Don´t say Owen, say goal. The Englishman could well be defined like this, judging by his words. Even for him this aspect is not a surprise: “There´s no recipe or secret. My gift is scoring goals”. The forward, in a press conference, sent a message to a Eto’o: We didn´t run? Personally, the next day, I ached all over”. And he says: “I wanted a new challenge and I´ve improved”.

 

Did the coach do justice to you by putting you in the starting eleven against Barcelona?
I don´t think it was a question of justice, but of having the opportunity to play and making the most of it. I always said that if they gave me a chance I´d try do as well as possible. I enjoyed Sunday a lot, like all the Madrid players, as we were playing a big game. I was happy to be playing and to be on the starting eleven, and that´s all. It wasn´t a question of justice.

What did you think of the declarations by Eto’o in which he said that they lost against a team that was walking?
I respect Eto’o a lot, as he´s a great player. On Sunday he played well and scored a great goal, but I think we were running a lot, and I, for one, certainly was. The next day when I got up I ached all over. It´s very difficult to win in modern football without running, it´s very physical and very athletic. We worked well.

Do you think Barcelona are stressed, judging by the tone of their declarations, after Sunday´s defeat?
I don´t know. I haven´t seen their declarations, but at the end of the match they shook hands with us and those of us who knew some of them talked to them in the tunnel to the changing rooms. There didn´t seem to be any malice. I don´t know if they are worried, but we can´t say we will win the League, as it´s still in their hands. It´s impossible to say what will happen as it depends on Barcelona.

What´s the secret of Owen for scoring goals?
There´s no recipe or secret. Football players have certain qualities. If you want a forward who´s strong, big and good with headers, I´m not your man, but if you want a forward who puts in a lot of goals, then I am your man. Since I was sixteen I´ve scored lots of goals in all the categories. There are footballers who have gifts, and mine is putting in goals. It´s not a secret, it´s my job.

How do you see the future? Would you change your plans if you didn´t have many minutes of play at Madrid?
I have never said I want to leave. I´m happy in Madrid. Independently of what happens in the League, this first year has been very good for me. I have played all the home games, except once because I was sick… I think I have played a role at Madrid this year. People talk about whether I´m going to stay or leave, but I´m not getting into that.

You have scored half of the goals of Eto’o, playing a lot less. Would you have scored more goals than him if you would have played the same number of minutes?
You never know. I don´t know what would have happened if I had played as many minutes as him. It´s true that you cannot score goals from the bench. Perhaps if I had more minutes, I would have scored more goals, but we will never know. I only hope to continue with this good luck and be able to play a little bit more.

Do you know that as we are getting closer to the end of the season in Spain, people talk about bonuses to third parties? Does it work the same way in England?
It´s not like that in England. It´s something I´ve heard for the very first time. I trust in the honesty of the teams. Taking a look to the calendar it seems that Barcelona have easier games than us but the last games of the season are always strange, because all the teams have their own interests. Barcelona have every chance of winning win the title, but we want to make it harder.

Beckham says that he has improved as player since he is in Spain, what about you?
It has helped me and that´s why I came. I have started a new life, different and the experience is still positive. It depends on each person and each person has their own impressions. I wanted a new challenge and I think I have improved. Playing with such good footballers can only help you.

Do you understand the Spanish expressions used for the game?
It´s very important to learn these expressions, because when the coach talks it´s important to understand him. If I had to talk about what I did yesterday it would be more complicated than talking about the game. I listen to the radio, I watch Spanish television to accustom myself… But I understand my team mates on the pitch.

What do you think about the comparison of Lampard with Beckham?
Lampard is not the new Beckham. He´s a great footballer but he´s different. Both players have world class, but they are not the same type of player. I had never seen a player who has improved so much in such a short period of time as he has. He´s playing with a great team and he´s scoring amazing goals Lampard is incredible.

After the events happened in the Inter-Milan, what message would you send to the fans for the Juventus-Liverpool game?
I hope that once the game is over, people only talk about football and not about problems or violence. Sometimes these things happen, but I hope it won´t repeat itself again tonight. I hope there won´t be any problem between the fans, that the best team will win and that it´s a good game.

A report by Javier J. Tamames