What were those other possibilities? Much has been said about Manchester United, your opponents on Tuesday. There were a couple of possibilities and United was one, but the only person who knows just how real that was, how close, is Alex Ferguson. I never spoke to him personally but there were contacts with United. Before deciding to come here I thought about England, where I had a couple of offers. I love the footballing culture there, the respect for the game, the atmosphere, the intensity. I've been at Old Trafford, Arsenal, at Liverpool watching Fernando Morientes, and it's special. I fancied the idea. I wanted to try something different. But I've been able to experience that here. We take 3,000 or 4,000 to every game, we're never alone. And I couldn't be happier.
You even ended up in the stands, celebrating with the fans. Yes, that was wonderful. A player gets "nominated" to join them. I spoke to a few of the fans and I think they understood me. At Madrid, winning was an obligation. Here, you win a game and, although I wouldn't call it a party, it is different. There's a gratitude and enjoyment. It's a great experience that makes you more rounded.
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In October, November things weren't going so well. I'd only scored a goal or two, things were difficult for the team, but I was still happy. When I came, people stopped me and said gracias. Thanks for coming to Schalke. For me, that's unreal.
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First, the group stage and we finish first. First! Well, yeah, let's see what happens in the last 16. Valencia. And we win. Inter, the European champions. And we score five in Italy! And now we're in the semis. You look at the German Cup: there are two Second Division teams in the draw, us and Bayern. And of course, we get Bayern – at their ground. And you say 'madre mía'. And you go there – and you win, haha! No matter what happens now, I have found what I was looking for.
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Tell you the truth, I don't think we have been under pressure all year. Pressure, real pressure? Maybe if we'd lost a couple more games in the league and found ourselves near the relegation zone we'd have said joder. But we won, now we're mid‑table. Proper pressure? No. We went to Valencia thinking: "Let's see if we play OK." We went to Milan, playing the champions. I'll tell you something: you don't score five against Inter if you're under pressure.
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Against United? Well, we're playing well, we are very clear about what we have to do, we're compact. We've got Jefferson Farfán, who's quick and skilful. Jurado is growing. [The goalkeeper Manuel] Neuer is very, very good. I didn't know much about him but he's incredible. You should see him in training – his saves, throwing a ball half the length of the pitch, everything. He might even be more complete than [Iker] Casillas. And he's only 25. It's pity for United because he would have been perfect for them, but people say he's going to Bayern.
