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Wow, what an amazing year. Win the Premier League and the World Cup. The experience, the emotions, tell us about that. I mean, it's been an unreal year for me. Uh, not only on a professional level, uh, but also on a personal level. I was a dad this summer. So, congratulations. Thank you. Congratulations. It's been incredible. Wow, not even in my wildest dreams would I have thought I could achieve so many things at once. Um, I'm very, very proud. Um, this isn't something I did alone. So I'm very proud of everyone at the club. Uh, obviously from my family too. So, yes. Unreal summer. Do you feel you've changed? Obviously, you've become a dad. Winning the Premier League and the World Cup, has it changed you?
Yes, these experiences change you a little. Obviously, winning things at a professional level gives you a bit more confidence. Um, on a personal level, having a child is something that changes your life, uh, completely. Your main focus, uh, your focus changes. And now, obviously, I am a father above all else. I have my son. Whereas before, football was the main thing for me. And now, football is very important, but having a family is, you know, uh, the most important thing in your life now. At the beginning of this year, the first few months must have been difficult. You were injured. Obviously, it's World Cup season. How did you deal with that mentally? It was difficult. I'm not going to lie. It was, uh, a difficult period for me because,
obviously, my wife was, uh, very pregnant. And because I was injured, I couldn't even walk for 2 or 3 months. It was a difficult time for us as a family. Also, back then, I struggled a bit with the idea of missing the World Cup. So, yeah, I had to, you know, get together with my family, my friends, my people, and look on the bright side of things. Um, I had more time to be with my wife at home, to, you know, uh, experience a new chapter in my life that I had never experienced before, having a long-term injury, and I think I learned a lot from that. Michail, you're quite well known for coming on and scoring as a substitute twice in the World Cup, aren't you? So, could you tell us about the emotions of stepping onto the field and
making that kind of impact? I mean, even now, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. It's incredible to be able to help the team, to help the country in that way after having been at the lowest point of my career, and, you know, to score those late 90th-minute goals to help the country advance to the next stage is unreal. The emotions are intense, I assure you, but I don't think they're that intense because you expect that to happen when you're preparing for the game. And when you're getting ready to go onto the field, you think: "I'm going to make an impact, I'm going to be the best version of myself and, you know, help the team." And when it happens, you feel very, very happy, but your mindset was already there. So it's
not a big surprise because you're ready when the time comes. Do you find it difficult to maintain that positive mindset because you know you're not a starter, or do you feel confident that you'll come on as a substitute? How do you deal with all of that? It's a challenge, I won't lie, because as a professional, as a footballer, you always expect to be a starter, you always expect to make an impact because you value yourself and you know how good you are. And when they tell you that you'll be on the bench, you have to quickly change that feeling of, you know, feeling alone or undervalued, and then make an impact on the field, show everyone that you have the quality and presence to help the team even in just a few minutes and prove
to the coach that you are useful. So yes, it's a big challenge, but mentally that's why it's so important to be ready, and when it happens, you feel very happy because you're obviously helping the team. It's interesting to hear because you said it's important to have the confidence to come in and know that you can help the team in that way. But I suppose you don't want to get to the point of having too much of an ego. So how do you balance trust so that it doesn't reach the point of having ego? You have to keep your feet on the ground. Yes, I think there's a very fine line between, you know, being overconfident, having a very big ego, and not being a team player. So
, I think in my case my father, who was a footballer before me, helped me a lot when I was growing up by telling me that football is a team sport. So you 're not alone there, and the collective is the first and foremost thing. But at the same time, have that confidence that will make you perform at your best. So yes, it's a fine line, and the great thing about team sports is that when a player sometimes strays from that line, his teammates can help him get back on track . That's the great thing about football. That's why, at this club and in the national team, we have an incredible team that helps everyone, and that's why we are achieving great things together.
What would you say is the key message from the coaching staff for this season? Obviously this season is a little different from the previous one. So, what's the message now? I think the message is to attack the season. I think the coach has made it very clear. Some people think that because we are the current champions we have to defend our title and our position, but the mentality is just the opposite. So we're planning, you know, to approach each day as if it were the most important and give the best version of ourselves. And what is your relationship with Mikel Arteta like? Did you know him before joining Arsenal?
Um, obviously, I knew about him. I didn't know him personally, and my relationship with him is very good. It's very good. I mean, I feel truly honored and blessed to, you know, share the field with him every day. He is probably, possibly, one of the best coaches in the world, and since I personally love football, I don't know if I would like to be a coach in the future. Every day I take the opportunity to, you know, absorb everything he says like a sponge. Um, because, you know, he's an open book and always wants to make people understand his vision, and we're very happy to have him. I 'm not sure if you know this, but there's an American football player in the NFL, DK Metcalf. He is well known for holding celebrations in
American Sign Language. Have you heard of him? Yes, I've heard of him. I know him. I'm a big NFL fan and, well, obviously it went viral on the internet that he was, you know, celebrating using sign language, yeah. That was one of the things I wanted to ask you, if you have any tips or short phrases I can say the next time I score a goal. You could start with Arsenal. This is the sign for Arsenal because of the cannon You could say I love Arsenal. And the players also have their own sign names based on their playing style or appearance. So, in fact, you have a sign language name. Do you want to know your name in sign language?
Okay. Yes please. Do you know? Can you guess? I have no idea. What's your goal celebration like? Well, I like to run around the corner kick a bit. Yeah? Okay. So, this is the pennant. Okay. And this is you turning the pennant around like you do in your celebration. Okay, it's difficult. So you can say yes, look at me, and sign your name when you write it down. It would be a great celebration. Remember that. I'll do that. You have to remember that. I will definitely remember it
