Fútbolita

Fútbolita had the honor of recently interviewing one of football’s greatest forwards to date, Romario! We’re happy to report that contrary to popular belief, he is one of the most down-to-earth players we’ve met …. but one who also lives up to his reputation!

Romario also received the exclusive Cultzeros-Futbolita tee, (“e muito legal, eu gosto”) and told us about his career, that toe-poke technique of his, Brazil’s World Cup, his relationship with Bebeto and even his son. Don’t worry, we told him that Romarinho ‘e muito fofo’ on behalf of all of you. And despite our Portuguese, he got the message but was quick to add that Romarinho will ‘never’ be the next him.

ASH: Firstly, Romario, please tell us how you mastered that brilliant toe-poke goal technique of yours!

Romario (smiling): It’s a technique that is very special to me. It took many years of training and perfection for me to finally become comfortable and start scoring goals with it! But it’s something that cannot be ‘taught’ – you can either score a goal by the toe poke or not. There is no ‘right way’ to do it and I’m glad to be able to win many matches thanks to it.

ASH: Everybody in Brazil said Felipe Melo was the villain in the game against the Netherlands. Do you agree?

ROMARIO: It is difficult to say. He is clearly one of the best players in the world and a great professional, because to be selected to play for the Brazil team is not easy. But on that day of the quarterfinals, he simply did not perform well for the selecao and was very unlucky with the cards and fouls. There was a lot of pressure but unfortunately, he was blamed for causing our elimination but I will not call him a ‘vilao’ (villain).

ASH: What were the problems in this Brazilian team? How can Mano Menezes improve on this?

ROMARIO: They need to bring back the Brazilian football style to what it was before. Dunga played a defensive style of football, that is not unique to us and many people disliked it. His methods failed at the World Cup because our players were not used to it. The new coach, Mano (Menezes) needs to encourage the players to attack, keep passing, moving fast, and instill a sense of ‘hunger’ in the new players so that they will want to win the World Cup again. He needs to ‘renovate’ the team, experiment and bring new boys in. And the new coach must also remember that always playing beautiful football is essential to the Brazilians.

ASH: You scored many beautiful goals in your career. Which one is your favourite? We know it’s hard to choose from 1,000 of them!

ROMARIO: Of course, it’s hard to pick just one (laughs). I scored many, many goals and I don’t remember all of them. But if I had to choose, it would be when I scored the two goals against Uruguay (1994 World Cup qualification) to send Brazil to the finals of tournament, which we later won. It was even more special to me because I scored the goals in the Maracana stadium, Brazil’s most historical stadium.
For me, the most beautiful goals I have scored in my career would definitely be for the selecao, and I can’t say it any other way. The feelings are different than playing for a club because you are wearing the green and yellow of your country, and there is always a sense of pride that comes with it.

ASH: What are your plans for Romarinho? (Son) He is now playing for the youth team of Vasco de Gama and has shown a lot of promise. Do you believe he will become the ‘next Romario?’

Romario: For him to become the next Romario will be quite complicated because there is only one Romario and that is me (laughing)! But on the other hand, I want him to have a successful career, play with a lot of heart, develop his style and become his own person and footballer at Vasco, where I started my career. I want Romarinho to score many goals, and I think more importantly, I want him to be able to prove any and all (of his) critics wrong in the future.

ASH: You also play beach football and footvolley. Is this how many footballers – both female and male – in Brazil start their careers in football?

Romario: Ah, definitely. Both games are similar to football and many Brazilians like to spend their time at the beach playing with the ball and it doesn’t matter what game it is, whether football or footvolley. It helps you develop your style of playing, and for me, I started my career mostly playing at the beach. So I’m always happy to play.

ASH : And your son, Romarinho, was seen a lot at the Rio beach with Ronaldinho. Are they good friends?

Romario : Yes, we all are good friends. Romarinho is very close to the nephew of Ronaldinho, Diego, who is in Milan now. And whenever we (or Romarinho) visits Milan, they will visit each other and they will play against each other. Who wins? No one does – it’s a draw!

