"I'm glad people want me as a starter. You miss opportunities by relaxing and I don't ever want to fall back. I'm playing again and scoring goals. That's what's important to me."

"I never give up. I always try to improve. You have to be stronger in the face of adversity. That's what's helped me become a better player and a better person. It was hard for me to reach far both here and on the national team. I've done well. I'm happy and I want to continue this way."

"This year was always going to be more complicated because great signings were made. I regard myself as a hard worker. These new players strengthen the Club and the rest of us because they give us strength to compete harder."

"My agent is in charge of negotiating contract extensions. I only think about performing well and about our match against Xerez, which is very important to us. I feel close to the Club and I will continue to give it my best. I'm happy here and I feel the fans support me. It makes me feel comfortable and it gives me a drive to carry on."

"Karim and I get along fine. There are nor problems between us. We compete for a position on the pitch, but we could also play together, He is a great international and I feel comfortable with him. No one likes to be benched, but that isn't to say we won't pass the ball to each other." 

 

"I feel better each day. Playing games has made me more confident. Every goal I've scored is special. They all make me happy, regardless of how important they've been in relation to each other."

"We depend on ourselves. It is no good to lose if Atletico manage to defeat Barcelona. The match against Xerez will be difficult because there is much at stake for them. Barcelona drop few points, but we are better each week. If we continue to play this well, they will eventually drop points and we might catch up. It isn't crazy to think it could happen."

"We can't afford to think about our match against Olympique Lyonnais yet. It will be very important to avoid losing in France. A draw would be an important result for us."