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His constant talks with the players, the reputation of being an arbiter for those who stop playing, and his clashes with great figures from the soccer scene like Pep Guardiola , have made Mateu Lahoz one of the most media collegiate of the last decade . In an interview for the newspaper Las Provincias , the Valencian has shown his most personal side talking about all these issues and others as the team he followed in his childhood.

"It is a surreal concept: I have no role, I am in love with football , I live it in the first person. I can smell it, hear it, feel it. I will not change anything about how I live my profession, which is my passion," he states flatly Mateu about his supposed desire for prominence. " I am the one who speaks less, but the focus is on others, " he adds.

In full swing of the rivalry between Guazrdiola and Mourinho in Spain, the praises of the Portuguese for his way of arbitrating put him in the spotlight of the Barcelona fans. "I have asked Barça a lot and I have felt respected. I have had conversations with Puyol that are recorded. And Pep Guardiola, privately, in Barça and other teams, has told me that he likes how I referee . Another thing is whatever they say in the press conferences, "he declares despite his cross-remarks that he starred with the Catalan in the 2017/18 Champions League, which ended with the expulsion of the former Barcelona coach.

Mateu Lahoz also talks about other issues that generally his fellow professionals usually dodge, such as the team he followed as a child. "It seems natural that players and coaches are teams because they are professionals. In the referee it does not look good, as if you could not be professional and impartial . I got the Castellón by Pedro Alcañiz and the one that had the most resonance was Valencia CF , but over the years the forofismo is lost ". confesses the braid, international since 2011.

In addition, he was very happy with the step that supposed that his partner Stephanie Frappart directed the last Super Cup in Europe and that other women like Megan Rapinoe become referents in a world in which it is not usual like football. "Sacrifice, effort, companionship, teamwork, understanding defeat because in everything in life you lose more than you earn ... If the captain of the winning team always talks about values, it is a gift for everyone ."

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