ASH: What is your relationship with Bebeto (seen above, centre) like now? Do you speak with him? (both players were former adversaries)

Romario : Yes, of course. I speak to him a lot and Bebeto is a great friend of mine. In the past, we had a few problems with each other but it was only because we both wanted to do well for the (national) team. Later, he joined me at America, where he coached for a few games but he still remains a good friend of mine even though I made the decision to sack him (after eight games). Our friendship is still great, and it was a professional decision.

ASH: What about Pele? In the past, he said many things about your attitude that you did not like.

Romario: I respect Pele a lot because he has done a lot for Brazilian football. To me, he is still the best in the game. I regret some of the things I said, but at that time, I was very passionate about playing for Brazil and I was going through a bad time when he said those things. But I will always have respect for him.

ASH : There are many youngsters here in Singapore who want to be as successful as you were in football. What advise do you, Romario, have for them?

Romario: I want to say to them that in order to become the best in football, you must know the basic techniques and if you don’t, be prepared to work hard to ‘perfect’ it. You must always be happy with what you do to. Never play football or do something if you do not feel passionate about it. You must also be disciplined, and be prepared to make a lot of sacrifices. It is not an easy journey.

ASH: As a former World Cup champion, do you believe Spain deserved to win the World Cup?
Romario: As I said before, Netherlands and Spain are two teams close to my heart (he played for both PSV and Barcelona). But Spain deserved to win for the first time because they played beautiful football and were “os melhores” (the best) in the tournament.

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Photos 2 & 4 © Futbolita
Photos 1 & 3 via SportingHeroes

El clasico’s tonight, and while you’re busy dusting off your Messiah jersey or piling on the hair wax ala good ol’ Greaseaño, it’s time for another edition of “Tres Cosas” or the 3 things game! Last year, we had fun playing it with Barca and Real chicas Messa and Leo, so here we go again with Christina (from Madrid) and Emma (from the USA). Let’s all say “Bienvenido, tias” and buena suerte!

Read more to find out what they’d like to do to OPPONENT PLAYERS!

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Yes dear amigas, we had the honour of speaking to a Futbolita Favourite : Senor David Villa himself last Friday! And he knows about all you passionate chicos & chicas and spoke about everything about La Seleccion to his two adorable daughters Zaida and Oyala. Here are excerpts from our interview with him including bits on his love for Valencia and Nando Torres. As usual, we’ll post the full version later. Esperamos que os guste!

On Futbolitas 

“I think it’s wonderful to see more women attending matches every time. Football is a universal sport for both men and women. I think women are very passionate when they are encouraged (to play) on the pitch so it’s also positive for us.”

On his Family & La Seleccion

“I would love for my daughters to come along and see me at the World Cup but that is not possible. Olaya only turns one in the summer and I don’t think it’s good for them to travel so far just to watch me. But I still dedicate every goal I score to them and my parents might come and watch me in South Africa.”

“I think Spain (is in) a tough group as all other groups. When you go to the World Cup final phase, there is no easy group and no easy opponents. We’re playing a few games within a short time and will have to do very well to beat any team. Hopefully, we can win and achieve something important!” 

 On his David Villa Camp

“It’s one of my personal projects. To me, education is very important to children. So from day one, I wanted to build a campus, where we can educate children on the values of coexistence, respect and solidarity. This year marks the third year and we have many people from all around Spain and even abroad,” he explained.

On Loving Valencia

“I only have good things to say about Valencia and its people. I have been here in this city for five years and from day one, I was received with open arms and the fans have shown me their affection every day,” he said. “So yes, they make me feel at home and it is true that this is my second home. I just want to show my appreciation by putting in my best efforts.”

Photos via Reuters & AP / Interview © Futbolita

SHE’S known as the female face of Liverpool TV in the UK.
And with her infectious energy in front of the camera, gorgeous looks and a footballing background to boot, Claire Rourke is quite simply the perfect ‘chica’ to front one of the EPL’S most-loved clubs.
Today, we’re delighted to have Senorita Rourke on board as our Official England Fútbolita!

