Hector Bellerin was interviewed today in Marca, here’s a transcript/translation of the Q&A. Thanks to our pals at Sport Witness for the heads-up/Spanish text.
—
Q: Do you remember the day you decided to leave Barcelona?
A: I was in London for a weekend and on the plane home I told my mother that I was going to the Arsenal. She replied: “Have you thought this through?”. It was a difficult step, but I had a hunch.
Q: What did Wenger say to you?
A: At that meeting, with my little bit of English (laughs), he told me that if I made progress he’d give me a chance, and so it proved.
Q: Have you ever regretted the decision to leave?
A: Not at all. I’m very happy to have made the move. The simple fact is that playing in the Premier League and the Champions League makes me very grateful.
Q: You arrived in Arsenal in 2011, and already you’re an obvious starter. Has it happened too fast?
A: I never thought it would be so fast. I’ve played 38 official games at 20 years of age. Not too many can say the same.
Q: Did you think about leaving on loan last season?
A: I did consider a loan after the signing of Debuchy. The loan at Watford the previous season did me a lot of good. The scouts at the club had several offers, but Wenger decided I would stay after the Emirates Cup. I was ahppy that the coach wanted me to stay, but I saw few possibilities to play.
Q: The injuries to Debuchy and Chambers changed everything.
A: Football is like that. It gave me the opportunity to play and I took it, and when Debuchy returned I had the confidence of the manager to keep playing. I understand it’s difficult to give so much playing time to a 19 year old, but Wenger always says that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.
Q: It wasn’t an easy start though.
A: At first you focus on not making mistakes. It’s difficult to play your best football, this comes with time. After two very difficult games, I had to prove they weren’t the norm. I’m now fully adapted and I feel like an important player. In your second season there are more expectations. In the first year you try to learn, and in the second to show that it wasn’t luck, that you deserve to be here.
Q: You have 2 goals and 2 assists in 28 league games. Where can you improve?
A: I’m 20, I’m just starting, there are lots of things I can do better. I started as a winger, so perhaps I need to put more emphasis on my defending.
Q: Speed tests say that in the first 40 metres (4.42 seconds), you’re faster than Usain Bolt (4.62)!
A: I worked really hard on my speed in the gym when I played in the U18s. This data was talked about a lot. In Arsenal we have some really fast players, like Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alexis … but in the tests nobody has beaten me!
Q: What are your fondest memories on an individual level?
A: The goal against Liverpool. I opened the scoring in front of our fans and against a great team … I watch the video and it still gives me goosebumps.
Q: What has changed at Arsenal that makes you title challengers, winning trophies again after a 9 year drought?
A: In other seasons there were a lot of changes. Now the team is more settled. We’re all friends and you can see this on the pitch. I believe we can do great things.
Q: In the Premier League you’re second only 2 points behind Man City, but in Europe you haven’t yet won any points.
A: We have underestimated some of our rivals … for one reason or another we haven’t started in the Champions League this season. Now we have two games against Bayern, we have to score if we want to qualify.
Q: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are considered the best players on the planet. How does Alexis compare?
A: It’s very difficult to say if he’s at their level, but he’s close. When he gets the ball you know it’s likely it’s going to be a goal.
Q: Does Cazorla, more than anyone, define the style of Arsenal.
A: For us, if he’s not our most important player, he’s certainly one of them. He moves the ball in midfield, this sets the rhythm, and he can score goals.
Q: You’ve just signed a new contract, but do you see yourself returning to Barcelona?
A: Nobody has ever asked me this before (laughs)! I came to Arsenal to stay here, I’m not thinking about going back. I’m happy and I’m playing. It’s my fifth season and I feel like this is my home. I see it as very difficult to leave.
—
So much to love about this guy. I think it’s great he admits going back and watching his own goals, that goal against Liverpool was great. But his first, against Villa, was even better, albeit as the fifth in a 5-0 win it didn’t have the drama of the opener against Liverpool.
He has had 2 worldys for the club. Simples.
Marca tried to push and push for an ‘i love barca and want one day…bloody blah’ and it never came. How lovely from Baellerin.
Bellerin has been huge for us this season. His pace is unreal. The Ozil goal last night, it was all him, he left like 3 Munich players for dead. I just shiver at the thought of those leeches from Barca clouding his mind with the old ‘Barca DNA’ mumbo jumbo. I hope Bellerin has the balls to turn them down, when they start sniffing around for a new right back after Alves Barca career is over and he is inevitably summoned to return to hell by Lucifer himself.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2325606/Cesc-Fabregas-home-from-home-at-Arsenal.html
(Pardon me if my heart doesn’t believe him)
I am gona downvote this not because I don’t feel for you, but because I feel your pain too much
Bellerín is already one of my favourite players. Has the ingredients to become the best right back in the world before he’s 25. The phrase ‘modern defender’ is a bit overused but he really is the epitome of that.
