he may have the world in his hands…

… but he’s got us all eating out of his hands, with his new book!  He’s Pepe Reina, and this is an excerpt from El mundo en nuestras manos!

An article in last Sunday’s Magazine from El Mundo talked about Pepe and his new book.  He said the suggestion to write it came from journalist Jordi Folqué (the co-author of the book) and he thought it was a good idea:  “I felt privileged to have been chosen.”  The purpose of the book is “for people to know that we really did get along, that there really was friendship.  It was something to remember and I thought it deserved a book.”  And here is an excerpt, the part where Pepe talks about his teammates.  I love the descriptions!

on Sergio: he’s a big part of the reason why the long hours in the concentración aren’t boring.  I share his passion for el flamenquito and he knows what the most appropriate music for each moment is.

on Piqué: he didn’t know what was waiting for him in the rest of the games.  Since he’s a pretty handsome and nice-looking guy, those battle scars were hardly noticeable.  But who I am to deny it, they did him a favor by doing that to his face four or five times during the World Cup.

on Capdevila: seeing him, after winning the title, with the Budweiser ice bucket for Shakira on his head is priceless.  I heard that he even appeared like that on television when he was interviewed by Sara Carbonero.

on Puyol: when he came out of the room, he didn’t know that Her Majesty was there.  But in the end, the impression he gave was more good-natured than anything else, with his towel around his waist and without a shirt.  The queen, who blushed, offered him her hand.  It was all very enjoyable.

on Iniesta: humility in a footballer.  The man who had to score in the final was Andrés Iniesta.  If he wore earrings, dyed his hair blond and was media savvy, he would get more attention, but he is how he is.

on Busquets: Busquets was the best Spanish player in the World Cup for me.  And, since we were champions, he should be among the best of the tournament.  I laughed at all the criticism he received when I looked at him on the bus.

on Xabi: the most intelligent footballer I have ever met.  He brings all of the knowledge he has off the field onto the field, for the benefit of the team… Xabi also showed me how to become a better person.

on Xavi: he appears to be very serious, but Xavi has a group of friends from way back that are the best.  They always tell us the same anecdotes, but they’re so amusing that they always get a smile out of us.  Xavi is how he is and we love him like that.

on Torres: a great friend.  A person who is very close to me.  I was with him during the difficult moments of his recovery.  He spent a lot of time in the gym and on a stretcher.  And all of it so that his country could count on him.

on Villa: some time ago, technology managed to overwhelm me.  But I’m not worried, because I have the Guaje Villa, who keeps me up to date with all the new products on the market.  He convinced me to purchase an iPad.

on Iker: he acts like the captain both on and off the field… I thought it was baseless for The Times to publish on the front page that the person guilty for our defeat was Sara Carbonero just because she was Iker’s girlfriend.

on VDB: he’s a very good-natured man.  He never abused his authority.  On the contrary, a lot of times he would say please, and “if you don’t mind…”  The group identified quickly with his personality and has a lot of affection for him.

Bonus anecdotes:  Pepe says that they played card games, and bingo with cardboard cards created by Navas and Sergio, and that they were card sharps.  And in reference to the ball from the final, he says, “Andrés had just scored.  It was the end of the overtime.  I remember that Puyol cleared the ball towards the bench, and I told myself, “this one is for me.”  I put it under my shirt and ran towards the locker room.  The police chased after me and I shouted back at them in English that I would not give the ball back.  Today, I have it in my trophy cabinet, and it’s signed by all my teammates.  It’s a very valuable treasure that I wouldn’t sell for all the money in the world.”

As soon as I have time, I’ll start translating this book, although I would like to finish Los Secretos first – we have one more chapter of that to go.