each other well. I knew very well that he would be a great fit at Olympiakos from the way he sees football because he is a hard-working coach.
Tough too. He likes attacking football and high pressure. He knows this will work. And I’m very happy for him because he deserves it. Because he lives what I had lived then and he enjoys it. And him going to Olympiakos and enjoying it means a lot. It is a great experience.
As I usually say, Basque coaches have something different. I guess we have something. There are many in the Premier who are also successful in Europe. It is also certain that there are Basque players who will become coaches. And yeah, I don’t know, maybe it works really well (that). We suit Olympiacos very well. Maybe this is it. But it works.
The results make their coaches good. And if the results are good… Because we are all chasing the same thing and sometimes it is very difficult. There are good coaches who are not helped by the results. It has happened to me, to Mediliber and to all of us. It’s all about the moment. Also knowing where you are. Which team do you work for? And you definitely need a little luck too, which we always have to look for. In other words, it is not given to you, you have to look for it».
-his victories and successes: “I always remember the successes we had at Olympiakos. The championships we won together, the Cups. These remain. But defeats are also a part of life».
-which Olympiacos match does he remember the most: “Only one; If you ask me to remember just one game I will say that Cup final we won on penalties. That 4-4 with AEK. We won after 34-35 penalties, I don’t remember. It was something incredible. It was an amazing game. A game that never ended. If I have to remember one season I would say the last one. Because we had a terrible year. The team played very well. We had amazing players like Torosidis, Melberg, Ibagasa, Orbaith, Marcano and Holebas. We had a group. Makun, Miralas… We had a terrible team and we played very well. We won the Championship.
The team took steps forward. We had a good run in the Champions League and we did very well in Europa. We were unlucky enough to be kicked out within 5 minutes. One of the nicest images I remember, even though we were eliminated by Metalist in our stadium, the fans in Karaiskakis gave us a standing ovation! It was recognition. That year we could have gone far in Europa, but we lacked something at the end. The last year I worked at Olympiakos was a fantastic year».
– the message he wants to send to the world of Olympiakos: “To Olympiakos fans? In all Olympiakares? What I would tell them is something they always do. To support their team until the end. In any game and in any situation. To always be with their team but anyway they always are. There’s no way it’s not there. They love Olympiakos.
The only message I could send them is that I am one of them. After 3 years of being in the team and what we experienced together, you finally join the world. I am also part of them».
– where he will see the final with Fiorentina: “I do not know. I’m thinking about it. I don’t want to stress because it is a historic game for Olympiakos. I know it’s a tough match. It’s a final. Anything can happen. I will cheer as much as I can so that Olympiacos can win this title.
No. No. I’m not going to analyze the game. No. No, this is not the time. I will watch it as a fan. I will be on vacation. I’ll be relaxed and watch it as a fan. I will cheer. I’m not that much of a hooligan. I’m not. But yes. I’ll watch it from a distance and I’m not going to analyze it.” He then said that if he had not succeeded in Olympiakos, his relationship with the club would not be what it is now».
-what family means and the message it will send to Mendiliber after the final: “Family is everything. Everything is done for them. This applies to everyone. Olympiacos is in a prominent position. Because those three years were some of the best adventures of my life.
Congratulations basically means congratulations. We talk about it after the match. That’s what I’m thinking. To send a message to Medlibar after the match saying Congratulations. This will mean that Olympiacos will have won. If we lose I will send him the same message because it has been a good season that deserves congratulations win or lose. I will send a Congratulations to Mendiliber regardless of whether they win or lose because Olympiakos’ season is historic».
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.
