Cesc Fabregas signs up World Cup winner joins football’s best team
Cristiano Ronaldo stole the limelight and made the difference again, but the draw with Portugal convinced me that Spain can still win this World Cup – despite everything that has happened. I admit, I had a bit of doubt as to how the team would react to Julen Lopetegui taking the Real Madrid job and being sacked, but, after watching the game, I see that, mentally, the players are not really disturbed. And, in my opinion, they are still the best team. It has been a difficult few days for everybody who loves football in Spain and the whole country was in shock. The Spanish Football Federation took a decision that many people can say is wrong, but I feel it was the right one.
What is for sure is that it could have been handled differently by Real Madrid and Lopetegui.
The coach had only signed a new contract with the federation a few weeks ago. Everything was looking positive and good, like there was a project for the future. He looked happy, the team looked good because we qualified from a group that was not easy with Italy and then, all of a sudden, things turned around and he signed for Real Madrid.
He did that without telling anyone, neither the Spanish federation nor the players, until maybe five minutes or not even five minutes before the announcement was made.
What I know, football nowadays is very demanding and you need to be at your best in a World Cup. To commit yourself for the next two years to a cause, then all of a sudden announce that you are going to Real Madrid, for me personally it is difficult to understand how you could perform with these players and give your all to win a World Cup.
You could finish the World Cup on July 15 and your team, the one you will coach, are already training. You need to prepare pre-season, you need to know which players are coming in and out of the club, so you have to have so many things on your mind. I do not know how you could handle both things at the same time, when you are competing in a World Cup.
People might say Antonio Conte had signed a contract with Chelsea before taking Italy to the Euros two years ago, but I believe that was different. He did not renew his Italy contract.
He said, “Listen, I’m off at the end of the tournament”. Also, it was handled differently because he spoke to the Italian Federation beforehand and signed for Chelsea two or three months prior to the tournament, so there was a lot of talking between everybody. They did nothing behind anyone’s backs.
People would have understood if Lopetegui had gone to the Spanish Federation and said: “I cannot sign my contract.” Or if he had just been open. Talk, have communication with the federation, what is the problem?
I do not see why you have to hide it and then have this mess.
I would always prefer to be open and then I am sure they could have found a solution. So, listen, after how the last few days have gone, I would have said before the Portugal game that a draw was a good result. But after how Spain came back into the game and took the lead at 3-2, it is a bit of a bad result in this case. I really thought Spain were going to win once they went ahead, but the game showed the team’s spirit and, more important, the quality. When you have quality it is always easier, trust me.
This team have been playing for a long time together and there are a lot of leaders, Pique, Busquets, Iniesta, even Jordi Alba. We are a very natural team, all the players know each other well and they will stick together.
My old team-mate Diego Costa also showed that he can be a big player in this tournament and that he can be up there challenging for the Golden Boot. Why not? The first thing I did after the game was to text him because he deserves a moment like this. It is a shame Cristiano took the headlines, but Diego did well.
The last World Cup was a difficult time for him, especially being in Brazil in front of his family and his friends. It was a big decision to play for another country. But I think he feels like he owes a lot to Spain for his career – with Atletico Madrid, Rayo Vallecano, Valladolid and Celta Vigo.
He moved to Spain at a very, very young age and the country gave him an opportunity. I think he is very thankful for that, you know.
Many Brazilian players such as Thiago Alcantara and Marcos Senna have played for Spain. Some people like it, some people do not like it, but that is the way it is.
Diego used to play in the Brazilian team when we split into nations for small-sided games at Chelsea. He played with Kenedy, David Luiz and Willian. I used to give him some stick about that, but we had a lot of Spanish players and Brazil were missing a player of his type so we let them have
him. He has been criticised many times for his style of play with Spain. People say it is not the same as the other players, he plays too differently and blah, blah, blah. So Friday’s game shows he can be so, so important and that is why I was delighted for him.
At Chelsea, in the last few years he improved his first touch a lot and his combination play. Before he was more of a runner, he did not like the ball to his feet too much, but he improved a lot and I believe now he is ready to play in any type of style.
He is also good for the squad off the pitch. Maybe with Spain he is a little bit more reserved than he was at Chelsea, but he is the way he is. He is always a positive influence.
Definitely, he can lift the squad and I am sure now while he is living with the players 24/7 for more than a month, he will open up and relax. You could see that everyone was happy for him when he scored.
He is a great guy and everyone likes him. He has an image on the pitch and everyone will tell you “Diego is this and Diego is that”. But you tell them, “No, no, no, he has a very good heart. He’s actually a very good guy”. People struggle to believe that, but it just goes to show that the person is not always the same as the player we see on the pitch.
England are not in my four or five favourites to win the World Cup, but in Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling they have two players who can make a big impact and help the team to have a good tournament.
Kane is a fantastic player, a fantastic striker. He has got everything and he needs to show that in this World Cup. It is not the same to do it in the Premier League, which is good. But this is the real big stage and every single person in the world is watching. He is the captain as well and I am sure he can do it.
Sterling had a great season, he has fantastic qualities. People say he does not score enough goals, but what he offers the team going in behind, running, he gives something to the team that I think will be very, very important in the tournament.
I can see the influence manager Pep Guardiola has had on him at Manchester City. Sterling is so fast, but I think Pep, tactically, has made him much better. From what I see when we play against him, he has got the qualities to go in behind and attack the lines because of his pace. He did not really do it before, but Pep has put it in his mind that, “Listen, you are the player who can score 20, 25 goals a season easily. You need to make runs behind and get into the box”.
When he takes you on one against one, you have no chance and England need to take full advantage of this. He can deliver.
In case people are wondering, apart from Spain, the other teams I think that can go on to win the World Cup are Germany, Brazil, France and Argentina – because of Lionel Messi. He is that good.