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This story does not begin with this interview, but in the days when the hardest pandemic hit and people went out on the balcony to applaud the toilets.

Rafael Giménez

(Valencia, 1993), Fali for football, could not go to train with Cádiz because fear paralyzed him. He has no cell phone. He took that of his wife, María, and found oxygen among those who asked him. This journalist could not then capture that emotional torrent on paper, but established the link with which the circle is closed here. In Fali there is much more than the grace, the rawness and the impudence of his answers. Reflect and try to go further. He never loses sight of his origins. He proudly defends his gypsy ethnicity. And he walks with the care of someone who knows that the dream life of football has an expiration date.

Is the fear gone? I'm still afraid. Also, I tested positive for Covid on the first day of this preseason and spread it to my wife and three children. My case was mild. I only lost my smell and taste, although I have not recovered my smell yet. Two or three weeks ago, people from the neighborhood who we loved very much passed away. We haven't earned this yet. But there are still people who go crazy. I don't even want to see the news. During the first stage of the pandemic, I did not leave home. I was calling for things to be delivered. I got itchy every time I exercised. And the girl from the pharmacy would upload everything I needed. He was very afraid of the street. I remember that one time I went down and had to go back because everything was itching. What do I know. I was very afraid of him, he is 28 years old. Play First. And he lives off football, not even dreaming.They told me five years ago and I don't believe it. It has changed my life. Have you ever thought what would have happened to you if you had not arrived? Well, yes. I would do the same as my family. I should have made a living on the flea market, selling figures on Sundays like my father. My mother now has a bar and my father goes on with his life. He sells what he finds out there. Has he suffered? I have suffered a lot. Think that I married my wife at 16, who was 14. And at 17 I already had a daughter to feed. I had to find my life so that they did not need anything. I've had enough of washing dishes. But we gypsies are very familiar and we always help each other. In the end we made a pot of food and everyone ate from there. How was your family life? My parents separated when I was 14 years old. It was a tough stick for me.I was at the time at Villarreal. I was trying to bring some money home to eat. And after two years I was marrying my wife. With our laws, our religion as I say, they marry us very soon. My wife has been a key piece. I was having a very bad time and she settled me. How was your wedding? That was from a movie. Our families did not get along. And I fell in love with the wrong person. We couldn't have a big party because our families weren't very friendly ... I wasn't to their liking. They didn't know me. But now your grandfather couldn't be more pleased with me. We did the handkerchief test, but only for mine and two or three more for my wife. That's it, he dropped out of school, when I was 12 or 13 they told me that it would be a big step for me to go to a residence hall.They put me in 1st year of ESO and I had no idea about all that. It cost me a lot. Do you regret not having studied? I regret it, but I had no other choice. That won't happen to my daughters because I have another life. They will study yes or yes. But I do regret it. It's very fucking that your daughter comes to you and you don't know how to help her. I'm not ashamed of it. When I was at Levante I had a partner, Juanma, who taught me to speak in public. I was pitiful. Every now and then a word still escapes me. I didn't even know how to speak. I always said "I dropped it", putting the month before the week. But I was stubborn, because I wanted to learn. Sometimes I don't know things and I don't know how to explain them to my daughters. But I have gotten involved. To my daughters, Isabel and Rocío, and to my son, Gabriel, this will not happen.Do you regret not having studied? I regret it, but I had no other choice. That won't happen to my daughters because I have another life. They will study yes or yes. But I do regret it. It's very fucking that your daughter comes to you and you don't know how to help her. I'm not ashamed of it. When I was at Levante I had a partner, Juanma, who taught me to speak in public. I was pitiful. Every now and then a word still escapes me. I didn't even know how to speak. I always said "I dropped it", putting the month before the week. But I was stubborn, because I wanted to learn. Sometimes I don't know things and I don't know how to explain them to my daughters. But I have gotten involved. To my daughters, Isabel and Rocío, and to my son, Gabriel, this will not happen.Do you regret not having studied? I regret it, but I had no other choice. That won't happen to my daughters because I have another life. They will study yes or yes. But I do regret it. It's very fucking that your daughter comes to you and you don't know how to help her. I'm not ashamed of it. When I was at Levante I had a partner, Juanma, who taught me to speak in public. I was pitiful. Every now and then a word still escapes me. I didn't even know how to speak. I always said "I dropped it", putting the month before the week. But I was stubborn, because I wanted to learn. Sometimes I don't know things and I don't know how to explain them to my daughters. But I have gotten involved. To my daughters, Isabel and Rocío, and to my son, Gabriel, this will not happen.They will study yes or yes. But I do regret it. It's very fucking that your daughter comes to you and you don't know how to help her. I'm not ashamed of it. When I was at Levante I had a partner, Juanma, who taught me to speak in public. I was pitiful. Every now and then a word still escapes me. I didn't even know how to speak. I always said "I dropped it", putting the month before the week. But I was stubborn, because I wanted to learn. Sometimes I don't know things and I don't know how to explain them to my daughters. But I have gotten involved. To my daughters, Isabel and Rocío, and to my son, Gabriel, this will not happen.They will study yes or yes. But I do regret it. It's very fucking that your daughter comes to you and you don't know how to help her. I'm not ashamed of it. When I was at Levante I had a partner, Juanma, who taught me to speak in public. I was pitiful. Every now and then a word still escapes me. I didn't even know how to speak. I always said "I dropped it", putting the month before the week. But I was stubborn, because I wanted to learn. Sometimes I don't know things and I don't know how to explain them to my daughters. But I have gotten involved. To my daughters, Isabel and Rocío, and to my son, Gabriel, this will not happen.Every now and then a word still escapes me. I didn't even know how to speak. I always said "I dropped it", putting the month before the week. But I was stubborn, because I wanted to learn. Sometimes I don't know things and I don't know how to explain them to my daughters. But I have gotten involved. To my daughters, Isabel and Rocío, and to my son, Gabriel, this will not happen.Every now and then a word still escapes me. I didn't even know how to speak. I always said "I dropped it", putting the month before the week. But I was stubborn, because I wanted to learn. Sometimes I don't know things and I don't know how to explain them to my daughters. But I have gotten involved. To my daughters, Isabel and Rocío, and to my son, Gabriel, this will not happen.

