Óscar de Marcos & Ander Iturraspe with the Olympic Squad
It's that time again! International break, and this time, our leones are everywhere, doing everything! I've got lots of goodies to share, the first of which is this interview that the RFEF posted today with Ander Iturraspe and Óscar de Marcos, who have been called up as part of a preliminary squad for the Summer Olympics in London.
Iturraspe: “It Would Be Incredible to Play in the Olympics”
Luis Milla has brought two new faces to Torrelavega for the match against Egypt (28 February at 8:30 CET). Ander Iturraspe and Óscar de Marcos have joined the twelve U21 European Champions and many others who are regulars with the youth teams this season. Iturraspe would make his debut with Spain, although he has been called up before, and De Marcos hasn’t worn the national shirt since the U21 World Cup in Egypt.
“It’s always a great honor to be able to be part of this National team,” the two Athletic canteranos say, above all “because it’s a list full of great players”. Their sights are set on London 2012 and for Óscar de Marcos “to be part of this first call-up was the first step we had to take”. “I’m working very hard with my club, trying to get as far as possible and it’s clear that the Olympic Games are a very important challenge,” continues the young player from Álava. Ander Iturraspe knows that this [call-up] is recognition for the great season that he’s having, that in this way it feels like “our work has been rewarded. The coach (Luis Milla) has shown us that as long as we continue to work very hard with our clubs, anyone can join [the national team] on the journey to London.”
Despite their excitement, they are conscious of how difficult it will be to be part of the final list. De Marcos points out the large number of talented players who could represent Spain at the Olympic Games: “There are very good players at this call-up, they’re all having great seasons at their respective clubs and even some of the ones who are currently called up with the senior national team could be part of this team.” In spite of the competition and the difficulties entailed, he is very clear that “I’m going to keep working and trying to do well at my club and earn the opportunity to be part of this Selección.”
Nor is Iturraspe less determined because he knows that “this is something that we footballers probably only get one chance to experience. It would be incredible to be there, but as Óscar said, there’s a lot of players, really good ones, who could be on that final list. For that reason, the only thing that we can do is to keep working and try to take advantage of the opportunities that it presents us.
Until now, his efforts, and the good moment that his club is going through, have been rewarded with this call-up and that of six other of his teammates (with the senior and Olympic teams): “It’s something that we’ve been working on for a long time at Athletic and Joaquín (Caparrós) also deserves some of the credit for this success. In Lezama we work very well, we’re having a great season, and to be part of these lists is a reward that reaffirms our efforts,” says Iturraspe. Additionally, for De Marcos, this serves as “support and reassurance.” Despite the fact that he already knew a few of the players on this Olympic Team, “it’s clear that it’s really great to coincide with Iturraspe, Ander Herrera and San José, although in this group there’s a lot of great people and that makes it easy for everyone to adapt to the group.”
Against Egypt they will have the opportunity to come together on the pitch, with all of the quality contributed by the twenty-one players who have been called up. De Marcos would “really like to play a few minutes tomorrow, if the míster considers it appropriate, and to take advantage of it,” and his club teammate shares a similar feeling although he is more motivated by the desire to make his debut with Spain: “I’ve been called up once before, but I didn’t have the chance to make my debut. It was a great experience and the fact that I was able to come here is already something wonderful. Now I’ll try to find the chance to play my first minutes in this shirt against Egypt.” The two internationals encourage all the fans to come enjoy a good show: “People like good football and a match like tomorrow’s against Egypt gets their attention. I’m sure that there will be a lot of people who come to Torrelavega because it’s a good opportunity to see great players. We hope that the El Malecón Stadium is full, so that there will be a great environment and good football.”
There's tons of other things - including an interview with Amorebieta, who'll be playing against his Athletic teammates with Venezuela - and there will probably be more leones in the spotlight very soon, so I'll try to get to them as soon as possible! And if you see anything you think I should translate, don't hesitate to send it my way.
Iturraspe: “It Would Be Incredible to Play in the Olympics”
Luis Milla has brought two new faces to Torrelavega for the match against Egypt (28 February at 8:30 CET). Ander Iturraspe and Óscar de Marcos have joined the twelve U21 European Champions and many others who are regulars with the youth teams this season. Iturraspe would make his debut with Spain, although he has been called up before, and De Marcos hasn’t worn the national shirt since the U21 World Cup in Egypt.
“It’s always a great honor to be able to be part of this National team,” the two Athletic canteranos say, above all “because it’s a list full of great players”. Their sights are set on London 2012 and for Óscar de Marcos “to be part of this first call-up was the first step we had to take”. “I’m working very hard with my club, trying to get as far as possible and it’s clear that the Olympic Games are a very important challenge,” continues the young player from Álava. Ander Iturraspe knows that this [call-up] is recognition for the great season that he’s having, that in this way it feels like “our work has been rewarded. The coach (Luis Milla) has shown us that as long as we continue to work very hard with our clubs, anyone can join [the national team] on the journey to London.”
Despite their excitement, they are conscious of how difficult it will be to be part of the final list. De Marcos points out the large number of talented players who could represent Spain at the Olympic Games: “There are very good players at this call-up, they’re all having great seasons at their respective clubs and even some of the ones who are currently called up with the senior national team could be part of this team.” In spite of the competition and the difficulties entailed, he is very clear that “I’m going to keep working and trying to do well at my club and earn the opportunity to be part of this Selección.”
Nor is Iturraspe less determined because he knows that “this is something that we footballers probably only get one chance to experience. It would be incredible to be there, but as Óscar said, there’s a lot of players, really good ones, who could be on that final list. For that reason, the only thing that we can do is to keep working and try to take advantage of the opportunities that it presents us.
Until now, his efforts, and the good moment that his club is going through, have been rewarded with this call-up and that of six other of his teammates (with the senior and Olympic teams): “It’s something that we’ve been working on for a long time at Athletic and Joaquín (Caparrós) also deserves some of the credit for this success. In Lezama we work very well, we’re having a great season, and to be part of these lists is a reward that reaffirms our efforts,” says Iturraspe. Additionally, for De Marcos, this serves as “support and reassurance.” Despite the fact that he already knew a few of the players on this Olympic Team, “it’s clear that it’s really great to coincide with Iturraspe, Ander Herrera and San José, although in this group there’s a lot of great people and that makes it easy for everyone to adapt to the group.”
Against Egypt they will have the opportunity to come together on the pitch, with all of the quality contributed by the twenty-one players who have been called up. De Marcos would “really like to play a few minutes tomorrow, if the míster considers it appropriate, and to take advantage of it,” and his club teammate shares a similar feeling although he is more motivated by the desire to make his debut with Spain: “I’ve been called up once before, but I didn’t have the chance to make my debut. It was a great experience and the fact that I was able to come here is already something wonderful. Now I’ll try to find the chance to play my first minutes in this shirt against Egypt.” The two internationals encourage all the fans to come enjoy a good show: “People like good football and a match like tomorrow’s against Egypt gets their attention. I’m sure that there will be a lot of people who come to Torrelavega because it’s a good opportunity to see great players. We hope that the El Malecón Stadium is full, so that there will be a great environment and good football.”
There's tons of other things - including an interview with Amorebieta, who'll be playing against his Athletic teammates with Venezuela - and there will probably be more leones in the spotlight very soon, so I'll try to get to them as soon as possible! And if you see anything you think I should translate, don't hesitate to send it my way.