Can’t be underestimated that Bellerín’s style allows Ramsey to flourish more centrally and that makes us a very balanced unit.
Couldn’t agree with the above comment more. Hard to consider that Bellerin could actually be underrated considering his obvious quality and the praise he’s earned from all corners, but I believe that’s the case. Hector contributes so much to our play and compliments Ramsey’s style so much that it is not surprising that 3 losses came without that partnership playing from the start. Bellerin sat v. West Ham and Zagreb and Ox started for Ramsey v. Olympiacos. So happy to have such a stud on the squad.
Conversely Ramsey’s style allows Bellerin to play the way he wants to, also.
Atta boy! He’s Arsenal DNA. Hope he retires with us as a legend.
Future Arsenal captain talking here. To have the maturity to take such a life changing decision at 16 against all odds, shows a level of maturity beyond his age.
He also acknowledges Arsene as the key factor in his emergence; what a manager we have here!
I fucking love our Hector
My new Arsenal man crush <3
Boy crush* which is even weirder but whatever makes u scream COYG!
Lad crush*
Top man.. boy
As long there is nothing wrong with his DNA then he is the second best thing (grudgingly Messi being the first) to come out of Le Masia!
For now..
i get what you’re trying to say, although wasn’t Fabregas doing what Hector is doing at 16-17 years of age?
Hector is another one of the articulate players we have. Very well spoken, and speaks with a maturity beyond his years. I can’t be the only one who thinks a mustache would suit him as well as it suits Tom Selleck can I?
No, absolutely no mustache,,, fantastic player, top, top, top… a legend in the making…
A Salvador Dali moustache would suit Hector.
A Salvador Dali moustache would suit a strategically shaved gorilla…
Bale is a strategically shaved baboon
Since Hector’s emergence as a right back in the Arsenal fc team, he has been in superb form hope he continues that way and develops more to help the team win trophies especially the EPl and Ucl.Hector is my man
Bellerin’s pace gives us assurance in getting caught in counter attack. Something that debuchy or sagna is not able to offer.
Who is this Sagna fellow you speak of?
of all the players who left.. I think Sagna was one of the most decent players..never created trouble, all he wanted was better pay which given than Pod was getting close to 100k was fair , just to compnesate for the services he provided for the past years when we were skint, if not for potential.
In this case (a rare instance) I think he was hard done by the club and not the other way around.
Nobody was hard done, it was a mutual and amicable break up. Simply put,good business decision on both sides.
In game term, we got the better of it, in economic term, he got better.. win win situation.
After our last game, I saw a bit of the barca game the same day. And the commentator had just finished seeing the Arsenal game and was drooling over bellerin. and saying that the fans are now calling for their boy to come home.
I expect this to be a constant talking point should bellerin’s game improve this season.
Massive fan. He always comes across as a really nice, intelligent guy, and not entirely without humour. He’s learned the language and seems to me like he likes it here and is fitting in, unlike a lad like Reyes for example. As long as he doesn’t discover any barca DNA, or succumb to any cuntly cunt-ness, he can be here for 12 years, and can join the pantheon of defensive legends.
Of topic – Am I the only one enjoying Mourinho’s whining?
I hope he stays in the job to loose a league game against us!
I’m going to be at the Chel$ki match January 23 – my trip over for this season. I so badly want to see Moronho getting spanked in the match and being sacked right after!
Back at La Mesia a man is furiously typing away at a keyboard…
” Execute protocol 52B, return to Barcelona! Dios mio! It cannot be?! Error 404: Barcelona D.N.A not found”
Best comment of the day!
Is that 52B a Bendtner reference? Top stuff
I love how the current squad isn’t even entertaining the idea of leaving, first Alexis and now Bellerin. Just goes to show how committed everyone is to the team. I’m also pretty sure Bellerin paid attention to what happens when Arsenal players join Barcelona – they become an afterthought.
Seriously love this kid!!!!!!!!!!!
He’s been astonishing for me, this season he looks like a settled pro and yet he is clearly a long way from reaching his peak. So how good will he become? For me there are few if any better in the EPL so far this season.
Sadly, as with most footballers, I doubt he would turn down Barca if they came knocking.
When Jenko comes back, i hope Wenger moves him to RW and bring Ramsey back to the center.
