Villa: Guardiola called to invite me and thought it was a prank. Mourinho s remarks irritated me

Former Spanish international David Villa is a guest on the show. In the show, Villa looks back in depth on his long football career and takes the opportunity to reveal some very interesting and unknown anecdotes that have accompanied his career.

About my experience at Valencia

The beginning of my career was not easy. Sporting Gijon was going through a delicate financial situation at the time, which forced me to take the step to leave my hometown and join a club like Valencia, which was full of internal strife. That period can be summed up in two words: crazy.

"At first I couldn't play under Quique (Flores). He always said he started me and then couldn't take me off. It was a difficult but beautiful journey. However, when Koeman arrived, it became very complicated and could write a book. When Quique was sacked, we were ranked 3rd Three or four, and then we started to plummet.

We had four captains: Canizares, Albelda, Baraja and Angulo, and three of them were dropped, and we didn't know why. It was a difficult year, but we won the Copa del Rey, even though the next week we were at San Mamés. A miserable 1-5 defeat and then falling into the relegation zone. That was the only trophy I won as a Valencia player. "

Talk about the interesting story of receiving a call from Guardiola before joining Barcelona

"I remember that I was at home when Guardiola called me. He called me and I replied, ‘I’m busy right now, I’ll call you later’. I thought it was a prank. So I called Xavi, whom I already knew from the national team, and asked him if that was really Guardiola's number. When he confirmed yes, I called him back. “That was the fateful conversation that finally cleared all my doubts.

"The phone conversation with Guardiola was a bit special, it was tactical. He told me why he wanted me, where I would play, why he thought I had what he wanted, what Barcelona was like, what the club was like... not yet Barcelona When I was a player, I didn't expect there to be a tactical conversation. If I had a clear intention to go to Barcelona, then that phone call completely convinced me. I told my agent to only listen to Barcelona's offer."

How do you evaluate Guardiola?

"Besides being a great coach and a super smart person, Guardiola's secret is that he is always one step ahead. He sees where things are going before others. In this sport, when you can foresee what is going to happen, you have won more than half the battle."

Talk about the competition with Real Madrid coached by Mourinho

(Mourinho once said, "Barcelona spent a lot of money to buy a player who can't score goals." Forward")

"I like those words, because those comments 'stimulated' me and made me determined to play a good game. I didn't expect to score two goals and win 5-0... That's the game I remember most. I had an assist, scored two goals and had a five-goal win over our biggest rival. There's no better scenario than this. "

Who do you think are the top 5 best players in Barcelona history?

"First Messi, then Iniesta and Xavi, then Ronaldinho - not only did he mean a lot to Barcelona, but when he came to La Liga he changed everything in the way he affected football. In the end I would choose Luis Enrique , He is my idol and role model. His attitude of fighting for every ball, even though we are different types of players. I have always said this, I like him very much because I hope to be like him."

What do you think of the Negreira case?

"I don't know anything about it. I've always loved defending referees as a collective. We're a little out of touch with reality. They're human beings who make mistakes. Just like I miss penalties, they make mistakes. I've been fortunate enough to play for big clubs, and because they're human beings, they make mistakes. Awarding a penalty to Barcelona or Real Madrid is different from awarding it to other clubs."

Talk about the experience of working with Simeone at Atletico Madrid

"The best thing about Simeone is that he can squeeze the potential out of the players like an orange. The worst thing is the pre-season preparations. , I had a very hard time. "

Reviewing the Spanish national team coached by Aragones

"We will be out if we lose another game. But he told us we were going to win the European Cup. We looked at each other and thought that was impossible. We must win three and draw one out of four games. We didn't even think we would qualify. But he was right in the end. He makes us strong when we don’t even know how strong we are. He changed the mentality of Spanish football. ”

What do you think of Yamal?

"Do you think Yamal knows that he is shouldering the responsibility of Barcelona and the Spanish national team? He can't realize it because if he thought that every day, his legs would shake. The fact is that he goes out to play as if he is in his own neighborhood. Go on the field and enjoy the game, he doesn't think about hurting his knee or losing to Real Madrid. He thinks about the opposite, he will play well, he will pass everyone, he will score two goals... and this kind of "unconscious" state is what you have to have."