Etienne Capoué is one of the keys to understanding the success of Villarreal this season in Champions League. The French midfielder He has become one of the idols of the yellow fans for his game and dedication in each game. French is a unique footballer, who does not mind admitting that he does not like to watch football and that he does not know most of his rivals. What he does know is the atmosphere of Anfield. And he does not hesitate to warn that a game awaits them to suffer beautifully against the Liverpool.
Ask. It will have been good for them not to play this weekend and regain their strength to face Liverpool, which they will surely need.
Response. Yes of course. A few days off have gone well for us, not only to rest but also to unwind after such intense months. There are times when that is important. We will have to work a lot to try to win there.
P. A very tough game awaits them. Are you aware that you will have to run, defend and suffer like never before?
R. Yes, but we have already done it in previous Champions League games. And we have done very well. We will try to repeat those races, those duels. And we will do it with all our hearts as always, but we will also have to do it with a very cool head.
P. Do you foresee an even more difficult game than the one you played in Munich?
R. Of course, because this is already the semifinals, we are just one step away from the final of an entire Champions League. I think that mentally, in terms of the level of emotion, it is a very difficult step. The team that is the toughest in mind, the one that controls the emotions, is going to go through.
Q. You’ve played several times against Liverpool at Anfield and it didn’t go very well for you precisely: 5-0, 6-1, 5-1… Is Anfield so tough, that environment weighs so much?
R. They are very heavy, at Anfield you have nightmares because they are very strong at home. And with that public, playing in that stadium is very difficult. Many of us in the team have already played there many times and we know that stadium. We know that they are very strong and that playing there is crazy.
Emery tells us that they are infallible, but let’s play our game
P. But the team won in Turin, overcame the tough environment in Munich and showed that they are not scared, that their legs do not shake.
R. But the atmosphere in Liverpool is much stronger than the one we experience at Bayern’s house, much more so. It’s something else. He is one of the best if not the best in England. They play very well at home, they press too well, with very high pressure. But if we are able to play with a cool head we can get something positive out of it.
Q. What does Unai tell you about Liverpool?
R. That they are infallible, that when they have an opportunity they are not going to waste it. And that they defend with a lot of order and are very strong in duels. They go full throttle on every play and that is going to require 100% of us. For me he is the favorite to win the Champions League. But we are here, in front of them, and we want to play our game. If we win it will be perfect, but if we fall it will be with our heads held high.
P. In just over a year at Villarreal you have gone from playing the Championship with Watford to fighting to win the Champions League.
R. I am very happy with my path, and I am enjoying myself a lot with my teammates and with the club. It is being an exceptional season and we do not want to finish this path that we have started. We can achieve the greatest thing the club has done in Europe, be in a Champions League final and win it.
Q. Have you ever dreamed of playing in a Champions League final?
R. Nerd. I don’t have football-related dreams, really. I’m just enjoying my life. I am aware that football is very short and I dedicate myself to enjoying each day that passes.
Thinking about the final is not good; if we do, we will fail
P. In between, on this path of yours, champion of the Europa League and MVP of that final against United.
R. They are beautiful memories for life, very good. But you don’t live in the past. in this ‘semi’ nobody is going to remember that we are the champions of the Europa League. Now there are two games to play the best final in the world. Against Liverpool we don’t have any added pressure for being the winners of the Europa League.
P. After that final, one of the first calls you made as soon as you got to the locker room was to Javi Gracia, your former coach at Watford.
R. I wanted to call all the people who have been important on my path and Javi is one of the people with whom I have understood the best. He is a phenomenal man, I only have love for him. We have a very good relationship, very clear. He told me to play how I wanted, he understood what I want. We had a very good year and a half. I did not hesitate to call him and thank him for helping me, to tell him that if I am here today it is because he was on my way.
P. Few cases are remembered of such a quick adaptation to the team. Does your outgoing nature help you?
R. I am a very curious person. I like to understand the culture of another country. I wanted to speak Spanish very quickly and be able to speak with all my classmates and enjoy myself with them. From the first day I wanted to understand the culture of the club, of my teammates and for that to be reflected on the pitch. Everything has been very fast because this is a club that also helps you a lot. I didn’t know any Spanish when I arrived.
Q. And that image of happiness that you transmit on the pitch?
R. I am very happy! I know that I am very lucky to have this job, to have an exceptional family with me. If I don’t enjoy every day of my life, who is going to do it for me? I enjoy what I have every day.