I think unfortunately for Jenkinson his place is gone, Bellerin has the defensive ability coupled with the attacking threat to keep anyone out the team and Wenger can use this to let a player like Ramsey or Walcott play ahead of him and drift inside. Sagna looked exposed in his last season for us when no-one was ahead of him, Bellerin seems to be able to cover both positions and cope better.
I think Jenkinson will be the back up RB.
Jenkinson seems to have upped his game as well and is a regular who have been high flying this season and last.
Hopefully he wouldn’t mind being back up but an able one with regular appearance.
Debuchy is the one who is likely to be on the way out considering his age and the likely salary he would be getting.
He’s better than bae,
Belleriiiiiiiiiiiiiiin
He is better than baeeeee!
That is his official chant now.
now i hate that ungrateful sagna and fabregas even more sagna an error right back fabregas a Chelshit player with a fake Spanish DNA blood
IFFF Wenger does decide to leave at the end of his contract. The next manager coming in is going to have a great team to pick from. Hector, Gabriel, Kosc, Wilshere, Ramsey, Coquelin, Ozil, Sanchez, Theo, OX… So many great players there, with a lot of them in their prime.
When is the end of the contract???
ARSENAL is a great home to be at, Hector (y) Don’t let the Germans get past you with that pace of yours. Run ’em out of gas #COYG
Bellerin has already done more in an attacking sense than Sagna in his whole career. Bacary was an excellent defender, a great role model who I wished retired with us, but attacking wise Bellerin offers so much. The fact that he was a winger at Barcelona helps, but he’s really adapted to the English game very well. You hardly ever see him caught out of position. I feel he can still learn to pass the ball quicker, especially when he’s under pressure. But that’s about the only flaw I’ve seen in his game. If he continues his development, by the… Read more »
I lived in the times of Hector,tamer of forwards. Let them say, I lived in the times of Alexis
I predict that we’ll win 2-1 tonight. Wenger always seems to do at least the minimun in the CL: a victory tonight and two wins against the other two will probably see us scrape through in second.
To do a Cesc. To fuck off home to your family who don’t give a shit about you.
To do a Bellerin. To stay with your new, more caring family. FOREVER.
There was a 10 minute spell in the second half against Watford where he played poorly giving the ball away too many times. But he recovered really well. What confidence!
Arsenal DNA. For Barca experience, he only has to look at how they ejected Cesc. So much for Catalan loyalty. We have been good developing our own. Gibbs, Jack, Coquelin, Bellerin. We’ve also surrogate finished Ox, Walcott, Ramsey, Welbeck the latest project. for those who think they know better than Arsene, look no further to the gaffer promoting Bellerin in expense of Jenkinson. There were plenty of calls for Jenko and moans about how Bellerin was inexperienced. I suggest the gaffer knows better, much like no one though Coquelin would make the grade and are now making similar mistake with… Read more »
What Bellerin can do that so many other full backs can’t is beat covering defenders through a violent burst of speed and consistently get crosses in. (Walcott seems just happy to get a corner.) That he also likes to cut back and power into the box means he’s nigh on impossible to deal with.
He’s got to be the best right back in the country right now – in fact, I wouldn’t give him up for any other in world football, he’s that good.
How will you not love Bellerin? He’s the type of player you want. Constantly learning and improving. Apart from the obvious intelligent boss Wenger, I credit BFG for the maturity of this guy. You could see that he always play his best game with BFG. Leadership is not being a terry, it has to do with using your brain which BFG has a lot of. I hope BFG has cloned himself or intend to (hopefully in Chambers or someone else) because I dread the day he retires an arsenal legend.
I just moved to Barcelona, so I’ve got myself an “Ec-tor Bay-a-reen” jersey and changed my fantasy football team to “Bellerin for Blood”. (I don’t care that no one in my league gets it.)
I watch that goal a lot too. Also gives me goosebumps every time. Truly fantastic moment from ‘The brother Bellerin’.
Top, top quality.
Hector Bellerin. Watching Arsenal age group videos you can see how he causes chaos in the opponent’s area.
We are lucky to have him and Coq
he deserves his abilities as a career with his age,go,go,go on. you can hold better than sagna and compress enemies in one position due to your assist for live goals made ever !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!beeeeeeeeeee
Cheek bones on the mofo! <3 Best right back in the league, hope he stays with us for many years.
Could this tyro be our Paolo Maldini? Make it happen oh Great Creator (aka Mezut). Level headed and intelligent are not adjectives you associate with kickers of the round ball but this young man embodies those adjectives. Added to this is the pure poetry of his spoken English.
Fluent Essex.