• CARLOS GUISASOLA

    @C_Guisasola

    Madrid

Updated on Tuesday, 19October2021-01: 45

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A black Mercedes C63, very black, and tuned, very tuned, lands with an intense roar a couple of meters from the access to the Cerro del Espino press room. It's Friday and it's been an hour since Atlético's training session ended. Yannick Carrasco (Ixelles, 1993), with his beard sharpened to the millimeter, gets out of the vehicle and offers his fist in greeting. "Interviews are part of my job," he admits relaxed, with that Andalusian touch inherited from his maternal grandparents. Dress as if at any moment you were going to try a dribble. Just like his idol did: "I really liked Ronaldinho."

A photo of him as a child circulates online with his brother Mylan, both in the Atlético suit. Has he been a rojiblanco for so long? Ugh, he was very young. The truth is that I do not remember who bought them. It was a shirt that I always liked. He had something with Atlético because they were a club that was a bit of the town and historically an important team in Spain. The simple thing, and more so at the end of the 90s, is for a Belgian child to notice Real Madrid or Barcelona. fate [smiles]. I had the shirt on when I was a kid and, look, today I have it too. Being able to play for the Atlético colors is something nice. What was the boy Yannick like? Before he was 11 years old, he lived at my mother's house and went to school and trained. On the weekend I played in the park with my grandfather. At age 11, I left with a family, because I played in Genk,100 kilometers. There he went to school and also trained. When he came back on weekends, he would go to the park and play on an indoor soccer team with adults. It was like that for a long time, until he was 16 years old.

Were they much older? Yes, I always played with older boys.

First in the street and then in futsal.

As I had quality, the elders wanted me in the team to help them win games.

Many times, when you play in the street, the boys do not respect you much.

But since my brother and I were good, they always caught us. They had fame on the street. A little yes [laughs].

There were several quality guys, but we had more.

My brother and I have only been together for 14 months, it is not long, and it showed.

Yannick Carrasco, during the interview.ÁNGEL NAVARRETE

Due to his family situation, he has always taken care of his brother. I am the oldest and hierarchy is important in our house. He often speaks with great admiration of Carmen, his mother. In fact, he was the one who accompanied him in his presentation, in 2015. A mother is always important, but since I didn't have a father ... In football, when you are a child you need a father to accompany you. Because soccer is a man's world. In the end, a father will give you different advice than a mother. Due to things in life, I did not have a father, but from a young age I was always very mature. However, my mother always sacrificed herself to follow me in whatever I wanted.

The story is known. His father, a Portuguese, abandoned them when he and his brother were babies. That is why he has always fought to erase any trace of his surname Ferreira. Yannick is simply Carrasco. And with great honor.

Do you long for that father figure? I got used to living without my father figure. It is the law of life. You cannot do otherwise. You are also young and learning to live without it. It went well for me. When did you start thinking about being a professional footballer? From a very young age. I will not say since I was 16 years old, but at that age I went to a first division club in Genk (Belgium). There it started to get a little more serious. As a child I wanted to be a footballer, but you had to set limits and work to get there, because when you are young you are more for fun, to enjoy yourself, to play as a hobby and not be at home. I quickly noticed since I was little that he had a lot of quality. Although that is not the most important thing. You also have to have a head and work to get where you want to go. And luck, a little luck, of course.There are some amazing freestyle soccer videos of him. Are you still using those resources? It helped me a lot. It's nonsense, but now I bargain in a different way. Something more basic to reach the goal. Before it was more of the street: one arrives, I step on it and I go out the other way. That comes to you alone. Since the spaces are so small, you have to react much faster. The first few meters are much more important than on the grass. Do you lose skills with the tactical demands of football? Yes, but it is normal. Freestyle is a lot of plant. I am still a technician because you are born with it. Someone who has no technique, you put him to play in the street and he will not learn much. They say that Simeone called him to close his signing from Monaco. What did he tell you? He told me that he could help the team, that he was counting on me and that he was waiting for me.It was clear to me because Atlético was a bigger club than Monaco. It was one more step.

He always played with older boys; they wanted me to help them win

How has it changed since you arrived in Madrid in 2015? Like any player, I have matured in the game. When you are 18 you play a little without thinking. You catch the ball and try to dribble on dribble. And nothing happens if you lose it. Now you choose your moment, you read the game better, you see the space or when you have to give it. You evolve. There are still many who do not understand why he went to China. They are personal choices that you make in your career. There was a World Cup, I had some pain and I wanted to prepare well for that championship (Russia'18). It was a good human experience. In the end I didn't miss two years, because I came back here and helped the team to become champions. I would notice a lot of difference in level in that football. It is difficult to speak of level. If a team from China plays against Atlético they will lose I don't know how many to zero. But it's not just that. When you run,Instead of getting where you are, the ball is left behind and you have to go ask for it. It is another football. That also helped me to mature. I had to put the weight of a team on my back. How was that second talk with Simeone before returning? We talked and he noticed in the conversation that I had matured. He perceived that he was mentally and physically ready. He trusted me because he knew me, and when he spoke to me he saw that I had changed, but he will understand that the departure of a footballer of his age and his level to China draws attention. It may attract attention. But as I have always said when people did not understand it: quality and talent are not lost, they are innate.How was that second talk with Simeone before returning? We talked and he noticed in the conversation that I had matured. He perceived that he was mentally and physically ready. He trusted me because he knew me, and when he spoke to me he saw that I had changed, but he will understand that the departure of a footballer of his age and his level to China draws attention. It may attract attention. But as I have always said when people did not understand it: quality and talent are not lost, they are innate.How was that second talk with Simeone before returning? We talked and he noticed in the conversation that I had matured. He perceived that he was mentally and physically ready. He trusted me because he knew me, and when he spoke to me he saw that I had changed, but he will understand that the departure of a footballer of his age and his level to China draws attention. It may attract attention. But as I have always said when people did not understand it: quality and talent are not lost, they are innate.But as I have always said when people did not understand it: quality and talent are not lost, they are innate.But as I have always said when people did not understand it: quality and talent are not lost, they are innate.

Carrasco, during the interview.ÁNGEL NAVARRETE

He had a hard time acclimatizing. Was it something physical or also tactical, as is happening to Griezmann? I had two months of vacation without touching the ball. I kept myself physically, but later, when you had to make a change of pace with a ball, things changed. In a way, the football break due to the pandemic was good for him. The truth is, yes. It came to me as a fucking mother. He put everyone to zero. Did Mbappé's goal against Spain seem offside? Even the footballers were surprised by the decision, for me, from the outside, as a spectator, it's offside. But if you are from France you want it to be a goal and if you are from Spain, offside. But for me, the defender doesn't touch the ball much and the ball doesn't change its trajectory. I think that for many people it was offside, but the VAR said it was a goal and nothing can be changed.And now he is the left lane of the league champion. How does it feel in that position? It demands a lot more of you defensively. Especially in the one against one defending, which is not my virtue. But I have the engine and the physique to do the 90 minutes or 120 if there is extra time. Although every offensive footballer likes to play later, closer to the goal. Is this the best squad you've seen at Atlético? They have a lot of quality. But I have always played in a good Atlético. Before there were more leaders, men who cut, who kicked. Today we have a team that plays better football. An easy one to finish: How do you beat this Liverpool? Listening to the tactic that the coach is going to tell us to try to make a good game and win. Trust him blindly. Of course. . It is the míster,the one who manages the team and the tactics and is going to prepare the game in the best way to try to win.

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