Rustenburg, South Africa - Far from everything, from the
budding European summer and from the holidays that most of their
peers are already enjoying, Spain's players are not immune - even in
South Africa - to Real Madrid's mega-signings.
'We footballers also live off that. The more movement there is,
the better,' third keeper Diego Lopez said Friday in Rustemburg,
South Africa.
Lopez currently plays for Villarreal, but British media are
linking him to Manchester United.
'I cannot say anything,' Lopez said on a potential transfer that
involves him personally.
Striker David Villa, who did not talk to reporters himself on
Friday, was also a topic of discussion. In Spain, he is being billed
as Real Madrid's third major signing this summer, after the Brazilian
Kaka and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo - who left ManU for a record
sum of 94 million euros (131 million dollars).
Is there internal betting within the group ahead of the
Confederations Cup to guess which will be the object of the next big
transfer, or where Villa will play next season?
Midfielder Albert Riera smiled and put down the limits that
players set themselves in the face of the huge wave of rumour which
is shaking European football this summer, as every summer.
'No, no, we're not doing that (betting). But it's clear that
isolating oneself 100 per cent is impossible. We try not to have it
affect us, because 80 per cent of the things people say are rumours,
they are not true,' the Liverpool player said.
In fact, isolating oneself should be pretty easy at the Hunters
Rest resort, a hotel apart from the world, in the outskirts of the
small Rustenburg.
There in 6,000 hectares, the squad coached by Vicente del Bosque
enjoys several pools, a 9-hole golf course, courts to play tennis and
squash, a bowling alley, a putting green and even quads to drive,
with the Magliesberg mountain range as impressive scenery. Still,
they were somehow let down by Friday's safari.
'We have seen little, some giraffes, a rhino ... We were hoping to
see a lion, an elephant, but we saw little,' Lopez noted.
He stressed that Sunday's Confederations Cup debut against New
Zealand will not necessarily be easy, despite Spain's streak of 32
games without a defeat.
'We are a little surprised by the match they played against Italy.
They showed they have potential and it's going to be a complicated
game,' Lopez said.
Italy beat New Zealand by 4-3 in a friendly game Wednesday.
'New Zealand have their virtues and we will have to play a good
game to win,' he said.
Riera, a possible substitute for the injured Andres Iniesta, is
cautious about his chances of playing.
'Pressure? None. Fear? None. I am here to enjoy myself. The fact
that I have one of the world's best footballers in my position makes
it necessary for me to play at a high level,' he said.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, who has recovered from injury and
is likely be playing Sunday, said he is excited about being the new
guy in a team that won the Euro last summer.
'I have to make the most of the opportunity, it is a cause for
excitement,' he said.
Pique was not immune to transfer hype either.
'For La Liga it is fantastic to have so many stars next year,' he
said.
Still, he stressed that he is happy to be at Barcelona, which won
the Champions League, La Liga and the King's Cup this season, rather
than at a club with many new people, 'something about which you do
not know how it's going to work.'
A former Manchester United player himself, Pique underlined the
fact that not everything is about Real Madrid, since the Old Trafford
side now has 94 million euros to spend. What will manager Alex
Ferguson do with so much money?
'I guess he will sign several players. I don't think there's
another one that is worth 93 million, so he won't spend it on another
player. I am sure he will build another great team like those he
built in a 23-, 26-year career, a team that will again win many
titles,' Pique guessed.
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