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N.Cases, 33, has played up to 183 games for Chichon’s home team, 84 of which have been played in the elite La Liga championship.
In 2011, N. Cases contributed to Sporting’s sensational 1: 0 victory in Madrid against Real with a successful pass. It was then that the unbeaten streak of teams led by José Mourinho in their stadiums came to an end, which lasted up to 9 years.
VIDEO: De Las Cuevas (Real Madrid vs Real Sporting de Gijón)
Five years later, in Madrid, N. Cases was once again the center of attention when C. Ronaldo gave him a powerful kick in the leg.
VIDEO: Controversy: Obstruction by Nacho Cases and kick by Cristiano Ronaldo
The Portuguese football goddess was not sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct at the time and said after the match: “If I had wanted to kick him, he would not have stood up.”
Now 33-year-old N.Cases is already in Marijampolė, where he prepares with “Sūduva” for the next league A season and remembers with a smile the funny moments at the highest level in Spain.
By the way, this is not the first time that N.Cases has visited Lithuania. Remember that at the age of 20 you visited our country with friends on vacation and was impressed.
“We liked the country, now, 13 years later, I came here to work and play soccer,” N. Cases smiled.
AFP / “Scanpix” nuotr./Nacho Casesas and Luka Modričius
– Can you tell us more about your arrival, about Sūduva’s offer and how long it took to consider it before accepting it? – Journalists asked N. Cases during a remote press conference.
– I got an offer and didn’t think about it for a long time. I met this club, they eliminated APOEL from the European League qualifiers two years ago, then APOEL was the best team in Cyprus (N.Cases has been playing in Cyprus since 2017 – aut. Past). It was a disaster for them. I have not worked with coach Víctor Basadre, but I knew him. We spoke to him before I arrived and I am happy to be here.
– What did you know about Lithuania before your arrival? Did you have any connection to this country?
– In Lithuania, as I understand it, the most important sport is basketball, in Spain there is a lot of talk about your team, everyone knows it. The Lithuanian soccer team may be a little less well known, but their teams play in European tournaments.
– Looking at the Instagram itself, it seems like you are seeing so much snow for the first time in your life, right?
– Yes, it’s true, but I like it. I wasn’t expecting as much as I saw coming here. Lots of snow, but I can still go for a walk. It is normal for your country to have experience in that. A month ago we had snow in Spain, perhaps less than here with you now, but everything stopped there: cars did not drive, people stayed at home. Here you are ready for anything.
– Having gained a lot of experience in the Spanish Premier League, how much do you think you can help Sūduvai with your own experience?
– Yes, I have experience, but many have it here. I know the players on the team, they have a good career, a lot of experience. I’ll do my best. I play at the highest level for many years, but we need all the players, not just me or anyone else.
– Those victorious matches against Real Madrid are mentioned often when it comes to you. What other moments of your career would you highlight?
– When I started playing for the Chichón team, we went up to the highest league in Spain, then the whole city took to the streets supporting us. That game against Real, a draw with Barcelona when we had such a young team. Then we played a draw with the best Barcelona of all time, which had Messi, Xavi, Iniest …
I also played in the European League groups, we competed against Bayer Leverkusen. We scored 5 points in the difficult group. These are some of the best memories.
Still, that game with Real was the best for me. A week before, my coach and Mourinho got a little angry. Mr. Mourinho said something and our coach was angry.
But after the game, J.Mourinho came to the locker room, personally greeted each player, it was a very sincere gesture. He then publicly apologized. It was an incredible game for me and my city.
„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Jose Mourinho
– And when it comes to the incident with Ronaldo, what do you think the episode says about your character when it seemed like you didn’t care which soccer superstar you got into the conflict with?
– They cannot be friends in the square at the highest level or at any other level. Xavi is my favorite player, but when I played against him I forgot. If you play as a friend, you will apologize and they will kill you. You must fight hard, fight. So there are more chances of at least one draw to play for that team.
If you are like a friend or are afraid of him because he is Ronaldo or Messi, it will only get better for them. They will feel they can do even more. They are normal players.
– If you have to talk about your strengths, what do you think you can give more to “Sūduvai”?
– I don’t want to talk much about myself, I want people to draw their own conclusions. I think I can bring a lot of experience because I have been playing professionally for more than 12 years. I think I can pass the ball well, I always try to get the team line-up out of my position. The square should always be good to see, ready to attack.
Reuters / Scanpix Photo / Nacho Cases (right)
I can also hit free throws. Basically, I try to do better at everything I do, but it’s not really much fun to talk about myself (laughs).
– V.Basadre is a new coach in Marijampolė, so maybe you can tell us what kind of soccer he wants to play with “Sūduva”.
– I’m only here for three days. Victor wants to play quality football, actively defend. He has clear ideas, he knows what he wants, he knows how to play.
His style is good ball control, making a lot of passes and being aggressive we hardly lose the ball. You need to put that in your head that is very important for the first three seconds after losing the ball. You should try to get it back immediately.
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