The day came when he got paid for being a footballer, and when I started to get paid well was when I signed for the Barça subsidiary. I was amazed. The first salary I had was spent filling three taxis with toys for my daughters. I went to a mall and the salesgirl freaked out. He didn't even have a car license. I stood there and took everything I could. They looked at me like I was crazy. I remembered those years when I went through toy stores and couldn't buy a single doll. And he could only say to the girls: 'That for the Kings'. Perhaps what I did that day was not right, because I do not give them much less all the whims. But since I hadn't been able to do it until then, I made up my mind. I gave each girl a car and they went crazy. I bought everything from them. Three taxis for them. Has the money changed? No,and I am very proud of myself. I still wear Zara and Pull & Bear. And the tracksuit nobody takes it from me. I am not one of luxuries. I swear. The life of a footballer is very short. I wish I won millions of euros. But since this is not the case, I must have my head very well set. I have to try that when this is over my family does not need a plate to eat. Were you stage frightened when you arrived at the Barça subsidiary? I thought that this opportunity would never happen again in my life. Now or never. Imagine, Barça, the best club in the world. He had to go there yes or yes. The last day Curro Torres called me to go to the Valencia subsidiary. It was my home. But I said no. It's true that it was going back to Second B, but I didn't even think about it. I was not afraid. If anything the first day I trained with the first team. There, yes. I thought, the one waiting for me...What happened? I don't know. It was being with people you played Play with. In the end, I am one more fan who plays soccer. It was as if you put a fan to play with Messi. Leo was there, the best player in history. And I said to myself, now I have to pass it on to this one? And I have to have a good time! Luckily I knew Alcácer, Paquito, and he helped me. Busquets, Jordi Alba and Aleix Vidal welcomed me. They must have seen that he was shitted. Didn't he cut Messi with tickets? But it was impossible to take the ball from him or kick him! I was in another world. I do remember that in the first training session I took a trip to Arda Turan. I got scared and everything. I also gave Dembélé a push. But Valverde liked that I trained the same as he did with the subsidiary. It had to be the same, in that Barça they would demand that he not raffle a ball.What was found in Cádiz? The change was ... Ugh. It cost me a lot. I came from Barça, from playing pivot in Segunda B. I used to say to Gerard López, who was the coach: 'Daddy, you have to teach me to turn.' We stayed there every day. And when things were already coming out for me, when I was already playing one and two touches, I come to Cádiz. I will always remember. I make a pass and ... Zas. Mr. [Álvaro Cervera] calls me and says: 'Fali, not inside here. Here to the corners. ' Many people think that I only know how to peck up. But no, I come from the other football. What happens is that the coach has made me believe that it is just as effective that playing short and on foot. It helped him so that Barça did not beat him last season. I can say that Messi never beat me. Many people are wrong. I have to say it.Soccer is not giving a hundred passes. There are very few teams in the world that can do that. Many want, but cannot. But you don't have to make football beautiful, you have to win. You have to manage to be strong in both areas. How? Each one in their style. If they play like us and lose, they will always say 'how bad they are, all balls'. But when you do it well and score goals, they already tell you: 'They have a crazy scab'. Álvaro has made me understand it and I agree with him. Last year we had a great season. And this one is costing us, but we have already won. How is your life in Cádiz? The people here are spectacular. I have never been in a place like it. Look, I was good in Tarragona, but here it's incredible. People see you and it seems to be your family. They even invite you to the bar for lunch. And I, that I go everywhere,I'll go with them wherever they are right away. Have they told you stories about Mágico González? How can they not tell me? Even my family who is football. But I suppose you are not going out much. If I go out, the gypsy leaves me with the suitcase outside. When I hit it, I hit it at home. I love it, but there are days and days. Then in summer they want to kill me. When the holidays are over, Fali returns and Fali's cousin is inside. Because I've eaten everything, he said his family is a football fan, all my uncles are from Madrid, but my grandfather is from Barça. He was born in Reus. They can kill each other. Even though my grandfather doesn't understand soccer or anything, he does it to piss off others. But since Messi has left now, he already says that he is not from Barça. He has never liked football, what he liked was Messi. My father is from Madrid to death.He just played me old Zidane tapes. He was mad. And he told me that I had to make roulettes. I was nuts. It was very heavy. But the man was excited. How could I not like Zidane then if my father took me to the parking lot to make roulettes. Imagine. All day making roulettes out there. Has football saved you? I'm very stubborn. When I was 16 years old and I went to Catarroja, to Third, and then I went to my Levante, which I have in my heart since my grandfather took me as a child, I said to myself: Either this or nothing. He had to fight for that dream. I never settled. I knew that I was going to eat from soccer. Although I did not imagine that I would reach First. When you earn money is when you should have the most head. I'm not buying ten cars. He must have a cool head. And I'm getting it. And his first car? I bought it at Barça.They gave us a crazy discount and it was my chance. But I didn't understand cars. I took out my license and bought an Audi. Think about it. La Diagonal de Barcelona had me fried. Thank God I didn't hit it. But because it was always 60! My colleagues used to tell me: 'Gypsy, I'm not going in the car you're going to 60' with you. Has your father never left you the van from work? My father was very serious and very upright. It made me bitter. He didn't even let me ride with him on bicycles. Straight as a candle. Ugh, my gosh. What he wanted was for me to be a footballer. When I was 10 years old, I was at Villarreal. There I would score four or five goals and he would hit me on the slaps. "What are you doing? You have to put six in!", He would tell me. But how could I get six. My mother told him to leave me alone. It was deadly. Now he does not put so much cane in me. If I did, I would say:"Daddy, where are you going?" When I go on a trip I have the tablet. It makes me angry when we are at a table and they are all with the mobile ... It bursts me. I do not like it. I no longer ask him about social networks, Twitter, Twitch .. Nah. I don't have social networks. I useI do not have social networks. UseI do not have social networks. Use

