FIRST
Opponent. The first tough opponent I came up against when I played for Osasuna was Roberto Carlos (pictured below). I came on after about 65 minutes to play on the right wing so I was directly up against him when he was playing for Real Madrid. It was a good experience but unfortunately we lost the match 2-0.
LAST
Game. I played against Manchester United but only for a few minutes, so I would have to say the Confederations Cup final, although I have bad memories of that match. I came on in the second half, it was a great experience for me to play against Brazil at the Maracana but the scoreline wasn’t good for us (Spain lost 3-0). It was only my fourth game for the national team, and it was a great opportunity. From the first minute their fans had so much passion, the whole stadium was yellow, so it was tough for us.
BEST
Holiday. I love going on holiday and relaxing on the beaches in Spain. This year I went to Ibiza (pictured below) and Formentera. I’ve been to those places for the last two or three years but normally I like to try different destinations. I had a month off after the Confederations Cup and had a great time.
WORST
Music. When it comes to music there is no worse singer than myself; nobody wants to hear that. We always have music playing in the changing rooms at Cobham, but none of the players are very good at singing.
EASIEST
TV. I’m a big fan of Homeland, I’ve been watching a lot of it recently and I can’t wait for the new series to start later this month. I download all of the episodes in English, it’s very addictive and once you watch one episode you can’t wait to see the next one.
HARDEST
Training. Training in pre-season when you first come back is always very hard. It’s different in England compared to France, when I was at Marseille we spent a lot of time running, but over here we focus on working with the ball a lot more. This season I came back after everybody else because of the Confederations Cup but usually I am there from day one. I started my fitness work while I was on holiday this year which made it easier when I came back. You want to get fit as soon as possible.