Guido Rodríguez: "It's a season to stick together and enjoy Mestalla" | OneFootball

Now signed to a permanent deal at Valencia CF, Guido Rodríguez was officially presented in a special event on Thursday. He answered questions from the media, and also received a message from fellow Argentine, club legend Claudio López.

Confidence in the Valencia CF project

“Last season ended, I went on holiday, and then I thought things through carefully. There were no moments of doubt, only analysis of the situation. The club showed me, at all times, that their desire was for me to stay. I told them the same was true for me, and we talked. The most important thing is that I'm here. This is a very important year for the club; we want to make progress, and that's what I came here to do.”

His contribution on the pitch

“I'm going to give my all, I always do. Everyone will have to see what I give and then judge it, and I'm also self-critical about what I do.”

Carlos Corberán

“He was very important for me staying here; both he and the club wanted me to carry on.”

The team photo after the final game of last season 

“The uncertainty was something external. In that moment, I was thinking that the season was over, and we had experienced moments we really enjoyed, as well as other moments where we had to come together and suffered a bit. What I was really thinking was that the game had finished, at Mestalla, in a stadium I'd seen on TV since I was little, and I was enjoying it. Nothing was going through my head other than the satisfaction of having beaten FC Barcelona and of having lived up to what I came here to do. I was enjoying the photo with inner peace and enjoying being with my family.”

Importance of promising players for the future“That’s what’s important at a club: the project and keeping the key players in the squad. It was the project and the ambition to keep improving, to keep striving to move forward together and have a good season, that made me stay.”His contract duration “At the time, when I signed on loan, I was already said that the good thing -what we should celebrate- was that I was here. Both the club and I wanted it. Now, we’ve signed a two-year contract with an option for one more year, and that’s the good thing. Nothing has changed. In January, there was a week to get everything done. Now, there was a month and a half.”

Objectives

“It’s a different situation. When I arrived, the LaLiga was going on, and now we’ve just started a new preseason. I understand the questions, but nothing has really kicked off yet because we’re finishing our medical tests and our bodies are starting to get used to the aches and pains of preseason. The most important thing is understanding where we are right now. It could be a very important year, and it depends on everyone: the players, the club’s transfer activity, the press… we need everyone to be united. We have to stick together as a team, as a city, to take the club where it deserves to be.”

It being the final season at Mestalla

“We are lucky and blessed to be here. Leaving Mestalla leaves a bittersweet taste in our mouths. All the fans will feel the same. Mestalla is a legendary stadium where many people would love to play; we are privileged to be able to enjoy it. On the other hand, the club have taken a step forward with the Nou Mestalla. It's moving in the direction football is heading, the path all clubs are taking. Valencia CF are taking a step forward next season; his season, we have to enjoy Mestalla.”

Responsibility and leadership

“I always apply responsibility to myself, wherever I go. I always look at myself first, so I can perform well on the pitch for the team, the coach, and the fans. I embrace that responsibility, just like the entire dressing room and the captains do, and I'm here to help Valencia CF. I'm 100% committed to the club's project and to taking the club where they deserve to be.”

Returning to Valencia CF

“It’s something very beautiful. Seeing the message from Claudio López, Pablo Aimar, and Roberto Ayala, who were here and were very important for the club, is great. I watched Valencia CF as a child because I saw these players. One day, when I finish my career and can say that I played for Valencia CF, it will be a great honour, just as it is now, to have my name amongst theirs. I’m really looking forward to enjoying the entire preseason and being at 100% so that we can all enjoy it. This is a year for us to stick together and enjoy Mestalla.”