Hugo Duro: “Bordalás squeezes you, changes you, we are going to death with him”

Hugo Duro (Getafe, 1999) was the history of Valencia long before joining the club. “He played Hugo Duro”, a phrase from teammate Miguel Ángel Román during the Valencia-Getafe narration of 2019, is part of the black and white story of that Cup that he won with Marcelino. Hugo Duro takes it with humor and even as motivation: “I hope you have many chronicles' I play on Hugo Duro … and it was a goal for Valencia!”

Valencia registered you in the League at 11:14 p.m. on August 31, did you fear at any time that it would break?

Everything happened fast. I found out very late, in the last few days. When the interest of Valencia came out, I said yes quickly. Getafe behaved well and let me out. But until he signed, which was around eight in the afternoon, he was not calm. I even told my relatives that I was going to Valencia with a small mouth.

What called you to leave the club of your life?

Valencia is a great club. Obviously the presence of Bordalás also had a lot to do with it. At Getafe, after the first three days, in which I had barely participated … my feelings were that I would have more minutes at Valencia.

Do you consider yourself a soldier from Bordalás?

(Laughs) I consider myself one more player in the squad. We are all going to die with Bordalás because it is the best for the players, for the club and for the coach. If the team believes, we will be up.

When you were still at Getafe, did you expect Valencia to start this well with Bordalás?

Look, it's something we talked about in the Getafe dressing room. We all knew him there and we said: “What a bastard, the coach is bringing Valencia afloat again.” The truth is that we knew how it worked and we were not surprised. The coach is capable of getting the most out of all the players and at Valencia he has a lot of talent in the dressing room.

Have you noticed any difference compared to what it was in Getafe?

None. He remains the same, a coach who demands a lot from the players, who can seem heavy because he is always on top, but who does it for our good, for us, because the basis of his success is what he demands every day and that's the way it is. how a player improves.

Some of his new teammates seem like another player …

Bordalás makes you change from year to year. The other day I found out that Valencia had not won two games in a row for more than a year… Bordalás squeezes the most out of the players and I see that all the players believe in him. If we continue with that union, we will be on top. With Bordalás things are easier than it seems, because he only asks you two things: running and sacrifice, from there, talent does the rest.

How does the game against Real Madrid look in a young dressing room like Valencia's, as an opportunity to hit the table?

It is a difficult but beautiful match. But Real Madrid's points count the same as Osasuna's. Win or lose there is much left. We will go for the three points, as always.

Is it special to you because of your past there, even if it was only a year?

If it is. I had the opportunity to play a game with the Real Madrid first team and I realized that that dressing room is full of wonderful players and good people. They treated me great and I have great memories of the club and the players.

Have you given Correia any advice to stop Vinicius?

What a duel of record holders (laughs). The truth is that I haven't told him anything, but I don't think Correia needs a lot of advice, he knows what to do, he's a great player.

How did Real Madrid come about, because usually they are the ones who give players to Getafe and you, on loan, even made your debut in the Champions League?

Well, everything has a context. At the beginning of summer I considered that going out on loan was a good option. The idea was to go to a Segunda, but the Castilla option came up, where Manu Fernández, my coach at the Getafe quarry, was working on the recruitment, and I decided it was the best option.

Why?

Because of the impact that the club has, including its subsidiary, and because spending a year at Madrid is an experience. In addition, I sensed that because of the pandemic, Real Madrid would not sign anyone … and a year is ripe for many injuries, circumstances … I was convinced that a good year would come out for me at Castilla de Raúl and that perhaps I would have a chance with the first team. And look, I was able to make my debut with Real Madrid in the League and the Champions League, something that not everyone can say.

How about Raúl González?

I made good friends with Raúl. He was a fantastic player and he is also a fantastic player as a coach. He is a great person. He has a lot of personality and is competitive like few others. What has been as a player is going to be as a coach. It is going to eat the world.

You signed 12 goals in 20 games, did you ever think you could stay?

I started the year well, really. It was when the first team called me to train. When he returned, Latasa was going through an exceptional moment. There I played less. But we all ended up great. I tell this because there were times when I thought I could stay and others when less. Sometimes I did ask if there was something new, but it was something that did not depend on me and I only worried about having a good year … and I ended up happy.

And now he comes to Valencia with the memory of 'He played on Hugo Duro'.

My classmates remind me of it almost every day (laughs). Well, it's something that happened, I got the bad part of football, the defeat, but I take it as an anecdote. I don't mind jokes at all. I was even amused by the shirts that became fans for the final that Valencia played against Barcelona.

You know that phrase is going to give a headline of the chronicle …

Hopefully titles many times: “He played in Hugo Duro and it was a goal for Valencia” That night of the Cup with Getafe he experienced what Mestalla is as a rival. It was tremendous, really. When Mestalla squeezes … hey. I was surprised.

This Sunday he will live it, but with the Valencia shirt.

And we really want. We were used to playing without an audience and now we value what we had, both when you play at home and when you play outside. In Mestalla they tell us that there will be 29,000 people We are very excited.

Is it difficult for you to play with the public?

It's like starting over. We have been without the fans for a year and a half and now you are playing again with the added pressure of the stands. You can see the roar of the people, especially in fouls.

Does it impact more now or when it went from youth to First in 2018?

The truth is that the public does not influence me, it motivates me. But to your question, the first time is not forgotten. You go from playing in Youth with a hundred parents to 80,000 spectators at the Camp Nou. That jump is more noticeable. What makes me happy now is knowing that my parents and my sister will be able to see me in my first game at the Mestalla with Valencia, something they couldn't do when I made my debut for Real Madrid.

Cheryshev's injury opens a door at the eleven. That said, in which position do you see yourself more: forward or on the wing?

I have always played upstairs. Or at least I have played more times up than on the wing. But there I also feel comfortable. I hope I play in band, because that will mean that I play, which is what I want.

What does this Valencia aspire to?

The start has been good. I would even call you pretty. But today you are very good at football and in two weeks they want to kill you. The line is to work, to run as we are doing.

And you, what are your claims for the future?

He came on loan with an option to buy … My claims are to work, work and work every day. Only then can I think about the future.