Although his game is cerebral, it is shocking to see the contrast of his accelerations and touches of genius on the field with the parsimony with which Nico Laprovittola (Morón, Argentina; 35 years old) moves and speaks in the bowels of the Palau after a training session prior to facing Real Madrid in the Euroleague. He has gained patience and maturity after a year in the pharmacy and a start to the course dotted with small injuries derived from inactivity. But he is ready to lead the team again in the locker room or on the court, wherever he is needed most.
Ask. During your knee injury, did the world come crashing down on you?
Answer. No, it wasn’t that hard. Although it was a complicated and very long process, I tried to take it in the best possible way, thinking positively about the place and the people who had experienced the injury. I have felt more loved than when I played because the club supported me at all times, and so did my teammates. I felt like they missed me. I am very grateful.
P. Did you rely a lot on your wife Delfi and daughter Bruna?
R. I took advantage of that time a lot. Bruna is now getting used to the fact that dad travels a lot; He is four years old and wants to be with me, spend time as a family. When he gets up in the morning, he asks me: ‘Dad, do youyou have the day off?’
P. Did you use the figure of the psychologist, just as you did when you had a bad experience at the Russian Zenit years ago?
R. Yes, I contacted the same person again and we worked on how to deal with the situation, how to compete again. And, lately, how to digest the small injuries at the beginning of the season, the change of coach… These are things that one sometimes needs to take out.
P. Didn’t it occur to you to say enough is enough?
R. Only the first day because of the pain and frustration. That day I cried. But the next morning, when I woke up, I told the woman that I would return in the best of ways.
P. And what did you think when you had the ball in your hands again?
R. That I wanted it all now, quickly. But it wasn’t like that. The body told me here and get well again. And it’s about that, about regaining coordination, movements, explosiveness, a little bit of everything that requires competing at the highest level.
P. Do you doubt yourself?
R. No, no, no, on the contrary. I always believe in myself and that I can be important. I feel that I am an important person for the club and for the team, so I think that one can never doubt what he does.
P. The problem is that they judge you for what you do on the track without assessing where you come from or where you are going…
R. We live off the results and even more so being in a club like Barça, where the demands are maximum, total. It is the pressure we are under, that everyone judges us. And surely there will be bad games, but you shouldn’t think so much about what others say, but rather about what you do on a day-to-day basis, what your teammates, your coach, your club think.
P. There are also good ones, like the one you did in the last match against Madrid. Does playing against the best bring out your best version?
R. Yes, but it is something that is not what I like most about myself. I would like to face all the games the same and not be more motivated against depending on who we play. And it’s not always like that. But I appreciate that I always react; After a bad game, I am going to do everything possible to have a good one and feel like a valued player again.
P. Now you play against them again, how do you beat them?
R. Playing another very complete game. We won’t be able to copy and paste, but we have to see that that day we knew where to hurt them and we put the ball where we wanted, although in defense we could have done more. But they also have many weapons and quality.
P. Until that match, they had lost nine in a row against Madrid. Was the team tired before Xavi Pascual arrived?
R. I have my own analysis, but I’m not the one who has to say it. They weren’t two good years, but we have to look forward and enjoy what we have now and believe in it because we are winning.
P. Didn’t Peñarroya’s speech work?
R. I’m not going to explain that either. We are in another stage.
P. With Xavi Pascual, who he said arrived with an overwhelming mentality…
R. He sat down so directly and so clearly… I knew where he was coming from. And he knows what he wants for the team, how to take advantage of each player, the mentality that the culés have. And he talked about winning, winning, winning. That’s overwhelming to me. Furthermore, when Xavi explains a play to you, he has a reasoning. There is a meaning. And that’s why I try to connect with him in every game to learn.
P. Can you think big again?
R. Yes, as I also thought before. This club requires you to think like that, about titles. We are Barça, we are a big club, beyond economic, political or whatever issues.
P. As a team leader and one of the captains, is it easier to manage emotions when you win?
R. Yes, victories give confidence. You can play badly, but if you win you don’t go home thinking about what you did wrong. When you don’t win it’s more difficult…, but that could be another self-criticism that we could have made.
P. Do you consider yourself more of a leader by word or by example?
R. I try to speak on the court and in the locker room I try to be someone important. Although with Kevin [Punter] In the team, today we have a leader, a person who is an example every day. And I think my role has become different and from a place where I have to play with a different perspective.
P. How is the ego managed in front of the roles?
R. You must have someone to manage them. All players are selfish and we have to be like that. This is our job, we live for this, we play for our families. Then, obviously, if you have good people by your side, if you have good colleagues, it is much easier and you give everything for those next to you. If you see that he throws himself on the ground, fights and celebrates, that he brings people to the field…, you try to help.
P. Do you want to finish your career at Barça?
R. I don’t see the end of my career yet and I try to see myself every day as a Barça player for many more years. Barça put me at a level that I never thought I would be able to reach and Barça is today for me, for my family, the club that we love, of which we are fans.
