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Daryl
 IP: 201.238.90.38 Jul 1, 08 - 5:33 PM |
Interview with Ayala ..Plus Messi and the Olympics
Ayala: I’ll always love Argentina(FIFA.com) Sunday 22 June 2008 It has not been an easy season for Roberto Fabian Ayala. After agreeing to join Villarreal in the summer of 2007, he promptly terminated his contract in order to move to Real Zaragoza. And the Argentinian defender had good cause to ponder what might have been when Los Maños slid out of the Spanish top flight while the Yellow Submarines took second place behind Real Madrid. The unexpected relegation forced the former River Plate, AC Milan and Valencia centre-half to take stock of his career and decide whether to help Zaragoza regain their place in the Spanish elite or move on once more. On the international front, the 35-year-old announced his retirement from Argentina duty following the 3-0 defeat by Brazil in the Copa America 2007 final. Not surprisingly for someone who won 115 caps for his country, the man they call ElRatón (The Mouse) admits to feeling a little nostalgic whenever the Albiceleste run out now, but as he explains in an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, he is sticking firmly by his decision to focus on club football. FIFA.com: Roberto, you have just experienced the disappointment of relegation to the second division with Zaragoza. What went wrong? Roberto Ayala: It's a tough question, one that I've been asked a few times already. Relegation is one of those things that happen in football, although the fact is we never really gelled as a team. We went through a few coaches too and the players didn't perform as well as we should have. When you finish off the season like that there always have to be a few factors involved. Where you would like to finish your career? I honestly haven't thought about it yet. I'm very happy in Spain and the quality of life is great here. It's a fantastic league, very competitive, but you always feel the pull of home. I'd like to go back but it all depends on how things end up. I don't like making long-term plans because you never know what might happen. Many players who have spent a lot of time in Europe decide to stay there for good but what about you? Do you think you will go back to Argentina or stay in Spain? Right now things are a lot more stable in Spain than they are in Argentina and I have to think about my children. If someone tells me tomorrow that my career is over and I have to make a choice, then I would stay in Spain. It's difficult to go back these days and it's even harder when your children are born and grow up elsewhere, although we haven't forgotten our roots and we go back to Argentina twice a year. Their friends and their life are here, though, and they're very settled in this country. You have pulled on a few jerseys in your career. Which one have you felt most passionately about? (Pauses) All the teams I've played for have been special. I've had some good times and some not so good times, but I can honestly say I've got positive feelings about all of them. All the experiences I've been through have helped me grow both as a player - which is what you aim for as a professional - and on a personal and cultural level. It would be difficult to choose one team over the rest. What about representing your country? How important has that been in your life? It's a love that never dies. I wore the jersey in friendlies, World Cup matches, Copa America games etc and although I never won a major trophy, I fulfilled my dream of playing and forming part of the team and that's what's important. Now I've retired I have to support the jersey and show my love for it from the outside. I have to support my team-mates so they can win the World Cup or the Copa America and make the whole country happy. Do you feel nostalgic when you see the team in action? Yes, of course I do, a lot. Sometimes, though, you have to make decisions. It was tough but it was my decision and I'm happy with it. I knew what was ahead of me and that I had to perform with my club because I was going into what I knew could be the last three years of my career. I wanted to perform as well as I could and playing for my country would have taken a lot out of me. So there is nothing that would make you change your mind. No, not now. I half jokingly said that if [Diego] Maradona asked me to, I'd go back. But that was just a chat among friends. I've made my decision and out of respect for myself and the guys that are playing in that position I'll stick by it. Martin Demichelis is playing in your place now. How well do you think he is doing? He's doing a great job but it's a position in which he's going to have a lot of competition because there are a lot of very good players who are anxious to build a career for themselves. What advice would a man of your experience give to other centre-halves? Aside for the individual qualities you need to have, a central defender has to be able to read games well and position their team-mates properly: his partner, the full backs, central midfielders. You need to make sure you've got the connections right because if you get things right at the back that makes the team much more solid. Centre-halves get a great view of the game and you have to make the most of that. One of the most memorable experiences you had with the Albiceleste was winning the gold medal in Athens. With the Olympics just around the corner again, what memories do you have of that? It's a wonderful memory because Argentina had never won a gold medal. As a footballer you always want to win major competitions to make a little history and winning the Olympics is something I'm very proud of. It was a unique experience. What is so special about the Men's Olympic Football Tournament? It's an amateur event and that makes it special in itself. Football is a heavily marketed sport but when you go there you meet young people who aren't stars and who've dedicated their lives to competing. We fight every year for trophies and titles and because of that you forget how important it is to actually win. They remind you of all that and the sacrifice that winning involves. To me they're an example of the love people have for sport. Do you think the generation of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero can defend the title you won in Athens? Of course they can, but they need to