madristar Posted November 5, 2010 Posted November 5, 2010 Xabi Alonso at XLSemanal Q: Besides Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the most appearance-conscious person in the locker room? A: After Cristiano, there’s no doubt that it’s Sergio Ramos. Q: And you’re not vain? A: I like to take care of myself, but not become a slave to how I see myself in the mirror. I firmly believe in natural beauty and I try to be the least artificial possible. Q: Is making a living off of football like prolonging one’s childhood? A: In the sense that you continue doing what made you excited when you were a kid, yes. When I was in school, I never imagined that I would end up living off of this. But when you’re a professional, things change a lot. This life is full of commitments. Throughout the years, I’ve seen that all my friends have had more time to enjoy their lives than I’ve had. They have weekends off! However, I wouldn’t change this for anything. Q: Does one play with more determination as a champion of the world? A: ¡Buf! It doesn’t count for anything! It’s almost forgotten already! Now, when you go out onto the field, you have things to prove, but the satisfaction is still there. Sometimes, you stop to think about it and you realize that what we achieved was really big. Q: People still have the sensation that their dreams came true. A: Since we were so far away, we couldn’t sense how things were in Spain. We were concentrating on playing and fighting to win each game, and the feeling was different, like everything was much smaller. But then later on, when we landed here, it hit us, it was tremendous and it impacted me. Q: Is there any memory that has stayed with you? A: I won’t forget the complicated moment just before the game against Chile. It was very intense on the road between the hotel and the stadium. The silence was impressive and you could almost cut the tension with a knife. It was a decisive moment and getting past this game liberated all of us. Later on, there are small details – when Iniesta scored, when Iker stopped a penalty – that in the end made everything really grand. Q: Have you already forgotten about the kick from De Jong? A: I didn’t think it was that important in that moment. We’re used to receiving a lot of blows and in the heat of the game I didn’t feel that it was such an unusual kick. But then I saw it in the video and I was amazed by how spectacular it was. It’s impossible for me to forget because people keep asking me if I had the marks of his studs on my chest. Q: And did you? A: No! The pain in my chest lasted a lot longer than any marks because I had bruises. But I accept that this is part of the game and I don’t think he did it with any bad intentions. Q: These types of details are the ones you share with the people around you. A: You view things differently from the inside than the outside. It was a month and a half from the time we started preparing for the World Cup until it ended, and the persons that you play with became your family. I didn’t get to see my wife and my kids at all, which made time pass by very slowly. Q: Your family didn’t travel with you? A: No, because my children were too small at that time. Q: Is your wife tired of so much football? A: She’s getting there. In the beginning, when we started, she liked it, but she wasn’t a fan. Then, bit by bit, she became one. But, with the passing of time, she’s gotten tired of it and always asks me how much longer this is going to last. I tell her that it’ll be a few more years. I don’t find it strange that she complains because we’re always traveling and in the end we have a lot of commitments. Q: You spent five years with Liverpool. What did it mean to you as a footballer and a person to leave Spain? A: It was wonderful for me, in two ways. First, because I was 22 years old and it was the first time that I was independent from my parents, and so I had to make my own life. And professionally, it was a unique experience because in the UK people live for football and there is a different style which you have to adapt to. It wasn’t easy! You have to be like a sponge: observe, listen, learn as quickly as possible. Q: Is Anfield very different from the Bernabéu? A: Anfield is an impressive stadium and the moment where you hear the hymn is very special. But the Bernabéu is imposing: it’s very demanding, but it also gives a lot back to you in return. Quote
madristar Posted November 5, 2010 Posted November 5, 2010 ,lol is he a player or a model? so many shoots in one month!! Quote
mamen_fan Posted November 7, 2010 Posted November 7, 2010 1 hq pic of xabi at the alma awards 2010 + 10 hq pix of his team-mates:http://donadabola.wordpress.com/2010/11/06...arela-merengue/looking good as always! Quote
madristar Posted November 7, 2010 Posted November 7, 2010 Xabi Alonso at Marca by unamadridista Q: How are you doing ahead of the derby, after the kicks from Ibrahimovic and Gattuso and the shoving from Inzaghi that you received in Milan? A: I’m good, without any problems. Nothing happened there. That’s the way it is. Physically, I’m good [Yes Xabi, you certainly are]. Q: How does Mourinho prepare for games? A: He’s very detailed, as he should be. We’re an elite team both in the Liga as well as in Europe, so we should anticipate and predict what can be done during games and what the rivals will do. The daily work dynamic is great. Q: What has Mourinho brought to Madrid? A: He has a very defined way of working. He wants to delineate a style of working to make sure everything goes well. This will take time, but he has a method of working that, bit by bit, will lay the foundation. We have confidence in him and that’s important. Q: Is this style based on being an aggressive team? A: Aggression, intensity, intelligence, unselfishness, knowing how to read games, being patient when necessary… there are a lot of things. Q: And what is your role on the team? A: One of the functions of a midfielder is to know how to read the game. I’m in the center of all the plays, with my teammates around me, and I have to communicate a lot so the team will be well-balanced. Q: Do you feel important on this team? A: Yes. I’m playing a lot and in my position you need to be in command at times. I’ve noticed that I have a specific role on this team. Q: But it seems that you never shout or get angry on the field, like Gattuso, for example? A: I’m not one for making big scenes, but I do continuously communicate with my teammates. I do shout on the field