“I sacrificed not having friends and family to get where I am”

Bill Keidi Bare (08-28-1997, Fier, Albania) that his name is not typical AlbanianInstead, his mother and grandmother saw him on TV and he stayed forever. And that His Spanish, almost perfect, he learned “roughly”, without teachers. The Former Atlético de Madrid and Málaga player is today indisputable at Espanyol, which on Saturday receives Sabadell, against which he debuted. Now, in “a motherfucking locker room“, reaps the fruits of a path full of sacrifices, which began between the rebellion in Albania and the War in Kosovo. This is undoubtedly not just any player, but someone who since his childhood he has lived only for and for football. He has discussed all of this with AS.

Keidi, where did your name come from?

To tell you the truth, I don't know where it comes from, except that one day my mother and grandmother saw it on TV and they liked it so much that they put it on me. I like it too (laugh), is short and learns quickly. Another thing is the last name, there are those who say 'Baré' when it is Bare.

Well, Keidi Bare, Espanyol receives Sabadell this Saturday, against whom you made your debut in the first round …

Right there I knew that they would be able to register me to play for Espanyol after a few days of intrigue over the salary limit, although I was confident. And we won, as we have to do now to make the much-needed victory against Mallorca good.

Why Espanyol and not Getafe, who pushed hard to sign him, or other Italian clubs that also wanted him?

That is true, but from the beginning I was very clear that I wanted to come to Espanyol. I felt very comfortable with myself and the confidence that the club gave me impressed me. They did the impossible. I took a risk and it worked out. You have to take them, if you don't you are worth nothing.

Very direct. Is fighting one of the virtues that best defines you?

In life you always have to fight, to get things, because nobody gives you anything. Also in football. And, above all, be humble. I have fought a lot to get where I am.

In fact, you were born in 1997 between the rebellion in Albania, which greatly impoverished your country, and the war in Kosovo. Even though he was very small, does that build character?

It's true. My father explains to me that they were very hard times, they had a very bad time and I always thank God that they are alive. The fight runs in the family because my father was very hard on me so that I could go as far as possible in football, if I'm here, it's because of him.

Now he is here, as he says, but it is that in 2009, at young age, he was also testing a week with Espanyol. How did that not prosper?

I came through Albert Stroni (former Albanian player from Compostela, Ourense or Mérida). I stayed a week in Barcelona, ​​he would pick me up to go to training, but it was very difficult because I was very young, I didn't have the papers and in the end it couldn't be. But look at what life is like, it gives you everything back. Now I am at Espanyol and very happy. It was almost impossible, that's why when the opportunity to sign at home came up right away we remembered those times.

Where it did finally land then was at Panathinaikos. How does an 11-year-old boy live separated from his family and in a country that is not his?

My father, who as I said was very strict about football, understood that I had no future in Albania. Greece gave me the opportunity to grow even though I had to live alone for four years, the same as later at Atlético. But that's football: making decisions, working hard and having the goal of going far in mind. I think I'm doing something good now and I'm not going to stop here.

Can it be said that he sacrificed his childhood to get the reward now?

I sacrificed a lot for football, my childhood without friends and my family, to get where I am. I did not know what it was to have friends, I did not go out to play with other boys because everything was the ball. I had a really bad time, fatally, for being away from my family at age 11, but I had to think about my future.

He already mentioned Atlético de Madrid, where he landed at the age of 15 and in which he made his debut with Simeone's team in the Copa del Rey. There I would see that it could be professional …

Yes, because the moments that I spent as a child, that I sacrificed and had a bad time, came to my mind, and I said to myself 'it was worth what I have done'. When I debuted with Atleti I was really happy.

His career at Atlético, however, ended with an exemplary sanction for insulting a referee …

I've never talked about that issue and I wanted to, because the footballer always looks like the bad guy in the movie. I didn't say the words that were written, that's why I got even more angry and they raised the penalty to 12 games. But things happen, I have nothing against anyone and I must learn from my mistakes.

How has a player with a reputation for being aggressive, who received countless yellows, managed to hold back so much at Espanyol?

I have worked a lot on it. I try to do things well to avoid as much as possible that many cards are taken from me, although people must also understand that in football you have to be aggressive, not violent, because if you are not attentive and go strong, the opponent will eat your toast. That is something I will not allow. I go one hundred percent in games, and in training, to go home with a clear conscience.

In its demarcation, if possible, it is more thorny to avoid contact …

Exactly, everything happens through the midfielder, it is very easy to get a yellow. He is not like, for example, a striker.

At Málaga, where he had just exploded, he was finally able to reunite with his family.

Yes, I have lived with them for two years. And I feel full, because they are everything to me. They also had a very bad time, they only saw me in summer. They help me feel centered, now in Barcelona they continue to live with me and I want them to always be there because of the tranquility they transmit to me. With the family close I am happier.

By the way, what is Malaga's season looking like?

I've seen almost all of their matches. After living there for two years and being close to the club, I know how they work, what difficulties they have had and I know that they are working hard, that they are people from there, from the quarry and that they do everything possible to return Malaga where it deserves , which is in First.

And from Malaga, to Espanyol. He has 12 games in a row as a starter, right now he is one of the irreplaceable. Come on, what is the ceiling of Keidi Bare?

I don't like to talk about a roof. I don't set limits. The coach and the teammates have helped me a lot, an injury was coming and they reinforced me. Now I think I'm playing well, although the important thing is to achieve the goal whoever plays.

You have a reputation for making a lot of pineapple in your dressing room.

I have fallen into a fucking locker room, with some awesome guys who help you a lot. But not only when you are well, the most important thing is that when you are bad they advise you, shake your hand, they say 'come on, Keidi'. And that in football is key. Being united and making pineapple is decisive because a game is not won by a player. We are a family, it shows when you go out on the pitch and I think it has served us well in every game.

Due to his racial character, do you think that with the public Keidi Bare would already be an idol in Espanyol?

I miss so much. Football without an audience does not exist, it is not lived the same. I have seen Espanyol matches with spectators and they have told me about the fans we have, which are in the good and the bad. I think that with amateurs things would go even better, they would make it easier, because they push you when you are bad. In fact, they have come to greet us before and after several games and I have always been impressed. The motorcycle day –before Espanyol-Almería– was incredible.

What would you say to those who think that, having one of the lowest salaries in the squad, performing well and with suitors, Keidi Bare will not last long at Espanyol?

What I would say is that this is not the time to talk about these issues, because I am very focused on Espanyol and I want to continue, because I love how everyone treats me and that has enormous value for me. If you are comfortable, you give your best in games and in every training session. What I want is to continue, not to listen to what people may say.

Let me ask you a curiosity. It is true that you have been in Spain since you were 15 years old, but you speak Spanish perfectly. How did you learn it?

To the gross. When I arrived at Atlético I didn't speak at all, it was difficult for me to communicate, but little by little in the dressing room I was learning it. I don't speak it like a Spanish, but I defend myself (laugh).