“I am so excited! I love all the build up to football’s showpiece event and now that I am going to be part of it with Futbolita, it’s going to make it all the more entertaining,” said Claire, who started her career at Real Madrid TV.
And like Claire, you could be your country’s voice – updating the world on your nation’s progress – from team selection, opinions and spreading the excitement and cheer throughout the tournament.

Yes, starting from today, we are seeking passionate individuals to represent their countries as a “Futbolita de la Mundo”.

“I cant believe it just a few months away, it seems like we have been counting down to this one forever- maybe its because this is our (England’s) best opportunity for many years!” enthused Claire.

CAREER

Claire’s journey started as early as 2005 when she landed a dream stint as one of the launch anchors at Real Madrid TV.
After graduating from university, she worked in the Spanish capital before accepting a job with LFC TV two years later.
Interestingly, Claire had considered a career as a footballer before she realized the many challenges that came with it.
“I started playing football when I was about 9 for my hometown team, I was lucky that they were one of the best Ladies teams in the country- The Doncaster Belles,” she recalled.
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Ola Futbolitas! Many of you may not know this (and a few amici still tease us about it) but last December, we interviewed Greaseano himself aka Cristiano Ronaldo via phone from Japan). And yes, he was nice and sent us his autographed book – so  we’ve been pretty mean calling him names. Anyway, we didn’t get to speak to this year’s Jugador del Ano (Player of the Year) on the phone because of his tight schedule. Still, that didn’t stop us from getting Leo Messi!

Yes, The Messiah exclusively answered our questions on Monday – mid-flight to Zurich to collect his FIFA Award. It was a loco week for Barca, but thanks to our dear amigos, Messi dished out a series of interesting answers for our newspaper, on his good friends, family, the awards (of course) and winning the World Cup with Argentina! We’ve included a few of Messi’s relevant quotes below from the main interview so read on … and Happy Boxing Day to you!

ON HIS EMOTIONS

“I am happy. For many reasons, this year was my best year. Fortunately, I did not have many injuries and continued to play at a good level. Since I arrived (at) Barça, I have been very involved with the team. In football, teamwork and goals is what I love most.”

ON FAMILY AND HIS GIRLFRIEND, ANTONELLA

“For me, it is very important that I have my family’s support. I know that I am privileged (now) so the best thing is to enjoy what I have and to be the same person as always. I am happy that my family is more settled now.”

“Yes, I’ve seen (Antonella) grow up and she knows me very well. Our families are good friends, so I had no doubts about her. I’ve grown as a person and as a footballer and it is clear (she) supports that.

ON HIS BEST FRIENDS

“As I said before about (Eric) Abidal, he’s one of my good friends in the team and he always jokes around. Gabriel Milito is like a brother to me and he’s a great person. He’s very strong and we’re happy to have him back (from injury).? At Barcelona, I am close to everyone. Gerard Pique is also a ‘buen amigo’ (good friend) and I can always laugh with (Brazilian defender) Dani Alves as he’s a very outgoing person.”

ON THE LA LIGA

“The La Liga is even stronger this season, and for sure, it will continue to get better with more big signings. But I think that the quality of the league is also improving. So I believe that in the next few years, Spanish football will be more popular and I hope more people (around the world) will watch it.”

ON HIS ADVICE FOR ALL OF US!!!

“Always have a positive attitude, and dreams can come true with hard work and effort. With hard work, anything is possible. I can assure you that you can dream and that dream can be achieved.”

ON THE WORLD CUP

“I also want to win the World Cup in 2010, a title that the Argentinean people have been waiting for a long time. Lastly, I dream of another treble first because winning six trophies again is very difficult.”