Q. You don’t like them or have social networks. Does it reach you that you have become an idol for the fans?
R. I don’t know if I’m an idol because I don’t watch social media. Any. I don’t care about all that, I don’t like it. I prefer to talk to real people. I am not interested in communicating with people via mobile, seeing them on networks or on Instagram. I don’t like that, it’s not life, it’s not real. But it is true that I like the people here, I am happier and that is why I work even harder to give everything for my club.
I don’t have dreams related to football, I just enjoy life
P. Seeing his level we wonder why, at 33 years old, he has never reached a great football.
R. I don’t know, but the truth is that I don’t care because I’m very happy with my path since I started as a professional when I was 18 years old. I dont look back. I was very happy in England, with a perfect balance, with the children doing very well at school. And I’d rather play a semifinal at 33 than have played the Champions League five years in a row and not have made it past the quarterfinals. It’s my first time and I’m enjoying it. I can go to the end and I think my path is perfect. I have a perfect life, I don’t trade it for anyone else’s. I don’t regret anything, I don’t miss having played in a big one. The family is happy, the children too. No, I don’t change my life, impossible.
P. Here you have met Unai Emery, who seems to have brought out his best version.
R. Many tell me, but the truth is that I think I already played very well in England. I had great seasons there, but it may be that in Spain the Premier is not seen much. I know I’ve played great games here, but I can still play them for the remainder of the season and go on vacation very happy this summer.
Q. Is it true that you don’t watch any football on television?
R. I don’t watch any football, but it’s my life. I’m not going to watch football now because people like it. I do not care. I prefer to look at other things, be with my family. I don’t want to come home after training every day and watch more football. I am not alone, I have to think about my wife and children. I want to learn other things in life and when I get home I want to disconnect.
P. But your son does play football and wants to make you watch games.
R. My son has started playing this year. He plays FIFA and wants to watch soccer. I’m not going to tell him I don’t play with him. When he sees me play he is very happy, he is my first fan. Playing FIFA with him is fine, but when he makes me watch matches… wow! He shows games on TV and I sit with him, but I watch other things on my mobile. It is he who forces me and I say yes, but… He is happy watching football.
Q. When you signed for Villarreal last year, how many players did you know?
R. When I arrived I didn’t know anyone. Only Coquelin because he is French and we had met a few times in England. Also to Emery because he was in the Premier and was at PSG. But the truth is that I didn’t know any other player.
As a child I was offered to enter a good basketball academy and my father told me that nothing, that our family was football
Q. And when you started playing as a child, didn’t you dream of becoming a professional footballer like the rest of your teammates?
R. Not at all. I was only interested in basketball. I also didn’t watch any football. My friends and I were only interested in basketball. Today I have a basket at home and I like to play. When I was 13 years old I had the opportunity to go to a good basketball academy, and they also offered me to enter another football academy. My father told me that there was no option, that ours was a football family. And that’s why I played. I don’t know, I would still have made it to the NBA (laughs). But the truth is that I am very happy now. If it wasn’t for my father, I wouldn’t be here today. It is good to listen to parents.
P. And he became an international with France and scored a goal at the Stade de France.
R. It’s a great memory because my whole family came, my wife was watching the game. Ten years ago. It was nice to play for my country. There I understood the love of the country for the national team, when the anthem sounded it was a very beautiful feeling
Q. Imagine that you win the Champions League. It would be difficult to understand that one of the best midfielders in the Champions League has no chance of going to the World Cup. Would you like to be in Qatar?
R. Sure, but I haven’t been there for many years and the coach has his team. Nothing happens and I expect nothing. It will not be disappointing because every day I am very happy with my club, and that is more important to me.
Q. What a madness it would be to qualify for the Champions League final, can you imagine it?
R. But we are in the semifinals. We can play and win the final only if we pass. Before playing with Bayern nobody talked about the semi-finals, but since we beat them now everyone talks about the final. And no. We have two very difficult games, worse than against Bayern. Thinking about the final is not good. If we think like this, we are sure to fail.
P. Everyone agrees that the goal is to get out of Anfield alive, play the second leg with options at La Cerámica. How do they face the going?
R. Well, with that goal, to get out alive. We know that we are not favourites, that we are a small team against the favorite of the competition. We all know that it will be very difficult there, but if we work well and make the perfect plan, we can achieve it.
P. 3,000 fans travel, that in Vila-real is outrageous. Imagine the illusion they have generated. What would you tell them?
R. It is very good to have you with us. Also, at Anfield I know where they are placed and they are very close to the pitch. We can listen to them, understand them and we are going to need them a lot.