WhatsApp

and miracle. And people tell me: 'Fali, because of who you are, on social media you would do great.' But the fans know that if they find me on the street, I'll stay with them talking. I have no problem. I do the things I have always done. Don't they tell you that he looks older than he is? I myself think I am older. I have seen my parents, my grandparents. We are very long-suffering people. Maybe I don't think like a child and think more about what might happen. It is true that this can be a problem. I live the day as if it were the last. Every second that passes I know that it does not come back. I wish I had two million euros in the bank. Maybe he would see it differently. But I have to fight like many people.Have you ever encountered a problem in football due to being of gypsy ethnicity? Yes. Once a player told me not to "gypsy". "That the gypsy did not do", because I threw myself in a play. I turned around and said: "And what is being a gypsy for you?" Like he was a cheater. They are things that make you angry, and that remain there. But it makes you angry and angry that they treat you like this. So many things are said in football ... If he only remains on the field and then he comes and asks your forgiveness ... Well, well. It's wrong because they don't have to tell me that. In football we say many things to each other, although I am not like that. But you do find people who say to you: "Go gypsy." I do not like it. Sometimes those of Second B are more respectful than those of First, because they are also in the mud. They don't believe it so much.We think that by being in First we are kings. And we are people. He has always claimed his origins. I am very proud of my ethnicity. If I were to be born again, I would love for it to be the same. The best thing that has ever happened to me is being a gypsy.

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