Rubén López: Staying put wasn't a step back, but one forward to climb two | OneFootball

The midfielder reflects on the reserve side’s start to the season and his dream of making his top-flight debut with Deportivo

Rubén López has become the compass and leader on the pitch for Deportivo Fabril at the start of this season in the Primera Federación. After a turbulent summer in which he returned from his loan spell at Pontevedra with the initial feeling that his time in the academy had come to an end, a personal conversation with Manuel Pablo completely changed his perspective, as he explained in an interview with La Opinión A Coruña: "At first, I wasn’t too keen on going back to Fabril. I felt that stage was over and that it could be a step backwards. But after speaking with the coach, he convinced me about the team that could be built with people like Martín, Kevin or Jairo, and you realize it’s not a step back, but a step forward to take two more." Under the guidance of the Canary Islands-born coach and Juan Villamisar, the academy product has also taken on the captain’s armband and a new role as a defensive midfielder, a position in which he feels very comfortable and that demands greater composure, one-touch play, and good judgment in distribution.

The reserve team’s start to the campaign has lived up to the demands of a division characterized by direct football, individual duels, and the presence of experienced players. Rubén López highlights the competitive maturity of a young group that "has no ceiling" and whose main purpose remains developing players ready to make the jump to the first team whenever the script demands it — such as the recent attacking absences in Antonio Hidalgo’s squad. Speaking specifically about the first-team coach, the midfielder emphasizes his high standards and intensity: "Hidalgo is a coach who knows a lot about football. He pushes you to the limit, he likes punctuality, good habits, and he’s very serious, but he’s also someone you can talk to and share your opinion with calmly". It is a professional environment at Abegondo that the player from Silleda has learned to value even more after his experiences away from A Coruña, adopting nutrition and rest as an essential lifestyle in order to perform at the highest level.

With a contract running until 2028 and the maturity brought by his experiences on and off the pitch — reflected in the tattoo he wears on his arm in line with teammates Diego Gómez and Martín Ochoa —, the midfielder prefers to focus on the day-to-day rather than set long-term goals. Even so, he does not hide the great ambition that drives his daily work at the club’s training ground:.

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