NEWS | 24/03/2017
The Real Madrid defender was the first to take part in the 'Campo de Estrellas' program on Realmadrid TV."Back then, I remember I used to start school at 9:30 and I'd always go in half an hour before to play football. I never used to stay in the dining hall for lunch and I used to tell my mum to leave me to play football at break time".
Studies
"The person I am is down to my parents, for the values they've given me since I was very young. The effort to get home and train as well as doing my homework, I owe it all to them. I remember an English exam, I'd told my mum I'd nailed it, done everything perfectly and when I got 9.75 I started crying, I've always hated losing".
Kneepads
"I used to play in kneepads. I would come in with my knees in pieces and my mum put kneepads on to protect me".
Lemans, his first team
"I was very competitive, I played alone in defence and I took the matches very seriously. My parents were really angry with me one day when a team levelled against us and I stormed off the pitch in a strop, telling my dad we were going home. He said that if I didn't want to play, I was going to stay and watch the game. That was one of the best lessons of my life".
First visit to the Bernabéu
"I remember the first time I went to the stadium. We had season tickets high up at the top and I got a bit of vertigo. I used to think that perhaps I could be out there one day".
First communion
"That was a very special day for me, I got the commemorative centenary kit and I was told I was going to have trials at Real Madrid, it was an amazing day. At the first game I played, they signed me up".
Laying the first stone at Valdebebas
"They let me know that week, I was just the third-captain of the Alevín A team, it could have been anyone from the Castilla squad. I was really nervous, I didn't know what to do, I laid it down quickly and left".
Rise with Castilla
"The two years I spent with Castilla, in terms of the dressing room, were the best of my life. We were such a close-knit unit and that was reflected out on the pitch".
Pre-season with Real Madrid
"That weekend I'd gone with 12 or 13 friends out to some natural swimming pools and I got a big cut, they had to put four or five stitches in. While they were doing it, I knew I wouldn't be able to travel. That was a sad time for me because I'd been here for a long time and I'd seen a lot of guys make their debuts and I was still waiting".
The person I am is down to my parents, for the values they've given me since I was very young.
"It was really hard to be at Madrid for 10 years and not make my debut. I'd done well at Castilla, got goals, assists,... I thought if I renewed my contract I'd get my chance to play but Ginés told me otherwise and explained that I had the opportunity to go to Germany. I said I wanted to go, but to play, and he told me I was going to play but I'd have to earn it".
Time in Germany
"The hardest part was saying goodbye to my parents. I decided to live in Dusseldorf because I knew an old friend there and I wouldn't be alone. You miss everything while you're there. I remember once when my friends came to visit and my house was tiny but we all stayed there and I took them to eat paella at a place I knew".
Return to Real Madrid
"They were keeping track of me and I was doing a great job. I remember when we went out to dinner to activate the buy-back clause, I sat there with a smile from ear to ear. I didn't think the day of my presentation would be so hard, but it's emotional, especially with your family there. In the end, they're the ones who have helped you achieve your dream. It sounds like a cliché but I've been very lucky, I dreamed of playing here”.
Copa del Rey 2014
"It was my first title, I remember Bale's run perfectly. My first title and beating Barcelona... I can't ask for more than that".
His grandfather passing away
"It's a tough time, my grandfather had been in intensive care for a few months and I saw how my dad was suffering. That's part of life, he needed to rest. He died the day before the Valencia game and the coach asked me if I could play - I said of course I could. I'll never forget the minute's silence in the Bernabéu".
Lisbon
"That 93rd minute was crucial and I think we all had our hands on the trophy from then on just through our state of mind. I started crying and my mind went blank, you see all the fans, your family... I don't think anything compares to winning your first one and Madrid had gone 12 years without lifting the trophy".
Milan
"I tried to dose myself up to make it for the final but I was feeling pain every time I passed the ball. I started to feel it in the 18th minute, then in the second half I was really uncomfortable and I didn't want to be selfish, I felt Danilo would do a better job. That was a sad day because I knew the European Cup was right there".
Super Cup
"Football always gives you a second chance. I played the entire game with a hole in my boot because I had a blister and at the end I got the goal".
Carvajal Defender