Iker gave an interview to AS which was published in their Jan. 30 edition, and he was also on the cover.  He talks about Filipe Luis, Benzema, Van Nistelrooy…

Q:  Is it a relief that Filipe Luis won’t be playing?

A:  No, it’s a shame.  He’s a kid from our youth team, with a great attitude… I called him to cheer him up, I told him to be strong mentally and to only think about getting better, that he should forget about the World Cup, that he has to be calm and strong.

Q:  He was really happy that you called…

A:  Was he?  I had to do it.  He was playing really well and deserved it.

Q:  Is Guardiola’s contract renewal bad news?

A:  No, it’s something to be happy about.  I had him as a teammate and now I admire him as a coach.  What he has done is praiseworthy.  We like having people like him in football.

Q:  What do you think about football returning to Mondays?

A:  It’s something new for me.  I’ve only seen it on TV and I liked it.

Q:  Why hasn’t Benzema become a star yet?

A:  Karim has a lot of things that Zidane had.  I like the moves he has, he scores a lot in the training sessions.  Higuaín is becoming a star now, and he’s only 22.  It’s about confidence and tranquility.  Karim is a great kid.

Q:  Do you regret the departure of Van Nistelrooy?

A:  I do, a lot, because he’s the type of player you like having around, he was very well-liked.  He was one of those that would be called Sir in England.  If we win La Décima, it will be partly his, because he was a part of this team.