"I've already told some of my teammates: 'I hope we can win so you can feel how heavy the game is; you're going to go crazy, you won't believe it,'" said Alberto Moreno, and then the footballer said to compete with Santi Kazzola to see who laughed the most, who vowed that if Villarreal lost in the UEFA final, then he would hide because David De Gea would message him and laugh again. "I reckon this game will be heavier than the European Cup. The Weight of the European Cup is heavy enough, but a Europa League (final)? It was a big chunk of steel. ”
Two days later, Villarreal will take on Manchester United in Gdansk, Poland. This will be the Spanish club's first European final, but it will be the fifth final of the team's defender Moreno in seven years, and he has played three times so far in this tournament alone, and all three times are different clubs. "I was still in Sevilla and we made it to a UEFA final; then I went to Liverpool and played another final; now I come to Villarreal and it happens again. The next time I join a team, I'm going to add this to my contract," he said with a grin as he pretended to sign it.
This contract may also require an added coaching clause. Moreno's UEFA story is a legend about "three finals and a manager" – his current coach, Unai Emery, was also the manager of the team he won for Sevilla in 2014 and the head coach of his rival Liverpool in Basel the following year. "Yeah, he told me that," Moreno said, "and he would say: 'We (Sevilla) really restricted you' and he enjoyed explaining to me what they were doing at the time (with two centre-backs) to block me and Coutinho." Then he said, 'Sorry Albi,' but he did like to remind me of that. ”
Moreno is not really the one who needs to know about it. Emery would laugh because of this, and Moreno would of course be accompanied, laughing often like his natural state, or the kind of smile that covered the screen. But there was a final that left him sad, "I still don't understand the amount of criticism about me," he admitted, "from the first goal they scored in my sewers, of course, but I'm a defender." One can pass Sergio Ramos, who is the best centre-back in the world, so why can't it happen to me? ”
"To this day I don't understand why I got, so many accusations, especially when the whole team was underperforming. Everyone put the blame on one player, and..." Moreno shrugged, "I don't think that's OK. People blame you, you're the only one, it feels like I let the team lose the final, it's tough, it's stuck in my head. You'll see this information in the newspapers, on social media – I don't actually put a lot of effort into social media because it's mostly fake – and what to read about 'Alberto, Alberto, Alberto, Alberto'. Until I was buried in the cemetery myself, I couldn't understand why I was accused of all this. ”
"After that it was the start of a year without competition." So do you think Jurgen Klopp is protecting you? "My previous relationship with Klopp was perfect, as was Emery, who was the best coach I've ever worked with. He knows how to squeeze out the best of your ability, what to say on what occasion, how to get the team to unite into a force to fight and 'bite' opponents. But to say something to protect me meant to keep my faith and give me a chance, but that didn't happen in the end. I don't know if it was Klopp or the club's idea. ”
After the final against Sevilla, James Milner started playing left-back. If the coach is going to have a right-footed midfielder play in this position, he doesn't need me. But he started using me again after the start of the next year's preliminaries, I was called up again to the Spanish national team three years later, and then I injured my ankle. That's when Andy Robertson got his chance. Moreno gestured to the ceiling, "He played at a very high level, the wood is ready; I didn't get more chances." ”
Moreno's last game at Liverpool happened to be his second Champions League final, and on the same day, news reports also announced the death of Jose Antonio Reyes, who was killed in a car accident. "I went downstairs for breakfast and all that came to mind was the final, the final, the final. Then I saw the news. The news pressed the pause button to the tense atmosphere that was in the air at the time, and Moreno looked very low, he kept scratching his ears and scratching his cheeks, "Jose Antonio used to be a very good friend, everything I did that day was crying, I didn't eat, and when I turned on the TV, it was all news about Reyes." I cried like a little kid. ”
"Klopp approached me and offered my condolences, he asked me how I was doing, if I could cope, what I wanted to do, etc. I told him I was sad that we had been together for quite a long time, but I was ready. Even though I wasn't on the pitch, I wanted to win and give it to him; when we did, (exhale), all I could think of was him. It was an emotional night because Reyes was also because it was my last game – and what better way to say goodbye than that? I left feeling like there were some things I wished I could do better and I could still give a lot, but I wouldn't have changed my five years at Liverpool for anything. ”
Villarreal became the team that awaited Moreno, first playing under Xavi Kalicha and then welcoming a familiar face. "Time flies but Emery is still the same," Moreno said. Is the length of the videotape too? "Yes," he replied, "but it's better that way." The players would say, 'Poof, watch another video.' But the reason you play well is precisely because you spend an hour studying your opponents. Emery knew everything, and when we were done preparing, we could even know how many children Cavani and Pogba had. ”
"The team's performance also proves his ability to work. He was also special to me because he gave me the opportunity to make my debut and gave me a lot of playing time in the team when I was a kid. However, Moreno suffered another cruciate ligament injury in September last year and did not reappear until April this year. He played only 194 minutes, starting just twice and playing three off the bench in Europe. "My knees still haven't come back to 100 percent, and I can do whatever I want to do, but you can feel like it's not completely good when trying some of the movements. For someone with a long-term injury, the wound should be here," Moreno said, slapping his head with his hand. He is grateful to have returned to the team before the end of the season.
It's also an end point, as a former Liverpool player? "I talked to Fabinho and he said, 'Brother, on May 25th I'll be a Mortal Villarreal fan,'" Moreno chuckled. But there's more to it than that" For some of my teammates, there are still people who can't understand how much difficulty it will take to reach the UEFA final. We can't erase this game from our minds, we can't wait, we always say to enjoy the journey, we've made history; if we win then our name will go down in history. Defeating Manchester United could put it all to a successful end. ”
"I've been through difficult times in the last six months, but I've got race time back now and that's a huge compliment... Being able to leave a much-anticipated UEFA final is really..." Moreno puffed up his cheeks, "Winning this game would be incredible. "It's amazing to get back on the court, train with your teammates, even sit on the bench after a serious injury and go through another final." Although the beginning of the year was not smooth, if it can end in this way, it will still make this year great. ”
This article is compiled from The Guardian by Sid Lowe.