He spoke with AS about Real Madrid’s defense and his relationship with Mourinho, but as always it’s the non-football questions that we’re really interested in.  Here they are.

Q:  Who was your idol when you were growing up?

A:  In Portugal, I admired Ricardo, who played with Benfica, a lot.  After that, it was Fernando Couto from Oporto.  And on the international level, Maldini.  I didn’t know Baresi very well, but I’ve been told that he was the best.

Q:  How is your life in Madrid?

A:  It’s very relaxed.  I have two kids that give me a lot of work and I try to spend as much time with them as possible.

Q:  What do your kids think about Madrid?

A:  They’re happy.  They’re both about five years old, so they know that I play for Madrid, that it’s a great team, but they see it as something normal since they’re used to it.

Q:  What would you have been if you weren’t a footballer?

A:  The truth is I don’t know.  From the time I was small, I was only interested in football and at the age of 14 or 15 I went to Oporto.  My only goal was to become someone in football.

Q:  I’ve been told that when you were at Chelsea, you were always the last one to leave the locker room.  Are you that concerned about your appearance?

A:  It was Lampard who said that, wasn’t it?  (Laughs).  Well, he said that because I always brought lotions for the body, shampoo… Many players just shower and leave.  I do everything calmly, but nothing out of the ordinary.