and I get angry often. I speak with the rivals, with the referee, with my teammates. I don’t stop. Q: How is your understanding with Khedira? A: Good. We’re learning more about each other, bit by bit. The communication is quite good, as it is with other players such as Özil. We speak in English and that helps make things easier. They both work very hard and want to steep themselves in what is la Liga and what is Real Madrid. We’re in that process. They’re great players who want to do things well. Khedira brings us balance and Özil knows how to read games. They’re different. Q: But it appears that Khedira is neither elegant nor flashy? A: He’s a team player that helps out a lot in defense and in the attack. He’s complete and he brings stability to the team. He’s strong, runs a lot, interprets plays well and does things well. Q: Do your teammates view you differently since you won the World Cup? A: No. And if that gets to the head of any one of us, there are four others here to remind him that life has continued and we can’t stop. I believe we’re behaving well in that respect with our teammates. Q: How are you preparing for the derby and what has Mourinho said to you all? A: Not a lot yet. In the end, we’re playing three games in one week and there’s not a lot of time to train. Q: It’s the first derby in a long time without Raúl, a specialist in these types of games. Do you miss him? A: I only spent one season with him, but it’s true that he did really well in the derbies, and he was very competitive. Q: How do you approach these types of games? A: They’re special because there’s an extra dose of passion in the stands and a lot of times it infects those who are on the field. But you have to keep your cool when things get heated up. You have to know how to combine that extra motivation with coolness. Q: Xavi said that he wouldn’t enjoy playing with this Real Madrid. A: If he said that, it’s because that’s how he feels. That’s his opinion. I enjoy playing in Real Madrid. I’m very happy where I am. We’re doing things well. Can we still improve? Of course. That’s a good thing, to have the ability to improve and to be ambitious. I don’t pay attention to what happens in other clubs. Q: Who is your favorite to win the Ballon d’Or? A: A Spanish player. I believe there are enough reasons for that. In my opinion, Casillas had an incredible World Cup and he was a decisive factor. I would love it if Iker won. It’s more complicated for a goalkeeper, but if he receives it, it’s well-deserved. Q: What are you all doing to help Benzema integrate further? A: Last season he had problems with the language. But now he’s loosening up a lot more and with things going well for him on the field, he’s gaining confidence. I’m sure he will demonstrate his quality. We want to get the best out of him. Q: Were you happy for Pedro León, for his goal in San Siro? A: Yes. It was a decisive and important goal. I’m happy for Pedro León, as I am for all my teammates. Quote
madristar Posted November 12, 2010 Posted November 12, 2010 FHM Bionic interviewunamadridistaQ: What are you values as a professional athlete?A: I like to be honest and respectful of others, and I think how you behave on the field is very important.Q: So, you don’t believe that the end justifies the means?A: No. The end is to win, and the means are to be honest.Q: Your career has been brilliant…A: Yes, I’m satisfied, but I’m still ambitious.Q: Your best game?A: I have two: the final of the World Cup this year, and the final of the Champions League in 2005 with Liverpool.Q: And the worst?A: There have been a lot of deceptions, but I remember especially the 2006 World Cup, when France eliminated us.Q: Which athlete do you admire?A: Michael Jordan.Q: Can we talk about coaches?A: Yes, without any problems.Q: The best?A: Vicente del Bosque, because he’s a great coach and a great person.Q: Very different from Luis Aragonés?A: Aragonés was more impulsive.Q: And José Mourinho?A: He has a very elaborate way of working, and he knows what he has to do in each moment.Q: And how was Benítez?A: He focused more on technical aspects than psychological or personal.Q: And how do you prepare for a game?A: I try to anticipate and visualize what could happen. And later, I always get a bit nervous before, but I think that’s necessary.Q: What is your strong point on this team?A: I think it’s my ability to analyze and organize… I like to be organized both on and off the field.Q: It’s been said that you’re quite an elegant man…A: I don’t know, maybe it’s from my way of being… I’m very interested in new things: fashion, accessories, watches, gadgets…Q: Can you live without technology?A: Let’s just say that you shouldn’t deprive me of it: I have a Blackberry, and then from Apple I have everything; the latest is the iPad.Q: Your favorite web sites?A: www.nationalgeographic.com and www.ebay.es.Q: Music?A: When I was younger, Nirvana. Now, Calamaro, Coldplay, Quique González…Q: Movies?A: I didn’t like The American with George Clooney, but I did like the latest from Woody Allen.Q: Books?A: I always read newspapers, and now I’m reading Octopus by Daniel Estulin and El Palestino by Antonio Salas.Q: Vacation spots?A: European capitals, with London on top of the list.Q: Where do you like to get lost?A: In the barrio viejo (old town) of San Sebastián.Q: And when you’re done with football?A: I don’t know, sometimes I fantasize about dedicating myself to something completely different… But it’s a fantasy.How Xabi takes care of himselfEating – like a good Basque, Xabi likes to eat. “Luckily, I can eat everything since I don’t have any weight problems, and I don’t even have a set diet.” There’s always fresh fish in his refrigerator, and his favorite restaurant, Elkano in Getaria, “never lets me down.”Personal care - “in addition to basic hygiene, I use gel, shampoo, deodorant, cream for the hair, a moisturizer and cologne daily.”Exercise – Xabi does the four exercises shown above. [Note: this would be a good thing to leave lying around the house, to make your man as much like Xabi Alonso as possible.] Quote
Chic_Raul_ista Posted December 1, 2010 Author Posted December 1, 2010 Xabi, Nagore & Ane /monthly_12_2010/post-6862-0-1446012895-24621_thumb.jpg" data-fileid="2548763" alt="post-6862-0-1446012895-24621_thumb.jpg" data-ratio="93.43"> Quote
MadridGirl Posted December 1, 2010 Posted December 1, 2010 These pictures are from today?? By the way, thanks! Quote
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