The night of last June 21, Martin
Zubimendi he sat on Anoeta's bench with the illusion of having a few minutes with the first team. A dream shared by every kid who goes through Zubieta. In fact, throughout Gipuzkoa. In front was the leader, Real Madrid, but when the San Sebastian midfielder jumped onto the pitch, he was not intimidated. He asked for the ball, distributed and covered the field. 22 minutes of impudence, a seized opportunity that began to change his life completely.
Three days later he made his debut as a starter against Celta. It was the key moment of the season and of the next seven games he started five. Today, a month and a week after that night of nullified goals, possible hands and stumbles in the area, Zubimendi He has his place in the first squad, his clause is 60 million and his contract lasts until 2025. All in the blink of an eye, as almost everything happens in football.
A brilliant process that has earned him headlines, applause and an unexpected admirer. When the Royal announced its renewal, Lobo Carrasco shared the news on his ‘Twitter’ profile and added: “attentive to its evolution”. “I have friends like Robert
Lopez
Ufarte, or people with whom I bond that they had already warned me, ”explains the former soccer player, commentator and collaborator of MD. “I looked at him and he looked like … When I saw him I thought it was important to check if he had that mentality to handle the situation. He has shown it. “
Carrasco greatly values the difficulty of the moment in which Zubimendi has been able to take hold, with the Real going through a pothole. “With favorable waves, everyone throws pipes, but playing that way when the team that had the vitola to make the best football, to take better care of the ball, is suffering, it has barbaric merit.”
It details what aspects of your game have surprised you. “I like his tactical intelligence, but I also like that he is able to get rid of that bond. When you stick to tactics, you become a slave to that medal that coaches give you for keeping your position well. He enters, he understands the situation that the team is going through and he becomes a shooter within the collective gear, helping to bring harmony back. ”
“It is often said that” he has taken a step forward, “but no, he has thrown the door and taken two steps forward,” he says. “Evaluating the difficulty that the moment had, for me it has great merit because it means that quality is associated with mentality. That formula is what determines when a player has greatness. In his mind, ‘36’ has changed it to ‘4’. He wants to wear the ‘4’ ”. A process that Wolf
Carrasco will follow with much interest.
Carrasco augurs a great future for Zubimendi as long as it doesn't accommodate. “If he is self-demanding, self-critical, nonconformist and continues to evolve, he can become one of the most important midfielders in the League. Has competence in the team with Illarramendi, with Zubeldia, with Guevara; the challenge of taking ‘4’ is important but I see it mentally very strong ”.
Real's style of play matches the type of football the Wolf
Carrasco. “Imanol He has made me sit down to watch the games with enthusiasm, “he says. “For example, I was a dribbler, so I want to see people who dare to do things, brave players. I fall in love with La Real, I am always watching her because I know I will enjoy her game. ”
In addition to his surprise at the irruption of Martin
Zubimendi, Wolf Carrasco He does not hide his predilection for another footballer Txuri Urdin. “People talk about Martin
Odegaard, which is brilliant, especially in the last pass, but if I had to choose a Real player it would be Mikel
Oyarzabal. It is the coin that has a face and a face ”.
It's more, Carrasco He believes that the Eibarrés footballer has the potential to increase his performance one more degree if, as in the last league games, he begins to play more regularly closer to the point. He thinks that, in the vicinity of the area, the ‘10’ txuri urdin could skyrocket to figures that would place him among the top scorers in the competition.
“I think that when they put him inside definitively, he has the capacity to score 20 goals,” explains the former soccer player and commentator. “In soccer, in the market, there is a lot of smoke, a lot of video, a lot of cat for hare; the truth of soccer is Oyarzabal“
Yes Oyarzabal centers its position, the lane could be left to Barrenetxea. “What speed does it have. He always faces and that intimidates the rival, creates space, makes the striker alert. Those players have to take care of them, less and less come out. When they are little, they limit the dribbling because of not being a pacifier. People think that being a pacifier is always a defect. I, thanks to the fact that I was, I am talking to you ”.