Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón was interviewed by Onda Cero, discussing the team's reaction after drawing with Cape Verde, external doubts about the Spanish national team, the vitality brought by young players in the squad, and his competition with Raya and Joan García for the goalkeeper position. This is the third part of the interview.
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And Julen Guerrero, he has always supported you.
Yes, I like him very much. But he doesn't need to defend me, he really doesn't. What I want to say is that I understand that they may have also been criticized for what they said or did back then, and they felt uncomfortable about it. So now, they shouldn't do things that once made them uncomfortable. For me, Reina is an example in this regard. He is a good person and very articulate, able to share his views and experiences at the right time.
So, these voices still reach you.
Of course. Although I don't use social media, my friends do. They tell me: "Unai, look what this person said." Or "Look what they commented." I even told my friends in a group chat not to send me these anymore, but they still do. Because they find it interesting. For them, it's a completely different world.
But they might also think that if they are both your friends and fans, they might believe that certain former players have a point, so they bring it up with you.
Many people don't really understand football and are easily influenced by these speakers. Sometimes it's useless for me to explain to them, because if someone else said it, they're more willing to believe others.
Because they will think Unai won't tell us his true thoughts.
Yes. Then I say, I don't need to hide anything from you, you are my friend. Many times, what those who have played in the FIFA World Cup, Euro, and won more championships say has a great influence on them.
Does your family also get affected?
No, my family doesn't. Their only concern is whether I'm doing well. They see that I'm in good shape, and as I gain more experience, I'm not as easily affected as before, so they think I'm doing great.
Casillas was also about 29 when he won the FIFA World Cup.
He must have been 28 when he won it.
Close to 29, he was born in 1981.
That's good then, also a good omen.
Speaking of Reina and Casillas, your friends must have sent you a lot of related content. Before the FIFA World Cup, there was a lot of discussion about the goalkeeper position. The fact is, we have three very good goalkeepers, and Unai Simón is the current starter. The other day, Raya said at the press conference that he would try to make De la Fuente's choice more difficult. But your relationship as goalkeepers has always been special. After all, only one person can play, what kind of relationship do you actually have?
A very good relationship. I think every goalkeeper has experienced being a substitute for someone else in their career, and we all know how to deal with it. So when someone starts and someone sits on the bench, we all understand each other's feelings and try to make the interaction between the three of us easier.
Of course, this doesn't mean we don't try to prove ourselves to the coach in training. All three of us want to prove to the coach that we are capable of playing against Saudi Arabia. As for the final decision, it's still in Luis's hands.
Although he hasn't said it directly, he has let everyone know that you are the starting goalkeeper. Does this make you happy?
I don't know. Luis just said that he knows who will play the first game.
That's true, but you can feel it yourself, and we can feel it too.
I don't know. To be honest, just like I never like to define Spain as a FIFA World Cup favorite.
So you don't define yourself as the starting goalkeeper either?
Exactly. Even though I've played almost 60 times for the national team.
When you were first called up to the national team, you were already the starting goalkeeper for Athletic Club. When Luis Enrique called you up, De Gea and Kepa were also on the team, right?
Yes, it should have been De Gea and Kepa.
Then one day, probably before the match against the Netherlands in November, he said: "My starting goalkeeper is Unai Simon." Can you understand how De Gea and Kepa felt then? They had a good relationship with you, but they might also think: this young man comes, and everything changes.
One day I will experience something like this too. Not yet, but it will be my turn one day. There will always be new people, and I can't stay in the national team forever. I know very well that I can't be guarding the goal for the national team at 80 years old.
Maybe you will leave the national team as a starting goalkeeper.
Maybe. I don't think so, but it's possible. I don't know. At that time, it was one game after another, and then I started playing continuously. Whether it was De Gea, Kepa, or other goalkeepers who were later called up, they have always been striving for opportunities and competing for positions, just like Raya and I are now.
There has indeed been a change. Previously, Remiro was usually among the three goalkeepers, but now it's Joan García. What changes has this brought about? How is Joan doing after joining?
Of course there will be a difference, because we were used to having Remiro around. Now it's been 20 days, plus the training camp in March, and we've built a lot of trust with Joan. We know what he needs, because every goalkeeper has different characteristics. Some things in training also need to be adjusted according to different goalkeepers. Now we've integrated very well with Joan.
However, it's true that Remiro, Raya, and I formed a very good trio before, and we had a great relationship. Now Joan, Raya, and I also get along well. But the previous understanding and trust were definitely deeper. I believe that by the end of the FIFA World Cup, the trust between the three of us now will also reach the same level.
It's like a new student arriving at summer camp, and you still have to consider whether he sleeps on the top bunk or the bottom bunk.
Yes, it takes an adjustment period. But I also want to say that the team atmosphere here is really excellent. This is also an important reason why we have come so far and achieved those results before. Player ability is certainly important, but team atmosphere is equally important. Now that Joan has joined, this atmosphere is still great, just like when Remiro was here before.
Have you always gotten along so well with the goalkeepers you compete with and your teammates?
Yes. I have no reason to not get along with anyone.
But you know, some goalkeepers haven't even spoken to each other over the years.
Do you know what the problem is? I especially want to use Raya as an example. He is probably the goalkeeper I have worked with the longest in the national team. During my time as a starter, he has always respected me very much. He has always been competing for this position, and he still is. He respects the coach's decision and has always cared about my condition, asking me what I need and don't need.
Do you think others might not be like this?
This is for the team. And I have indeed met many excellent teammates. Now Joan is also like that. The other day when I played, he wished me good luck and asked me if I needed anything. Before at Athletic Club, Agirrezabala was one of the best teammates I've ever had, as were Ezkieta and Iago Herrerín.
Sometimes you think, if they genuinely wish me all the best when they don't have a chance to play, then why should I be angry or frustrated when it's their turn to play and the coach chooses them? They respect the coach's decision and wish me well. So I think they set the best example for me. Precisely because of this, if it's someone else's turn to play one day, I also hope to treat others as they treated me.
I'm not saying this because of your teammates. You know them well, they are all here, and they all respect you. What I want to say is that they play for Arsenal and Barcelona respectively, and you come from Athletic Club, which you have always been proud of. Canizares once said that he thought he should be the starter, but at the time, the media and public opinion seemed to have a bias, because his competitor was Real Madrid's goalkeeper, so he had an advantage. Teammates respecting you is one thing...
If it were in Juan Carlos's era, maybe the situation would indeed be different. Or maybe Canizares was wrong. Today, I don't know if the coach would care about these things. I don't think the coach would make different judgments based on whether you play for Barcelona, Arsenal, or other teams.
I'm not talking about the coach, I'm talking about the outside world. We are not questioning Unai Simón's starting position.
But you have to learn to ignore what the media says and what the newspapers write. If a coach or player makes decisions more based on what the media says than on what they actually see, then there's a problem.
I'm not saying they will be affected, I'm saying that the outside world might form such a public opinion.
But you still have to learn to ignore such public opinion. There will always be all kinds of voices from the outside world. Even my friends sometimes say such things, but I don't take it to heart. Because I know the truth about the football world, I know the truth about the national team, and I know the truth about Athletic Club. So what others say outside really doesn't matter.
Just like a sentence I said in a media outlet a few days ago, it was exaggerated later. I said reporters don't understand football. Actually, I didn't mean that you don't understand, but that your way of understanding football is different from mine. I consider myself a player who understands football, and also a goalkeeper who understands football. So when the outside world says something and my opinion is inconsistent with the media, I think it's fine, I won't care too much, because I know what the real situation is.