Interviews
WED 15.10.2014
He is one of the standard bearers for Real Sporting and one of the great keepers of Spanish football, despite the fact that, as a child, he disliked playing in goal. Iván 'Pichu' Cuéllar (b. Mérida, Badajoz, 27/05/1984), our second interviewee, is going into his seventh season as the Sporting shot-stopper in excellent form. LFP.es chatted to him in Mareo about the Asturian side’s great start to the season, as the only unbeaten team in the Liga Adelante.
LFP.es: Last year you played 40 games and now, in your seventh campaign for the club, you remain the master of the goalmouth. Are you at the pinnacle of your career?
Cuéllar: In one way, yes, because of the confidence I have in getting the game time and playing. I’ve also had some very nice years in the Liga BBVA, which is what a player really wants. It's true that I have the trust of the coaches and that means that the work you do during the week is rewarded with game time.
"We would be wrong to start thinking about promotion; we have to be aware of the difficulty of this Liga Adelante, which is so competitive and long"
LFP.es: You have made a promising start, still unbeaten and only conceding seven goals. Is it too soon to start thinking about promotion?
Cuéllar: Yes, I think we'd be wrong to do so. Because we understand and know the circumstances surrounding us. We’re responding well, but I also think we have to keep our feet on the ground and be aware of the difficulty of this Liga Adelante, which is so competitive and long.
LFP.es: What has changed since the arrival of Abelardo?
Cuéllar: The idiosyncrasies of a family club, of a home-grown club, the way of looking after the players who make up the Mareo academy. It's clear that the future has to be Mareo. In this case, circumstances have made him back home-grown talent, to believe in the development of young guys who he trained in the Segunda División B. The academy players know that this dream can now come true.
LFP.es: As a kid you never played in goal, but you became a keeper because of your father. How were those early years as a goalkeeper?
Cuéllar: [He smiles]. The goalkeeper, when we were kids, was always the one with the ball, the 'chubby' boy, and I really didn't want to play there because I wouldn't have fun with my friends. My father instilled it in me from a young age because his dream was for me to be a goalkeeper like him. He was able to get me to do something that, initially, I didn’t want to do, but then things changed and I gradually developed as a sportsman. I'm lucky to be able to tell the story now and I'm eternally grateful to him.
LFP.es: You developed and took your first steps as a professional with Atlético Madrid; how do you look back on that time?
Cuéllar: I'll always have pleasant memories. It was the team that gave me the chance to become a professional player, which gave me the confidence to play my first match in the Liga BBVA and become a footballer. Like everything, it came to an end, and I had to leave the club to get game time. Then it was Sporting who gave me the confidence to return to the Liga BBVA and show that I could mix it with the elite.
LFP.es: You played on loan to SD Eibar for a season. Was that a key moment in your career?
Cuéllar: Yes, it was a springboard for me. I needed something like that. I was a young lad, without much experience, who needed game time. I smile when I remember those times because they welcomed me as if I was from there. It was a very enjoyable year and I grew both as a footballer and on a personal level.
"The fan base that this club has is incredible; it continues to amaze me every day"
LFP.es: Now you are one of the veterans and leaders at Sporting; what does it mean to you to wear this shirt?
Cuéllar: It's a big responsibility. The fan base that this club has is incredible; it continues to amaze me every day. The club was unfortunate to be relegated, but I have been in the Liga Adelante for three years and there are still around 20,000 members. That says a lot about how great the club is. I’m so proud to belong to this organisation and to wear this shirt.
LFP.es: You have been unlucky with injuries, but now, fortunately, all that is behind you. Did it make you stronger?
Cuéllar: Yes, without a doubt. Injuries, unfortunately, are part of football. They fill you with maturity, with experiences. They make you aware that not everything in life is good, that football isn't just smiles and happiness. You have to go through it to appreciate those moments and know that after hard work you get your reward.
LFP.es: You have studied to become a coach, haven't you?
Cuéllar: Yes, I've done Level 1 and I'm studying Physical Sciences and Sport at university. It's an intense but short degree. You try to get as much training as possible so that later you can be involved in what you really like. I'd love to continue to be involved with football.
LFP.es: What goals do you have this season?
Cuéllar: To grow as a person and as a footballer. Objectives have to be realistic and dreams are the things you have as a kid. Being a realist is to grow from match to match and to savour being able to play football, which is something that many people envy. You see the years go by and your career coming to an end. You have to savour those minutes on the field as if they were the last, and that's what I'm doing.
© LALIGA - 2014