Gago on Realmadrid Radio

Fernando Gago is optimistic about the team’s chances to win the league title this year. The Argentine also talked about his beginnings as a player.

The number ’5′ position is classic in Argentina.
It’s always stood out. Many great players, such as Redondo, have worn that number. It’s great that Argentineans regard the number ’5′ position with such importance.

Does it bother you when people compare you with Fernando Redondo?
No, but you can’t really compare. Redondo had an amazing career and I was very young when I arrived at Real Madrid. I was confident, but adapting to a new country is the hardest thing to do.

You had no toruble adapting on the pitch.
I’m never afraid on the pitch because that’s where I feel safer. I always try to do my best.

Ramón Madoni, who’s in charge of the academy at Boca Juniors, has always said that you are different to all the other players.
He is an incredible person. I thought of quitting football when I was 14 years old. He asked me where I prefered to play, if in the Ninth or in the First Division. I answered I’d prefer the latter and he said, “Then you must work to reach the First Division and play for Argentina.” He told me to wait, that one day I’d get my chance.

Real Madrid’s had a perfect run in January.
We should work to win every week. We have to try to cut distances short with Barcelona. We are anxious to play in the Champions League and many of us want to win many titles.

The Champions League is an important title for Real Madrid.
Our next two games in the competition will be like finals. we have to win both, either playing well or badly. It would be better to win by playing well. A victory would make us confident.

Has Lass Diarra surprised you?
He has. I hardly knew him save for a few Premiership games I’d seen. He is a very good player and he and I hit it off from day one. We know what we have to do and we understand each other very well on the pitch.

What about Raúl?
His track record is incredible… He’s been here for 15 years and it is very hard to play at such a high level for that long.

What do you feel when you see a Real Madrid shirt?
I feel great joy because coming here was one of my dreams. It was tough at first because it was difficult for me to be away from my mom, my brothers and my friends… I was only 20 years old. I want to stay here many years and do my best for the Club. I thought of my dad when I signed and of the things I’ve been able to enjoy that he couldn’t. I’ve won 10 titles despite my young age. I am a privileged person.

Do you think Messi is the best player in the world right now?
He is the best by far. I thank God for making him an Argentine. I’ve known him since I was 18 years old and he is a great guy. We are great friends. He is in a different club right now and we are rivals of sorts, but our friendship is greater and much stronger.

What do you feel when you play for Argentina?
I feel many things. The greatest thing that can happen to an Argentine is to play for his country. You can’t describe what that feels like. It stirs great passion.

Maradona is the team’s new coach.
Having him as a coach motivates us even more. It’s amazing to see him sitting on the bench… He is the greatest idol Argentina has and I believe he is the greatest football icon in the world.

Is the team’s goal to win the 2010 World Cup?
We wish. I can’t possibly imagine what a World Cup final must be like, let alone what it must be to win it.

When will Higuain play for Argentina?
That’s up to Maradona. Gonzalo is doing very well; he is a very good player, but there are many Argentinean strikers out there. Messi, Aguero, Julio Cruz… There are too many for such a crucial position. He has to wait for his chance.

Both of you seem to be great friends.
We are friends off the pitch. He helped me out in everything at first; when we travelled, in training sessions… I lived with the barest of necessities in Argentina. I will never forget what he did for me.

How do you remember your beginnings as a player?
It is very hard to come up from the very bottom. My parents had to make great sacrifices. My dad worked and my mom came with me everywhere. My dad used to get up at 4 am and get back at 9 pm. I will always enjoy playing football and I will never stop, not even when I retire, but it is very hard not to have any money and to train with broken boots… I think such odds help make you a greater player and a better person. The kids in the Real Madrid youth system are lucky to train in such great facilities…

You seem to be one of the team’s strongest believers in making a comeback this season. That’s maybe due to the fact that you lived through the ‘Together we can’ campaign…
The league is very long and we still have chances to win. Barcelona have a large lead over us and they are playing very well, but we are in great form right now. We have to keep on winning games and wait for Barcelona to drop points. I wouldn’t look forward to playing every weekend if I didn’t believe we could win the title.