Alan Varela: “I’m aiming for the World Cup squad, I had a great year” | OneFootball

“I always thought about enjoying football until my daughter came along when I was 17, and that’s when things got very serious. I had to work my tail off to give her a better life and make it to the top flight,” Alan Varela stresses. At 24, his résumé already includes winning titles with Boca, the team he supports, and recently with Porto, another giant and, until further notice, his first stop in European football, as his name and his game have caught the attention of several Premier League heavyweights, such as Manchester United and Liverpool.

For now, he is enjoying this first league title won at a very demanding club and being on Lionel Scaloni’s list of 55 preselected players for the upcoming World Cup. Successes and recognition that come because of his talent and also the maturity he shows in this conversation with LA NACION.

-How does this title won with Porto feel? Because it’s not easy to settle in Europe, become important to the team, and end up a champion.

-The truth is, it has been a very good year and season both personally and for the team. We turned the page very well from what happened last year, which obviously everyone saw, because I think we hit rock bottom, since we weren’t fighting for any title. And honestly, when you arrive here at Porto, the only thing people demand from you is to win titles and play well. And well, I think last year we weren’t up to the task, and this year was very good because good players arrived with the right mentality, and a new coaching staff that also demands a lot from you and pays attention to every little detail. And well, all of that was reflected throughout the season.

-What was the toughest thing you went through last year? Was it the failed Club World Cup experience?

-Like I said, we weren’t up to the task in any competition. We weren’t able to fight for the championship, and people here always expect you to win the league. In the domestic cups here in Portugal, we also weren’t up to the task; we were knocked out very early. And I think the Club World Cup wasn’t very good from us either, and honestly that felt like hitting rock bottom. This year we were able to turn it around, and we’re very happy about that.

-What did Francesco Farioli change in the team? And what is it like having his assistant Lucho González, a club legend, close by?

-Well, Farioli’s arrival was very important because he came in with very good ideas, always trying to improve every little detail. He prepares and analyzes matches very well. And well, having Lucho here is an honor for me. As a player he was extraordinary, and being able to share the day-to-day here with us, with him always pushing me, is really special for me. I always try to improve, to listen to him, and to learn from everything he tells me.

-Lucho is on the list of Argentine champions at Porto, like Lisandro López, Fernando Belluschi, Ernesto Farías, many Argentines who left their mark, and now yours is there too. What does it feel like to join that group?

-It’s really nice because, obviously, you mentioned very good players who are very well known here in Portugal and who left their mark. When I arrived here in Portugal, people always talked to me about Lucho, Lisandro, Belluschi, and that reflects the great work they did here. I always try to work hard, to be professional, and to give everything on the pitch so that people can recognize that I was always a player who gave 100% for the team.

-What was it like for you to adapt to this team and carve out a place for yourself? Because coming from Argentine football, people often talk about a difference in level with Europe.

-No, honestly, adapting wasn’t hard for me. As soon as I arrived, I started playing. But it also depends on the coach giving you confidence, the players trusting you too, and me being able to play my football. That was key to my adaptation, which was very quick, and then to keep showing everything during all this time I’ve been here.

-What ideas from Martín Anselmi remained in the group for this success that came later under another coaching staff?

-Martín seemed like a great coach to me, always very attentive to every player and every detail too, but the truth is he took over the team when we were already doing badly, and we weren’t able to help him carry out all the ideas he had. And well, what happened, happened.

-What kind of relationship do you have with president André Villas-Boas, who was successful as a coach and had the job of succeeding a historic president like Pinto da Costa?

-André is doing an incredible job. He is always very attentive to the team, to everything that Porto is, and he is a great person. You can always talk to him in the best way, and he understands very well what a player needs. He was a coach himself, and he understands a lot about all of this.

-And what is the rivalry with Benfica and Sporting like? What were those derbies like? Are they the kind of big games you enjoy, like playing against River?

-Yes, they’re tough matches. Everything is on the line against those teams, because a defeat can knock you out of the title race. This year we did well in all those matches; we didn’t lose against any big team: Benfica, Sporting, and Braga. I was very happy to win some derbies and, in others, not lose them, so we could become champions.

-What was it like facing Nico Otamendi, Benfica’s captain and a world champion, who is also with you on Scaloni’s list of 55?

-With Nico, things were always great, on and off the pitch. We were always respectful toward each other. Obviously it’s a derby, and on the pitch you leave everything out there, but beyond that, nothing happens.

-Is the dream of the national team still fully alive?

-Yes, honestly, yes. To be considered for the list of 55 for a tournament like that is really nice, and obviously I’m not satisfied with just that. I think I had a very good year and a very good season. I felt very comfortable here at Porto, and I think I have a chance, but there’s still time to go. I have to keep working, and we’ll see what happens.

-And how do you see the national team in its title defense?

-Argentina is always a contender. We won the last World Cup, we won the Copa América, and we will always be contenders as long as Messi, our number 10, is the best player in the world.

-And you suffered against him at the Club World Cup…

-Yes, yes, I did.

-At Boca you were a champion in a position similar to the one Leandro Paredes occupies in his return to the club. Did you expect the level he is showing?

-Lea’s return, for a Boca fan like me, is really special. When he arrived, he changed the face of the team, and he is doing things very well. For me, he is one of the best players in Argentine football. Hopefully he can keep going like this, showing all his quality, all his class, and that it will be the best for Boca.

-Do you speak often with Riquelme, who always praised your intelligence on the pitch?

-Yes, from time to time we exchange a few messages, and not long ago I sent him a Porto shirt. My relationship with Román was always good, and for me it’s really special because he is one of my idols.

-Someone else from Boca who is also on the list of Argentine champions with Porto is Agustín Marchesín, who suffered a serious injury.

-Yes, here I have teammates who played with Marchesín, and they really regret his injury. I do too, as a Boca fan, I’m really sorry he got injured like that. But well, I hope he can recover in the best way and keep showing that he can wear the Boca shirt.

-Looking ahead to your future, there were rumors that several Premier League teams want you. How do you handle that in your head?

-I’m calm and 100% focused here at Porto. Obviously my agent talks about all those matters, and right now I’m not thinking about that. My objective, as I was saying, is to be on the World Cup list, and honestly that’s what I’m focused on at the moment.

–And what is Porto’s next objective as the big club it is?

-Here the aim is always to win everything, right? Domestic cups, but above all the league. The league is very important in Portugal because it gives you direct access to the Champions League, and it also matters a lot to have a good Champions League campaign next season.

-When you were little, when you first started kicking a ball, did you imagine that you would be a champion with Boca and also a champion in Europe, being important in both teams?

-When you’re little, you don’t think so much about victories or lifting trophies, but about enjoying football. I always thought about enjoying football until my daughter came along when I was 17, and that’s when things got very serious. I had to work my tail off to give her a better life and make it to the top flight. I did it, and obviously from then on I always saw football as a livelihood, more as a way to live, but also as a way to make history at every club I play for.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.