go out there and show it. We were favourites in 2002 as well but we got knocked out in the group phase. With the players and the history we have we can win it again but when you're there you have to go out and prove it. There are some strong sides and they all want to beat you. Can these new talents kick on and make history at South Africa 2010? We lost in the quarter-finals in Germany and now we've got to clear that hurdle. These youngsters need to develop really quickly to make an impression there. They are big names with their clubs and that's what they need to be for the national team too. Why have Argentina failed to win anything in recent years? If we knew what the problem was, we'd be winning things. I really don't know. There's always a different reason in each competition. We play an awful lot of games these days and when we get to major tournaments I'm not sure we're as fresh as we need to be to play well. Argentinian players want to play in every single game. They don't pick and choose. That's just the way they are and the way they feel about the game. But when you arrive at the World Cup and the Copa America you pay for it because you're not in the best condition. How do you think Alfio Basile is doing as national coach? El Coco is Argentina through and through. He's been here before and won things. He always knows what players need and as well as being a tactician, he's a psychologist who gets the very best out of players. And will we see Ayala coaching one day? I really don't think so. Us footballers are a special breed and I don't know if I've got the character or the courage to be in charge of a team. I love football but right now I can't see myself as a coach. I'd like to stay in the game and I'm sure I'll find something else. fifa.com ............................ Argentina set for repeat performance(AFP) Wednesday 25 June 2008 Print Email to a friend Share Defending champions Argentina, fielding two of world football's most exciting and in-demand youngsters, loom as the team to beat again at the Men's Olympic Football Tournament in Beijing. Twenty-year-old prodigies, Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero, are expected to spearhead a richly-talented Argentine squad, which is the undisputed favourite to claim consecutive gold medals. Argentina stormed through the Athens 2004 tournament without losing a match or conceding a goal. Messi, christened the new Diego Maradona and even endorsed by the football legend as "the player who will inherit my place in Argentina", is so keen to play at the Olympics that he may forego a UEFA Champions League tie for his Spanish club Barcelona. Barcelona play their first leg of the Champions League tie on 12 or 13 August, with the second leg taking place on 26 or 27 August. The Olympic tournament runs from 7 August to the final on 23 August. I am going to the Olympic Games whatever may happen Argentine star Lionel Messi confirms his commitment to the cause " I am going to the Olympic Games whatever may happen," Messi said. "The truth is though that I do not know how we can resolve things, but there is no doubt that I will be there. "I have really high hopes with the Olympic squad. I am very pleased that Sergio Aguero is joining us and I am looking forward to playing alongside him." Aguero, who won the Golden Ball as the best player in Argentina's FIFA U-20 World Cup win in Canada last year, recently turned down the opportunity to leave Atletico Madrid for Chelsea, after the rich English club matched Aguero's release clause of €55 million. Argentina national coach Alfio Basile raves about his two dynamos and their pulsating brand of football. "They always astonish me, because they invent something new," Basile said. Back-to-back The Argentines are also set to call on Liverpool's 23-year-old midfielder Javier Mascherano, who is keen to become the first Argentinian footballer ever to win back-to-back gold medals. "It's important for any athlete to defend the gold medal," Mascherano said. "I might be the only person from my country ever to do it and I'll go down in history, nothing counts for me more than helping my nation." Argentina launch their campaign against Côte D'Ivoire in Shanghai on 7 August, with the Africans likely to field Chelsea's Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba and Arsenal defender Kolo Toure. Australia and Serbia are also in Argentina's Group A. Brazil, who have won five FIFA World Cups™ but not an Olympic gold medal, are in Group C along with hosts China, Belgium and New Zealand. The Brazilians will be without 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Kaka after AC Milan's refusal to release him as an over-age player, but Real Madrid defender Marcelo said he wants to be part of history in Beijing. "If we win gold we will go down in Brazilian national team history. It would be a very special title. I want to make history but first we have to produce the goods on the field," Marcelo said. But he believes fierce South American rivals Argentina stand in Brazil's path to the gold medal. "Argentina could provide our toughest test because they've got a very strong generation of players like Messi, Aguero, (Gonzalo) Higuain and (Fernando) Gago." Italy, the reigning FIFA World Cup champions and bronze medallists in Athens, launch Group D against Honduras and are also grouped with South Korea and 2000 Olympic champions Cameroon. The Koreans, however, will be missing Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung as an over-age player due to fatigue. Nigeria, who were the first African nation to win Olympic gold in Atlanta 12 years ago, are drawn alongside the Netherlands, Japan and the USA in Group B. The Dutch are hoping Liverpool winger Ryan Babel will recover from torn ankle ligaments to play for them. "If Ryan is fit, he will be at the top of our list for the Olympics. With his qualities, Ryan is a vital player for our plans," the Netherlands' Olympic coach Foppe de Haan said. fifa.com ............... Vote for argentina on yahoo as 2010 favorites http://sports.yahoo.com/sow;_ylt=Ah_S3rHIaAf0ALxj0ENMAsA5nYcB Daryl Forza Argies 
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Katy
IP: 80.7.116.42 Jul 3rd, 2008 - 9:23 PM |
Re: Interview with Ayala ..Plus Messi and the Olympics
Thanks Daryl.  Really looking forward to the start of the Olympics!
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