Javi López (Osuna, 1986) defended the Espanyol first team shirt for a decade. The white-and-blue club’s fifth relegation to Segunda led him to reluctantly leave the club he had led since 2015. His career continues in Australia, from where he attends ARA in a conversation in which admits to feeling relieved of the pressure and emotional stress he experienced in recent years at Espanyol.
In November he signed for Adelaide United. How is your life there?
– It has been a big change, from the language to the food, to the schedules, which are completely different from those of Spain. The hardest part is being 18,000 miles from the family, especially when some very close members have severely passed covid-19 to the hospital. With the woman and the two girls we are adapting to the new lifestyle, which allows us to enjoy the nature of the environment in the many parks there are.
Is football in Australia very different from what we know here?
– I was positively surprised by the level there is, they have great level players. The most important change is the physical: the players are very strong because they are influenced by footy [futbol australià, un esport diferent]. The matches are back and forth and break up soon, they don’t have as much tactical work or study of the opponent. He soccer is the sport most practiced by children, but when they reach adulthood many move on to footy, which is subsidized by the government and receives more publicity, because it is only played there. The matches of this sport fill stadiums with 80,000 spectators, while ours drags about 5,000. The football we know doesn’t have a big following there, and that they sell everything in the American style, in show format, for the fan to enjoy. There are no feelings that move clubs like Betis or Espanyol.
In Adelaide he has met two Spaniards, Juande Ramos and Isaías Sánchez.
– Yes, I had played with both before. With Juande, six years in the Betis plant. In fact, she lived in the same house as him. And with Isaías I got to play in the first team of Espanyol. We have a great friendship and they both have a lot to do with the fact that I am in Australia. Who would have told us, 15 years ago, that we would be playing together in the final stretch of our careers at the other end of the world.
How are they living the pandemic there?
– Until two months ago, when the delta variant came in, there were virtually no cases. To enter the country you had to be given an exception authorized by the government and you had to carry a work visa. Without this you could not enter the country, even if you were a relative of some resident. When we arrived, we spent forty-fourteen days in a hotel room with the windows closed and where they only opened the door for thirty seconds to leave us food. A security guard controlled the hallway.
They have played a few months with full stadiums.
– Yes, and without masks in the stands. Until two months ago, the pandemic was virtually non-existent. He explained to the rest of the team the situation in Spain, which has nothing to do with here, where they are very strict. For three positives in Adelaide they decreed a week of confinement for everyone. Also, when you enter anywhere you have to register via QR codes. Now they have not yet been able to control the new variant and there are states like Victoria or New South Wales, where Sydney and Melbourne are, where you cannot travel. In fact, we don’t know when the league will start, as we can’t make some interstate trips at the moment. In theory it is scheduled for October 30, but before that the Cup must be played, which began on August 27 but was postponed until September 26.
What do you see when you look back and remember your time at Espanyol?
– Pride and satisfaction. Sometimes I blame myself for what happened downhill season, but I gave it my all. Not just physically, but at all levels. I helped the locker room and the club in everything I played. I put Espanyol ahead of everything else, even my family. For a captain it is frustrating to live in a situation like this, because you try to do your best. I couldn’t do more. It was difficult, and very hard in terms of mental stress. I knew what it meant to wear the captain’s armband, it was a very big responsibility and I did what I had to do. I wore myself out a lot and forgot about myself and often had to try to sort out issues that caused me not to perform as well. Maybe it’s one of the things that would change.
It was a complex year, that of descent.
– When you reach such a situation it is because of a cluster of situations that do not depend on one or two people only. Apart from the departure of Rubi, with whom some players had shown their best performance, there were also other important ones. [Borja Iglesias i Mario Hermoso]. Everything happened to us and we entered a very negative dynamic in which any mistake penalized a lot, and there were some that were not normal. Luckily now everything is forgotten and the team is back where it deserves to be. There is a great squad, they have made great signings and there is a team not to suffer.
Elite footballers live subject to strong media exposure. How did you experience the criticism received from the fans?
– I tried not to expose myself so much on social media. Football moves a lot of things and opinions and that is why we can opt for these salaries, but there is no money in the world that can pay for the feelings one has. I understand that you can get tired of seeing the same face for so long. I have made mistakes, like everyone else. And when they are committed in the sixth year, the previous ones are added to you. I respect that there may be fans who didn’t like the way I played, although I care more about the opinion of a coach, who is a football professional. Everyone is free to comment, but that you care about some opinions is another matter.
It is very easy to insult from an anonymous account sitting on the couch.
– On social media, certain limits are being exceeded and it seems that everything is worth it. If you can’t disrespect someone down the street, why is constant mockery allowed on the networks to get two “Likes” and three retweets? Why should ten people who think well of me or other things feel attacked? You may lack respect for footballers, politicians, artists or people who think differently from you and nothing happens. As a society we should open a debate to try to raise awareness about making good use of networks, because this can lead to a lot of problems. Just look at how many cases of bullying or of children committing suicide are seen. It is a very serious problem that is on the rise.
He talks about the pressure that athletes are experiencing. Darder acknowledged in an interview with ARA that he had gone to the psychologist, a taboo subject.
– It is very healthy to talk about these issues, I know many top athletes who have been there. This stigma should be broken, as Simone Biles did recently. When it comes to psychologists, a lot of people think you’re crazy, but the reality is that mental health issues affect a lot of people and we need to talk about them more. Having a higher salary does not free you from it. In football and elite sports, the figure of the psychologist is increasingly established, although now they say coach.
What good moments do you have left from your time at Espanyol?
– There are many moments, good and bad, that remain in the memory. The debut in the league as a starter: we beat Málaga with a goal from Javi Márquez and when I left the field I hugged my father. He was always by my side from a young age. Or a goal scored by Galán in Cornellà-El Prat, where I wanted to say something to him and he couldn’t hear my voice from the deafening noise of the fans. The last trip to Villarreal, I cried. Also Darder, because we saw all the people there with the situation the team was going through. Or qualifying for the Europa League. The day the relegation was confirmed at the Camp Nou I didn’t play, but I slept with the shirt on because I needed it. Espanyol is the club of my life. I will not deny that I have a thorn in my side, I would have liked to return the team to Primera.
A club with a very loyal fans regardless of the results.
– If you win better, but the League only wins one. The three who go to the Champions do not win it. And those who go to the Europa League do not go to the Champions League. Winning is very difficult, and we are in a society where only number one is worth it. Silver, which means being the second best in the world, is no longer valued at the Olympics. Being able to compete at the highest level and give the best of yourself for a t-shirt is the most important thing, it is above winning or losing.
He ends his contract in June 2022, he will be 36 years old. Have you more or less decided what to do?
– I do not know. When I quit football I would like to go to the beach (river) for a month, because elite is not a sport nor is it healthy. It has been very demanding and stressful. I want to enjoy this year, because it came from a pretty traumatic situation. I hope this year respects my injuries, because last season I didn’t do preseason and I suffered two. When I was able to play, I felt things I hadn’t felt at Espanyol for a long time, because of the enormous pressure, the emotional stress and the responsibility I had. I dream of being able to wear the Espanyol shirt again, even if it is utopian. He would pay all the money in the world to go back to those ten years in the first team. My history at the club did not have the ending that I would have liked. If I go back I want it to be so that someone believes I can add value. If not, I couldn’t be there.
.
