“I didn't leave for Madrid's sake”

Rafael Martín Vázquez (25-9-1965, Madrid) has reviewed since his confinement the best anecdotes and episodes of his 16 years as a soccer player, in five countries (Spain, Italy, France, Mexico and Germany). He also reveals what his plans are for when the 'new' normality is established as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

(embed) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5YOSPu1W_U (/ embed)

Do you think the LaLiga plan to start on June 12, under the auspices of the Government, is correct, or do you see it as premature?

I believe that the clubs, after all, LaLiga, will do their part, following the protocols that the health authorities dictate, so that the return of football has the least possible risks. It will not be easy, because we found out that they are testing positive for club controls, but we also read that some important leagues in Europe already have a return date. In any case, when it is played again it will be in atypical conditions.

What atypical conditions are you referring to and what will be the main changes in football for you?

I don't know, spontaneity is going to be lost, it's going to be colder, without so much emotion. The VAR has already brought about an important change in the way football is developed, with this much more: without an audience, and I who played a game behind closed doors against Naples, of the European Cup, I know the feeling that I speak; without being able to hug each other to celebrate the goals, without greeting or approaching to speak, with the rigorous distances that will have to be met …

What do you remember from the day of your debut with Real Madrid, what advice did Di Stéfano give you and what would you highlight about him as coach?

My debut with Madrid was the great moment of my career, like when I did it with the National Team. It was a dream, so young and to be able to play where I always wanted, to share costumes with great players whom I admired. And it was thanks to Alfredo, who was incredible at short distances, very direct. His relationship with us had nothing to do with the image he could give out. That day, he told Manolo Sanchís and me, that we were only 18 years old, that we did what we knew in the field, gave us a lot of confidence. That and the help of our colleagues, who since we went up to train the week before the game gave us a lot of closeness, made things easier for us.

It was not to score many goals, but much of what he did were beautifully made or of remarkable significance. One surely unforgettable in his career was the victory in the 92nd minute of Real Madrid against Atlético, at the Bernabéu. How do you remember?

With great satisfaction, because it was in a derby, the time was up, the match had been very difficult and rough with three expelled …

“It was inexplicable my non-renewal in 1990 with Madrid. I was feeling that I was not valued”

Being one of the best in Madrid, Mendoza pushed him towards Torino when they already had a pre-agreement to renew. In your second stage at the club, at the end of your contract, you were shown the exit door again despite the fact that you agreed to lower your salary by half. Did Madrid not behave well with Martín Vázquez despite everything he gave the entity?

Probably not. I am not spiteful, but the events were like this. What happened in 1990 was inexplicable: we agreed on all aspects to renew, so the president left the meeting for a moment and when he returned it was someone else, I do not know who he spoke to, but I spent minutes continuing to feel that I did not they counted on me. And in 1995, something similar. Madrid was going through a difficult economic period and I instructed my representative that he was willing to cut my salary in half, but whatever it was, they did not want it to continue.

This summer marks 25 years since his departure from Madrid and his transfer to Dépor. How was that situation?

I have already commented that I did not leave Madrid for pleasure, but because he did not present me with any renewal offer the second time. At that time, I did not have too many options and, of course, the one of Dépor was the best, first because it was a club that was in full splendor, and second because I had signed Toshack as a coach, who called me to convince me that it was for there. Too bad that shortly after arriving in La Coruña I was seriously injured and I was unemployed for nine months.

You shared a room at the gatherings and traveled a long time with Hugo Sánchez. How was it? Tell us details as far as you can …

Well, we are all very particular. I learned a lot from Hugo, he also had five or six more years of professional experience and his mental strength, his concentration, his discipline have always stood out, beyond his conditions as a scorer, which have been beyond doubt. As a partner it was fantastic, we got along great, I was single at the time and we went out together from time to time.

“If it had been someone else, I would have said that I was the first of the Fifth to be European champion”

Now it is normal to see Spanish players abroad. Like Peiró or Luis Suárez, you were also a pioneer in leaving the Spanish league. It was hard?

Very difficult, especially because I had to leave feeling that I was not valued at home, because I have been, am and will be a Real Madrid player. In Italy, at club, city and hobby level, the two years I was in Torino were a wonderful experience. And despite the fact that it was difficult for me to adapt to Calcio football, my desire to succeed and learn and how supported I was helped me a lot.

What memory do you have of the legendary Mondonico, your coach in Torino, of whom it has been two years since his death?

He was a different coach, in a different football than I was used to until I arrived in Italy. In Madrid we played on the attack and we always used to win, but Torino, who was newly promoted, played more defensive and tactical football, very common in Calcio in that 90s. Mondonico helped me a lot in my adaptation and in my tactical re-education and physical preparation, two characteristics of that Italian football. He was very intelligent and flexible in games, and was a basic piece for that Torino, who had a great squad, to do the two seasons that I was at a very high level.

In Torino he lived one of the most magical nights of the club, the victory against Madrid in the semifinal of the 1992 UEFA Cup, a very special tie for you. How were those parties?

