14.12.2009 15:46
Solari: "I’m a Madrid supporter but hats off to Barça”
Sandra Sarmiento (enviada especial)
Former Real Madrid star, Santiago Solari, now with Mexican side Atlante, was full of praise for Barça just 48 hours before the World Club Cup semi-final. He told us, “I’m a Madrid supporter but hats off to Barça”.
Cool, calm and knowing he has little to lose, Santiago Solari gave an interview to Barça TV and
www.fcbarcelona.cat in which he heaped praise on Pep Guardiola’s team. “There’s a
group of teams that stand out at the end of the decade. It’s not just that they’ve been
the best team over the past year and a half in performances and results; this FC Barcelona is one
of the best teams in the history of the game”. It would appear that Solari sees Barça as
favourites.
How are things going for you at Atlante? You arrived this summer.
"Yes, I joined in the middle of the year. I’ve settled in very well. It’s a very
small club. Here they do everything with the heart and with sacrifice, not with money. In fact
they’ve got the lowest budget in Mexican football. But I’m happy. It’s another
stage in my career and it’s nice to come to a competition like this. For Atlante this is
historic. And for me to be part of this competition again, now on the side of the underdog, is a
new and very positive experience”.
How did your transfer from San Lorenzo to Atlante come about?
"When your time is up there are always offers. I liked the idea of experiencing a
new league and I also like the fact that Atlante has been on the way up in recent years. Two years
ago they won their third league title in their 95-year history and last year they won the CONCACAF
and so qualified for this World Club Cup. Barça is playing it for the third time while it’s
the first for Atlante and they don’t know when they’ll get the chance again”.
For those of us that don’t know much about Atlante, tell us a little.
"There are some very young players. In general the squad is very young. We’re not very
strong physically, in fact we’re rather small, but we try and play football, create and keep
the ball on the ground. It’s the kind of football that Barça fans or fans of Spanish football
will be used to. Of course, as long as Barça let us play our game. That’s how we always play
and we’re not going to change”.
If Atlante played in the Spanish league, whereabouts would they be?
"It’s impossible to compare. They’re different leagues. I think the Spanish
league is probably one of the strongest in the world together with the English and the Italian,
which has recently gone down a bit. We can’t make these comparisons even with South American
football. The Mexican league is strong in the context of the Americas but the European leagues are
on another level”.
Do your team-mates ask you about Barça?
"They don’t have anything to ask because you can watch Barça everywhere. Everybody who
likes football enjoys watching Barça. I’m a Madrid supporter and I’m mad about football
but hats off to Barça for the way they play”.
What about your fellow countryman Messi, who won the Golden Ball recently?
"What Messi does is spectacular. When he made his debut you could see
his potential, but he has managed to realise it and in a team that plays excellent football. All of
Argentina is proud of Messi and we feel ourselves to be well represented by him and his style of
play. Also he’s modest. I saw that he shared the award with his team-mates. We’re all
happy for him because he deserves it”.
You said you were a Madrid fan. I suppose that makes the match between Atlante and Barça
very special for you.
"Beyond the historical rivalry, when you play against the top teams that are always
competitive then you respect them”.
The last question. How will Atlante play and create problems for Barça and what are
Atlante’s chances of going through to the final?
"I don’t know. Obviously Barça hold all the trumps. But all the responsibility is
Barça’s too. We know that. We’ll try and play our football as we always do. Then, how
far we get will depend on the problems Barça create for us. Barça takes the ball away from you and
doesn’t lose it. If that happens then what I told you about us having ball won’t
happen”.