Former Real Madrid player Alvaro Fidalgo, who now is one of the stars of Club America — Real Madrid’s opponent tonight — spoke to Marca in an interview ahead of tonight’s game. We’ve included some of the Real Madrid related quotes below.
On his time growing up in Real Madrid’s youth academy
“Ugh, very difficult. I always say that at Real Madrid, which I arrived at when I was 15 and left when I was 23, I grew up and lived my adolescence. Reaching the first team is very very difficult, only the chosen ones do it. They are the best in the world. The years in the quarry were very good, growing as a person and a player. If I’m a footballer, it’s almost all thanks to the training they gave me there.”
On being the captain of Castilla under head coach Raul Gonzalez
“Yes, in Raúl’s first year at Castilla I was captain. That summer, in theory, I was going to leave and in the end Raúl talked to me: he wanted me to stay and be the captain, and the club ended up convincing me. We were having a good season, growing a lot because Raúl, in addition to being the legend that he is, is an incredible professional. One of his phrases stuck with me forever: “You are Real Madrid players 24/7”. It is his philosophy to live the sport to the fullest, with such high demands, taking care of all aspects on and off the field. He made a big mark on me.”
On his current thoughts on Castilla
“There are great players, like Dotor and Arribas... They are doing things very well. They were close to the promotion phase and it did not happen because it is very difficult and they are very young. Real Madrid is an incredible place for them to grow up.”