Photos via AP and Reuters

We’ve been watching Gonzalo Higuain (and also calling him “Pied Piper of Hamlin“) for the longest time, so claro que sí... it was fantastic to finally be able to interview him. To be honest, every sports media outlet in Spain has been trying to get a hold of him as traditionally the case, but Gracias a Dios, tipo had some time for our newspaper. And here for you chicas, Futbolita shares some quotes from the 21-year-old El Pipita himself. (Yes… we can’t wait to interview him again!)

ON HIS SOURCE OF PRIDE :
“I am proud to be playing for both Real and Argentina because both teams have excellent players. But with the national team, you are playing with your own colours and defending your country … so it’s different. It’s an opportunity that every player dreams of.” (He also added that he was proud to be Argentinean).

ON WORKING HARD :
“If you want to succeed in the best club in the world, you have to work everyday as if it were your last. In Madrid, there are many players and everyone is prepared to start. It would be a great privilege for me to play in the game against Barca.”

ON HIS GOALS :
“I am more focused now because I came to Europe to do well. If not, I would have stayed in Argentina with my family and friends. I made the effort to come to Madrid because I thought it was worth it and I want to be in the history books.”

ON BECOMING A SYMBOL :
“I would be proud to be a symbol of Real Madrid like Raul someday. I can never get enough of him and I am a ‘Raulista’! I have great admiration for him and he is a great example to the young players.”

ON HIS FAVOURED ROLE :
“Everyone knows that I enjoy playing behind a striker. Obviously, if I have to play as a ‘Number 9’ (main striker), I will do it. But I feel more comfortable dropping back. These are decisions for the coach (Pellegrini) to make.”

ON HIS FRIENDSHIPS :
“Benzema and I connect well on the pitch. I also have a good relationship with Kaka and Cristiano. We are all glad that (Ronaldo) is back because he is very important to us.”

via Spox and Zimbio

So El Clasico is finally upon us… and what better way to embrace it than by playing one of our own games? We rounded up two loco and incredible passionate futbolitas – Messa (Barca) and Leo (Real Madrid) who were more than excited to get fired up about everything from Pep’s formations to the sexy jugadores themselves.

So let’s get the ball rolling and we promise you, this one has no winners! (PS : See Leo’s incredibly awesome tattoo on her arm – the same one as Sergio Ramos – at the bottom!)

3 THINGS THAT MAKE YOU BETTER THAN THE OTHER TEAM…

3 PLAYERS WHO WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE/YOU WANT TO MARRY

Click find out “3 things that could go terribly wrong”…
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Yes, despite cara’s hectic schedule with the selecao late last week, Brazil’s Felipe Melo found the time to answer Futbolita’s questions. En realidad, we spent the whole day running in the airport and walking in the rain last Friday before the all-important call from Felipe’s agent came through! And it’s adorable how paranoid he was about the selecao’s stringent rule with interviews till we had to be the ones to calm him down. Relaxe homem, você é brasileiro….!

Anyway, we’ll reveal the full context of the interview for our national newspaper in due time. Here, Felipe shares some interesting insights about his life in Italy and with Brazil.

“Being a footballer appears to be a ‘glamorous’ job, but it was a lot of hard work getting here. To have achieved the dream of becoming a professional footballer and to wear the Brazil shirt – the best international squad in the world – and Juventus, one of the most important clubs in world, is already something great for me,” Melo told Futbolita proudly.

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(Thanks to Anna for the graphic)

It’s Futbolita’s One Year anniversary and 21st birthday today (exactly a year since we started the site!) so we’d like to take the opportunity to thank every single one of you for your support, comments, backlinks, retweets etc. We couldn’t have done it without you. Yes that includes all you lovely Greaseanies in denial!

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our interviews and commentaries as much as we’ve loved putting them together for you. Thank you too to everyone who has helped in our pre-match previews, features and interviews and who has put up with our occasional overzealous questions.  Gracias to our readers from The New Paper and chicas y chicos from all around the world who’ve lived through everything from our personal interviews with players and teams to webcam craziness and weddings this year. Also, a big shout out to Pris, Bekie, Mari, Abby, Adri, Alex, Ana, Solange and Verdi for all their help. Apologies are also in order to certain pub owners who’ve had to put on ear plugs to drown out our screams and anyone who may have failed to detect our sugar-coated sarcasm.

