FCBARCELONA.CAT

13.10.2008 19:48

Valdés: “Winning is the most important thing”

Jesús Carrillo

Barcelona’s goalkeeper spoke at a press conference this Monday evening after training. He said he would like the Golden Ball to go to a Barça player.

Valdés declined to express a preference as to who should be Barça’s second keeper. “That’s up to the boss,” he said. “You can’t say a keeper is first, second or third. We all work together and I don’t think I’m an automatic first choice and the others aren’t subs either. You try to get better every day to be in the starting XI for any given game.”

Golden Ball

“If I could choose who was to win it, I’d choose a Barça player,” said Valdés. “I would be proud to be in the same dressing room as the lad chosen the best footballer.” At a personal level the Golden Ball is not one of his goals and he isn’t that bothered about it: “This sort of honour is pretty minor for me.”

Goals conceded and the future

Valdés was pretty forthright about the goals the team concedes. “I’m not worried about it a bit, because we’re on a winning roll and that’s the only important thing,” he said. “I know Barça’s keeper is always being analysed more than the other positions. It’s always been that way and I guess it will be the same in the future. People always have doubts about you no matter how well you play.”

Criticism doesn’t get him down. “The opinions of people who’ve never played in goal are no good to me,” he said. “I respect them but I don’t pay any attention to them.”

His future

As for his immediate future at Barça he noted that he had a contract until 2010 and that until then he had a series of goals to achieve. “I’d prefer not to talk about or discuss the rest,” he added.