Álvaro Arbeloa at GQ España

Ahead of the Confederations Cup, Álvaro Arbeloa spoke to GQ España, and also looked extremely sexy in the accompanying photo shoot…

On June 16, the national team begins its quest for the Confederations Cup, against Uruguay.  This is the only title that La Roja has yet to win.  Álvaro Arbeloa will once again be playing at the rightback position.  He’s a footballer with many more virtues than people think.

(PF) Juan Mata at Minuto 116

PF Juan Mata is on the cover of the May issue of magazine Minuto 116 (can you guess what the name of the magazine – Minute 116 – refers to?), and inside, over half of the magazine is dedicated to him!  There’s a great (and super, super long) interview with Juanín, a piece written by his sister PF Paula Mata, an interview with his grandfather, and his friends’ views of him, among other articles.  All of them paint a picture of a footballer who is also a normal person, in addition to being funny, humble, and well, also muy guapo.

So adorable!

models for a day

Remember how during the last concentración, several of the boys did a photoshoot with Pedro del Hierro, the firm that is responsible for dressing the national team?  Well here we have some of the (colorful) results, courtesy of XL Semanal!  Plus the boys talk about their own styles…

all set for France!

Keep in mind somos España as we take on France at 21h tonight, with a spot in the 2014 World Cup at stake.  Luckily for us, these two guys are scheduled to play.

Spain will debut a completely red kit (shirt, shorts, socks) for the game!  Let’s go La Roja!

Juan Mata at El Mundo’s La Otra Crónica

Attention girls: we have an eligible bachelor here.  He’s 24 years old, athletic, stylish, educated, studious, prudent, nice… and has a weekly salary of about 90,000 euros.  He answers to the name Juan Mata (Burgos, 1988), and in addition to being one of our world champions, he has become Chelsea’s most admired player.  He doesn’t only break the mold on the field, but off of it: can you imagine a football star traveling on the Underground like a normal person?  Or an athlete who prefers to read Murakami or Borges instead of playing Play?  LOC spent an afternoon with him in an English pub as he did his duties as IWC’s spokesperson.

The New York Times chose you as the man of the moment for your style after the Eurocopa.   What was your reaction?

That’s because I have two friends who work there (laughs).  The truth is that it was a surprise, my two friends were joking around with me about it and I didn’t believe them but anyway… it’s a positive piece of news, no?

La Roja in demand!

On the second day of the concentración, the players were made available to the press, and all of them were in high demand with journalists.  Sergio Ramos was especially sought after, as he will be joining a select club of players after playing in his 100th game for Spain against Finland.  Here’s a sampling of the interviews.  We’ll start off with Sergio and Marca.  The pictures – showing Sergio unveiling and posing with a huge blown up cover – are priceless.

One hundred games, 100 sensations.  How would you sum up this long  journey with La Roja?

It was a dream come true the day of my debut against China in Salamanca.  And then remaining part of this team was the most complicated part.  I would keep the three titles, because the successes are the cherry on top.  I believe having two Eurocopas and one World Cup at my age is hard to beat.  But I hope that the team can continue to win titles.

What does the shirt mean to you?

Strength, compromise, values, everything.

Sergio Ramos at El Partido de las 12

Sergio Ramos was the special guest at COPE’s “El Partido de las 12″ program on Tuesday night.  He spoke with them for one hour on a variety of topics.

on reaching 100 games: perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is how fast it all went, so you don’t have time to stop and think about it.  I’m tremendously proud of it, because previously, Carles Puyol, a great footballer, reached it at the age of 34, if I’m not mistaken, and I’m lucky to be able to reach it 26, during a very good stage in my life.  If God wants and I take care of myself, the number will go up.  I have to thank Luis Aragonés for taking a chance with me, considering that I had a very great competitor, Míchel Salgado, in front of me.  I didn’t have a lot of experience in the World Cup, in the Champions League, since it was my first year in Real Madrid, and using a 19-year-old kid in World Cup qualifiers is not something all coaches would do.

Juan Mata at Marca Estilo

PF Juan Mata graces the cover of the “Marca Estilo” supplement, showing off the latest styles in watches, as he collaborates with IWC in his role as ambassador of the Laureus Foundation.