Above all, I experienced them with a very strange feeling. I have always thought that if it had been done on purpose, it would not have turned out like this: there had never been an official Torino-Real Madrid match and just when it occurs, I am on the other side to face the team of my whole life. And, in addition, the first game of the tie was in Madrid, with all its connotations: the reception as soon as you arrived at Barajas, at the hotel, at the stadium, entered a locker room where you had never been, faced many who they had been companions … The Torino passed, but I had a bittersweet flavor.

You played for Olympique de Marseille in the 1992-93 season that would later win the Champions League. Has it been recognized in any way that you should also be considered the European champion?

It is true that I do not know if I am officially, but I played both games of the first round, in September, against the Glentoran and scored two goals. Later, in October I returned to Madrid and cannot participate with the team in the UEFA Cup because I had already played European competition with Marseille. If you ask me, well, man, I don't feel like a European champion at all, but in those first two games I was there and I did my bit. If it had been someone else, I would have proclaimed that I was the first of the Fifth to be champion of Europe, but I am not like that.

“The two games against Madrid with Torino were strange. If you bet, it would not have turned out like this”

Why do you think Clemente did not count on you for the Selection? Do you regret that your career with Spain was so brief?

Yes, it is true that I regret that it was so brief, it could have had a greater journey, despite the fact that I was with Miguel Muñoz in the German Euro Cup in 1988 and in the 1990 World Cup in Italy with Luis Suárez. When Clemente came to the post, after Miera, I was playing in France, in Marseille, but after two months I returned to Madrid. We talked and he said he was counting on me, but I went from more to less: I started as a starter, although he used to replace me, and then he already entered the second parts. I got injured in the fifth metatarsal, I was out for about three or four months, and he started to stop calling me. I accepted it, but it is true that I feel that I could have played more in the national team.

How would you rate your experiences at Atlético Celaya and Karlsruhe?

When I finished in 1997 at Deportivo, where it is true that I played little because of injuries, I was waiting for an interesting offer, but the market closed in August. He was still young, he was going to be 32 years old and he was perfectly on his knee. That summer I had been training alone, but when I ran out of equipment I spoke with Leganés, who was in Second, and I trained with them for about three months; I will always be grateful to them. At Christmas, the possibility of going to Mexico came up after Míchel, who had finished Atlético Celaya and was going to hang up his boots, told me to speak to Emilio (Butragueño), who also played there. I didn't play much and the adaptation was difficult for me, especially due to the altitude, in addition to having a major scare because my daughters, who were very young at the time, were about to be kidnapped. When I finish, the team remains in the Mexican first division, and I return to Spain where the possibility of going to Germany arises. They wanted to sign me for three years, but I tell them only one, that we had to see how we adapted to each other. The Karlsruhe had gone down to Second, the stars of the team were gone, the team was new and I was the best known, so all the focus was more on me. They missed the first league games and kicked out the coach. The one who replaced him was his assistant and I don't know why, perhaps to earn the respect of the locker room, he began to not count on me and he transmitted it to the club, and we terminated the contract four months after arriving. Again back to Spain, in Madrid. I wanted to continue playing and this time I speak with Getafe to train with them, who also had ten with me. In fact, I was practically until the end of the season. My wife had given birth to my third child. Some offer came up, from Saudi Arabia, from Brazil, from Argentina, even in the United States, but after the experience of Germany and, above all, the scare in Mexico with what happened to my daughters, we did not want to risk and decided to retire, with the feeling tired.

Do you think Madrid should go back to Odegaard next season?

Odegaard is one of the exponents of Real Madrid's policy in recent years of betting on young values. He arrived at 16 years old, he was said to be a star, but he lacked the maturity that he has reached first in the Dutch league and this season in Real Sociedad, where he has uncovered himself and is performing at a very high level. But there is one obvious thing, in Madrid's first squad they don't all catch. He is demonstrating that he has the level to play for Madrid, and if he repeats it, I understand that it will be to use it … If not, it is better that he continue growing in another team.

“I feel like I could have had a longer career in the National Team”

You have held the title of coach since 2006, but your first professional experience was in 2018, in Extremadura, where you only spent three months. Why so long to exercise?

Look, it had never occurred to me to be a coach because of that boredom that I have told you about how the experiences of my last years in football were, and I dedicated myself to other things. In 2006, the possibility of taking the three levels of the UEFA Pro title emerged, in the promotion I coincided with Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Paco Jémez, Djukic, Pizzi, Pellegrino …, and the 'bug' of being a coach woke up in me. My first experience was taking a selection from La Coruña in the Coca-Cola Cup. Later, in a project with Manolo Sanchís, in Madrid, with children of different categories. I was four and I realized that I already wanted to make the leap to professional. So, in 2018 the Extremadura thing came up, and although it is true that I stayed for a few months, it was a great experience and at least I can say that I did my bit for the promotion of the team.

And what plans do you have for when the new normal returns?

Although these years I have also been collaborating with different media and I feel comfortable, I would like a team to emerge where I can continue what I did in Extremadura and continue to demonstrate, even if he woke up late in me, that I can have a career as a coach .