If you managed to see the draw live, what was your first reaction?
To be honest, I didn’t see it live. I was asleep. It’s a very difficult group with Germany, who are always one of the favourites, and the USA and Ghana, who are very good teams too. As always, I hope to go as far as possible and qualifying for the second round is obviously the priority, and then we’ll see what happens. We can definitely qualify from that group, but it depends on how the team is in terms of confidence and concentration, which is always important. We hope to go as far as possible.
After what happened in the last World Cup, what mistakes do you need to avoid to make it to the last 16?
It will be a difficult group. We’ll have to play well and especially against Germany, who are one of the favourites. I think we can qualify and we’ll just have to wait and see after that. It depends on us as a team. Concentration is really important in these short competitions and I hope that Portugal can go as far as possible.
On a personal level, what are your hopes for this World Cup? Do you think you deserve something more this time after suffering so much in the last two European Championships?
I’m going to do the best I can. Both on a club and international level, the final stages are always the same for me. Maybe I’ll feel different at the end of the competition, but my objective is always the same. To try to do my best and help my country. On a personal level, I’ll obviously try to play to the best of my ability, score goals and give my all. Then we’ll have to wait and see what happens. I always ask a lot of myself because I know my potential and I’ll try to give it my best shot.
You’re going to Brazil as the captain of Portugal. Have you spoken to Iker about what it feels like to lift the trophy?
I don’t need him to tell me. Because I’m intelligent, I know what it means to lift something important. On a club level, I know how great it feels to lift the Champions League trophy and I suppose that in the World Cup that must be even better, something that you never forget. I saw the players crying after the last World Cup final. The dream that my teammates and I have is to win something important like the World Cup or the European Championship, but we have to keep our feet on the ground and take it step by step. Only the best team can win and I hope that Portugal can be up there with the best teams.
How do you motivate yourself for the World Cup and the Champions League?
There’s still a long time left for the World Cup. I’m focusing on my club and on winning La Liga and all of the trophies that we can, and then we’ll see what happens in the World Cup. You have to enjoy each moment and, right now, Real Madrid are playing really well. We’re doing well in the Champions League and La Liga, and now we’ve just started in the Copa del Rey. I feel fine and full of confidence, and I hope that Real Madrid can do great things this year. As for the national team, the objective is to win the World Cup. But there’s still a long time to go before it starts and a lot could happen. But my objective right now is to focus on the club and give my all there.
To be honest, I didn’t see it live. I was asleep. It’s a very difficult group with Germany, who are always one of the favourites, and the USA and Ghana, who are very good teams too. As always, I hope to go as far as possible and qualifying for the second round is obviously the priority, and then we’ll see what happens. We can definitely qualify from that group, but it depends on how the team is in terms of confidence and concentration, which is always important. We hope to go as far as possible.
After what happened in the last World Cup, what mistakes do you need to avoid to make it to the last 16?
It will be a difficult group. We’ll have to play well and especially against Germany, who are one of the favourites. I think we can qualify and we’ll just have to wait and see after that. It depends on us as a team. Concentration is really important in these short competitions and I hope that Portugal can go as far as possible.
On a personal level, what are your hopes for this World Cup? Do you think you deserve something more this time after suffering so much in the last two European Championships?
I’m going to do the best I can. Both on a club and international level, the final stages are always the same for me. Maybe I’ll feel different at the end of the competition, but my objective is always the same. To try to do my best and help my country. On a personal level, I’ll obviously try to play to the best of my ability, score goals and give my all. Then we’ll have to wait and see what happens. I always ask a lot of myself because I know my potential and I’ll try to give it my best shot.
You’re going to Brazil as the captain of Portugal. Have you spoken to Iker about what it feels like to lift the trophy?
I don’t need him to tell me. Because I’m intelligent, I know what it means to lift something important. On a club level, I know how great it feels to lift the Champions League trophy and I suppose that in the World Cup that must be even better, something that you never forget. I saw the players crying after the last World Cup final. The dream that my teammates and I have is to win something important like the World Cup or the European Championship, but we have to keep our feet on the ground and take it step by step. Only the best team can win and I hope that Portugal can be up there with the best teams.
How do you motivate yourself for the World Cup and the Champions League?
There’s still a long time left for the World Cup. I’m focusing on my club and on winning La Liga and all of the trophies that we can, and then we’ll see what happens in the World Cup. You have to enjoy each moment and, right now, Real Madrid are playing really well. We’re doing well in the Champions League and La Liga, and now we’ve just started in the Copa del Rey. I feel fine and full of confidence, and I hope that Real Madrid can do great things this year. As for the national team, the objective is to win the World Cup. But there’s still a long time to go before it starts and a lot could happen. But my objective right now is to focus on the club and give my all there.
