Last season you scored a huge number of goals and your team won the league with 100 points. Will it be easy to maintain that form this season?
It’s never easy because you have to be at your very best, a very high level. You have to be in good shape physically and mentally and that can be hard. You have to be ready. My aim is always to be at my best. I hope to repeat things from last season, to work hard, score as many goals as I can and win titles. itles are the key. I would rather score only ten goals and win something than score hundreds and not. I am sure we’re going to fight for titles this season and I’m convinced my team will win something big.
Will it be down to Madrid and Barcelona in the league?
Yes, I’m sure of it. I don’t want to dismiss the other teams, but I think that it will be my team and Barcelona competing again.
Are we seeing something historic with these two teams?
I don’t recall any rivalry like it in the past ten years. And that’s good for football, good for the fans. They’re enjoying something unique. I listen to players who played years ago and they say that it’s even harder these days. That’s why this is the best league in the world – because the best [two] teams are here and the best players too.
What do you think when those ex-players say that? Do you feel proud?
It’s normal. What I have watched on DVD and video shows how football has evolved over the past twenty years. I think football is harder now than it was years back. There will be players from back then who say it’s not as strong now because they feel proud of their era and because that’s their character. But I am sure that in the past ten years, especially now, football is harder than it was before.
Can you tell us a bit about your lifestyle beyond football?
Almost everything revolves around football because it’s my career and my life and you try to do everything to be in the best possible condition. So any moment I have away from football I try to spend with friends and family doing things that I can’t normally do when I am in competition. I like to play other sports, for example. Throughout the year it’s almost always the same routine – training sessions, hotels, travelling… I wouldn’t say it is a hard life, but it is a life in which you don’t have much free time.
The CR Collection with Nike reflects that duality — on and off the pitch. What do you like most about it?
It’s very nice. The small details are lovely. You see, for example, the heart with the cross through it, which is a phenomenal idea. It’s a symbol that reflects my way of being: I am a person who likes to compete, who likes to win and who hates to lose. And that’s what the symbol represents for me. I am very pleased to be part of a select group of athletes who have their own range with Nike.
Are you a perfectionist off the pitch too?
Less so. I am a perfectionist in my work. Away from my profession, I like to do things as well as I can but I wouldn’t say I was a perfectionist.
The CR Collection blends classic looks with modern touches. Is that what you wanted to see?
Yes. It’s a nice mix. It’s a classic look but with details that stand out. I’m still a young man and I like that. Classic and youthful – it’s a good combination.