We’ll continue to bring you absolute craziness from the world of Latin football. Muito obrigada & abrazos to all futbolitas!!

NOTHING excites us more than meeting a fellow chica who plies her trade in the truly madcap world of the football media.

So when Futbolita encountered Kay Murray, the fresh face of Real Madrid TV (which telecasts on Sky TV and Digital in Spain), it was a bit like talking to a long lost hermana. From running halfway across Osasuna’s home ground for an interview with Arjen Robben to being drenched in the rain and jostling in the mixed zone area for her sound bytes (or perhaps not), the 29-year-old broadcast journalist from Middlesbrough has done it all… And yes, it does all seem very, very familiar!

“On a normal day we are usually at the studios, writing, cutting and producing news pieces or reports for our programmes. I record Real Madrid Life, the show that I present, every Thursday. It’s a nice day, as I get pampered by my make-up artists and stylists before I go on set!” Murray enthused.

And although she doesn’t get to share a lunch table with Florentino Perez (“He is a very busy man!”), Murray’s job with Real Madrid TV means that she boards the same plane as the Madrid boys when they travel to away games and also enjoys exclusive sit-down interviews with them.  And in case you were wondering, that list includes Kaka and Ronaldo.

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Following up on our previous adventure with the Foreignchester United squad, here’s a little bit on our Liverpool experience which took place a few days later… as promised. Lo siento para la retraso.

Firstly, we met our friend Lucas Leiva (who loved our newspaper article on him and sent us a text message about it!) He was painfully shy throughout the entire trip. Xabi Alonso was also pretty moody when we saw him and looked at us weirdly when we were exchanging hand signals with Lucas on the bus. Also, Rafa Benitez is the coolest entrenador we’ve encountered so far. Whenever we shrieked “Rafa, que huboooo?!!“, he’d wink, give us a thumbs up and reply.

The highlight for us was obviously speaking to Stable Boy Fernando Torres at a Carlsberg event. We were separated by a coffee table and had to kneel near the microphones to avoid hitting the TV cameras but we were face to face with hombre! Nando answered our questions in Spanish and even asked if we wanted a reply in English. And yes, he also spoke about Olala and Nora and said they were both very well and resting at home. Nando was polite and pretty normal, if you ask us! He laughed at everything around him and seemed really amused by all the attention. 

Also, Pepe Reina is as loco IRL as he is with la seleccion. He’s really funny and someone needs to show him more love! Enjoy the photos. More under the cut.

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More updates to come in the following week… we promise! Espero que todos es bueno.

They don’t stand among our favorite teams but we had a blast covering Man United when they travelled to Malaysia for their Far East tour. All our preconceptions of them were wrong and they’re all really nice hombres- everyone from the folks in their entourage to the players!

We spoke to Anderson, Fabio, Nani, Rooney, Tosic, Evra, Carrick and even Sir Alex, Kiko Macheda and Paul Scholes briefly.

Rather excitingly, we met one half of our fav Brazilian twin-defenders, Fabio! And among other things, we told him he had sexy hair (thanks to Mari and Sabrina Sato for the inspiration). He chuckled – eyes twinkling – and said, “Obrigado!” By the way, the boy is left-handed and has soft hands. Sadly for us, Rafael wasn’t around for us to hang with so we gave Fabio the Futbolita camisa instead. “Ah, futbolita. Muito prazer!” Fabio said, taking the shirt with a smile. Charming!

We also met Nani - who believe it or not – is the friendliest hombre around and exudes NO douchebag behaviour whatsoever! Halfway throughout our convo, he said to me : “You speak good Portuguese, did you study it?” I replied, “Yes!” and Nani said, “Yes, you speak it well. Very good.” Then he added that he was bored in the hotel and there was nothing much for the players to do following the Jakarta bomb blasts and tight security. So I had to ask : “Do you guys feel sad that Cristiano is gone?” and he replied : “Well, we are getting used to it.” Tosic – who was next to him – told us he didn’t like the weather there.

