Why did you decide to leave Atlético in this winter market?
I was already looking for a change of scene a while ago, because it was difficult to get used to the way of playing. I left because my head was already full from trying so hard and not being able to. It had to be in this market and I think it has been good for Atleti and for me too.
What do you think of Simeone as a coach?
Everyone knows him, everyone knows what he won. He is a very good trainer. He has his way of understanding and seeing football that others don’t have. This is good for some and bad for others. That depends on each. But he has his virtue and that makes him a good coach.
Would you have liked to have more confidence in Cholo?
Confidence has to come from the player as well. Not at the beginning, but the third year I always had the maximum confidence. And then, it is logical that the coach has more confidence in some than in others, but that is something normal.
Simeone said that he understood that you were angry with him, but that he was going to make him a better footballer. Do you think he has made you a better player?
Yes, of course, it made me a better player. Since I arrived at Atlético until now I am a better player. And that’s thanks to everyone: Cholo, the Portugal coach Fernando Santos, my teammates from Portugal and Atlético, the games I played and the ones I didn’t play… Everything has made me grow.
What has Cholo brought you?
I have always competed, I have always wanted to win. What I have learned is to compete in a different way that I was not used to. I always wanted to win more than everyone, but there I learned to compete in a different way.
What is this different way of competing for Simeone?
Basically, it is suffering on the pitch. It is to be suffering, to have an opportunity and mark it. It is his way to compete. It’s not bad, but it’s different from other trainers.
Can it be said that Cholo taught you to suffer on the field?
Yes, it may be so. It’s.
Do you think this year will be the end of Simeone’s era at Atlético?
I don’t know. Every year there is talk of him leaving, but he never leaves. So I no longer believe anything that is said. If it stays very well; if he leaves, all the happiness for him, that everything goes very well for him. Only in June we will know what will happen.
Months ago they asked him who was the best coach in the world, but he responded evasively and that generated a lot of controversy. Have you had time to think about who is the best coach in the world for you?
I don’t remember what I answered, but it’s a little unfair to answer that because I’ve had great coaches. I think it’s unfair to say one. And if I’m going to say Cholo, they were going to criticize me for not saying Fernando Santos. And if I came to say Fernando Santos, they were going to criticize me for not saying Cholo. There was going to be trouble for sure, so it was better not to answer. But if you want a name, it could be Bruno Lage, who was the coach who gave me the chance at Benfica, so there’s no controversy.
Are you watching Atlético matches? There have been many changes in the squad…
Yes, I see them when I can. The same Atlético continues, suffering. I saw the match against Madrid. They had a spectacular first half. Later, the second was not so good, but it is Atlético. It has been like this for years, that sometimes we are very good, then they score a silly or lucky goal and it completely changes the game and everyone’s motivation. I wish them a good championship. They had the Cup to try to win. They no longer have it and now, to fight for the championship to enter the Champions League.
Are you still in contact with a teammate?
Yes, Felipe left, but I’m still in contact with Reinildo and some others.
The level that you showed in the first round of the 2020-21 season was spectacular. For many, he was the most decisive player in the championship along with Messi at that time. However, he was injured and his level suffered from there. They say that the reason is that he played several months injured… Is that true?
Yes, it affected my game, because I wasn’t comfortable playing it. Despite this, I always tried to help the team. I knew it was a very important year. We were having a very good championship and we had everything to win it, so I always tried to help the team until the end. After finishing the season I had surgery and the pain went away.
How many games did you play in pain?
Buff, from November or December. I got injured in the game against Bayern at home (December 1, 2020). Since that day.
And you played injured until the end of the season…
Yes. I didn’t know the injury I had, but I did have pain. I took a test, but I didn’t know I had a broken bone. I only found out at the end of the season, when I went to see a very famous foot doctor.
In other words, he spent about six months playing with a broken foot bone.
Yes, a bone had been broken and it was the same feeling as having a stone in your shoe, but, in my case, inside my foot.
What has been your best moment at Atlético?
That first half of the season that we came out champions. Last year, before I got injured, he was also very good. I’ll stick with that.
What has he lacked to show that level again?
The injuries took away my confidence, rhythm, level of play, but other things also affected me. Now I am more grown up, more mature and I think that I will no longer have ups and downs, I will be more constant.
Have you ever regretted signing for Atlético?
No, I don’t regret it. It has been very good for me to leave Portugal, to evolve, to get to know new experiences, new players, new coaches… I don’t regret it because it has made me grow.
If we go back to the summer of 2019, would you recommend João Félix to sign for Atlético?
That summer Atlético aroused a lot of interest in me and that was what made me sign for them. I really liked these three and a half years that I was there. There have been good moments, others less good. We do not know if that stage is over. We’ll only find out in the summer, but I don’t regret having signed for Atleti.
At Atlético, several gestures of frustration and anger have been seen. What were they due to?
Well, they were because the goal did not appear, because the results did not occur, because the ball did not arrive, I spent a lot of time defending… but I had to know how to deal with that and I think that now I am better in that sense.
Did the 127 million that Atlético paid for you put added pressure on you?
Nothing, zero. There was a lot of talk about the price, but I never cared. They paid for it, because they paid for it. I am not thinking every day about what it cost and that I have to do one thing or another. I have to do my job. If they paid for it, well, very well, but I don’t have it in my head.
Miguel Ángel Gil continues to trust you a lot. To the point that he has agreed to assign it to her, but has not agreed to include a purchase option. How does he interpret it?
Contrary to many people, Miguel has always trusted me a lot, he has always broken his arm for me. I have a good relationship with him. I appreciate him letting me out now because I needed him, I wasn’t right anymore. Miguel has always believed in me and I think he still believes. He sees me as a hope for Atlético, but we’ll see…