Excerpts from the interview with Raúl Albiol that appeared in today’s AS.  As usual, my selection has little to do with football and more with relations between teammates and personal information!  I love the first question, and my imagination is off and running after reading it.

Q:  Why do they call you “El Chori?”

A:  They started calling me that at Valencia, I suppose it was done out of affection (laughs).  Ayala and Baraja told me that I was as long as a longaniza (a spicy pork sausage).

Q:  Are you called that in Madrid now?

A:  Casillas and others are to blame for that.  If it comes from friends, then it doesn’t bother me.  There are a lot of “choris” in the footballing world (laughs).

Q:  You’re from a small town, Villamarchante.  What was your life like there?

A:  When I was a kid, the typical.  I went from school to the main street of the town to play football with friends.  I continued living there while I played for Valencia’s youth team.

Q:  What do you miss most from there?

A:  The football games with the people from my school, arriving at home all dirty and sweaty and having your mother yell at you for that.  And, having lunch at home.

Q:  Did you father play football?

A:  He was in the Mestalla.  He was a midfielder, but in those times you also had to work and support a family.  We sold lottery tickets for more than 20 years.

Q:  Did you parents encourage you to become a footballer?

A:  I am what I am thanks to them.  They taught me things, taught me to be humble and encouraged me to pursue football.  They were always there in the bad moments, such as when I had the traffic accident.  [We then find out that he had his spleen removed after the accident].

Q:  Is it true that you are really shy?

A:  It takes time for me to open up in the beginning when I go somewhere new.  After that, no way.

Q:  Did you enter the Madrid locker room with your head down?

A:  I went in with respect.

Q:  What did you find there?

A:  I didn’t imagine it would be like that.  It’s been important for me knowing that we are a family and that I could be one of the key players of this team.

Q:  You’re 1.87 meters tall but also fast.  Have you worked on this?

A:  Well, I wouldn’t say I’m slow.  Having long legs and and a long stride have helped me.  What I have worked on is coordination.  I wasn’t very tall as a kid and when I was 14, I grew a lot in a few months, which led to problems with my Achilles tendon.

Q:  What happened?

A:  I was very uncoordinated in the beginning.  I looked like a duck when I played (laughs).  In Valencia, they worked with me on my coordination for several months and that helped a lot.

Q:  You have only sat out 130 minutes this season.  Where do you get your fortitude from?

A:  It could be the horsemeat that I ate as a kid (laughs).  In my town, it was very common to eat it and it was said that it’s very nutritious.

Q:  Really?

A:  Yes, I’m completely serious.

Q:  What have you asked the Three Kings for?

A:  The usual:  the Liga, the Champions League and the 24 Hours trophy of Villamarchante.