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It’s our 1000th post and it’s time to celebrate, Raver Ramos style!!! We’d like to take this chance to thank all of you for visiting, referring us in your blogs, twitter and sites and telling all your lindo amigos and amigas about Futbolita. If it weren’t for you, we’d probably be with Grandma Juande and Nereida’s cat. Today, we’re also excited to discover a growing community of Latin football aficionados out there who love the game as much as we enjoy screaming at Foreignchester United fans. Rafael da Silva‘s still there so everything’s cool between us OK?  Except that he’s not picking up our phone calls. For real.

Again, beijos a todos vocês! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

We’ve been talking to Lucas Leiva in the past few days and never mind his lack of goals for Liverpool – mano is pretty awesome! He told us about hanging out with El Pato during their U-20 World Cup Days, hating the fish and chips in Liverpool, having “meat days” with the other Brazilian guys and how he was very happy to receive all his medals (but not the computer) back after his house was broken into last year.

Lucas also wants to be called up to Dunga’s squad for the Confederations Cup (and admitted competition there is tough – we all know that!)  His English is close to perfect but unlike Fabregas, Lucas does not watch episodes of Desperate Housewives. He says when he has time for TV (which is rare), it’s sports all the way! Someone needs to send him DVDS of America’s Next Top Model immediately.

We’ll have more soon!

How could we have missed this?! Hugh Jackman met Ronaldo in Sao Paulo when he was in the country to promote his new movie a few days ago. He presented the actor with a Corinthians shirt which had the name ‘Wolverine’ at the back.

Awkward but Ronaldo seemed more interested in rummaging through the bag than talking to Wolverine himself. What happened to his people skills?!

It wasn’t just Corinthians who were out celebrating at full force on Saturday. Brazil’s most supported club, Flamengo, even threw in churrasco (barbecue) and samba into the mix! Didn’t you know? Even Michelle Obama was there! On a side note, Kleberson – who scored two goals in Rio’s State Championship – has such an adorable filha!

Remember what Henry said last year? It appears that dear Titipo has decided to go back on his words on the subjective question of Who’s The Better Player.

Titipo thinks that the ‘greatness’ level of a player depends on how well he’s fared in helping the club win titles. Based on this argument, he thinks Face Grease is better than Messi.

“First, we must consider that they are different players. They can play in any position and have great technique but they are different. If Messi scored more goals today, it was Ronaldo who (scored) more last year. The level of a player is measured by the aid he gives to the club in making them champions. With that, I must admit that Ronaldo is better than Messi,” he said.

And as promised, you can read Futbolita’s exclusive interview with Dani Alves after the cut!

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We all love São Paulo here at the Futbolita camp so it’s always sad to see them lose. But despite a hard fought game, they couldn’t pull off a victory over Corinthians in the semifinals of the Paulista Championship yesterday. Instead, the home side came away with a 2-1 victory thanks to goals from Elias and Cristian. Miranda netted in the only goal for the visitors.

At least The Ronaldo admitted that the win didn’t come easy.

“It is difficult to reach perfection in football but today Sao Paulo was almost perfect,” he said after the final whistle.

His linda wife, Bia Anthony was also present at the VIP box of the stadium. She told the media later that “Corinthians deserved to win.”

Every month, we profile a special player in  The Futbolita Feature. This month, Fernando Gago is our man in the hot seat.

THESE days, when it comes to Argentinean football, talent often comes in the form of silky and fervent attackers – like Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain or Sergio Aguero.

But at 22, Real Madrid’s defensive midfielder, Fernando Gago, is already a force to be reckoned with.

And the club’s sporting director Jorge Valdano has even compared him to former Madrid great, Fernando Redondo – a sentiment echoed by the player himself.

“Gago is the type of player I would always want on my team. He has all the characteristics of my type of midfielder. He goes all out, keeps his head held high, and is great at reading the game,” said Redondo.

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