TO Jose Ignacio Since he was little they started calling him 'Jota' and that's how he has stayed. He was trained at Celta, passed a blank year in Castilla, He was the hero of the rise of Eibar and went on the adventure to England. Now he has returned to Spain with the idea of showing his class in LaLiga. The Alavés dressing room is a little Galicia thanks to Lucas, Joselu and Jota. “It is a joy to be with people with whom I had already met. I'm very good with the group“, explains Peleteiro (29 years old). The people of Vitoria will enjoy his talent this year.
Much scare about Manu García, who tested positive and played the other day, right? They are without the captain.
Since we have started we are with the utmost caution possible. It is complicated because no matter how careful you are, we have families and children who go to school and it can come from anywhere. We try to have as few cases as possible and try to be all. It is impossible to have zero cases, but the fewer there are, the better.
How about Vitoria? What has been found?
I am very happy, from the beginning I have had a very good reception and a great 'feeling'. It was like a start over. I'm just adjusting to the city and the team.
Three 'galeguiños': Lucas, Joselu and you.
It is also a joy, to be with people with whom I had already met. I'm very good with the group. I also agreed with Pacheco and that makes adaptation easier.
Did you want to go back to Spain?
I wanted a new stage, to change of scene. Spain is your home, but it's not that it was bad in England either. I was looking for something that would catch my attention, that would motivate me, and of all the possibilities that there were, this was the one that did it the most.
He was surprised that, having offers from LaLiga, he went to the second English category.
He was still young and had a lot ahead of him. English football caught my attention. I was going with the objective of playing the Premier and I was able to achieve it. I really enjoyed both categories.
He once said, 'I'm not going to go with the flock.' In his career he has always distanced himself from the conventions. What everyone does does not suit him.
That has characterized me since I was little, I have followed my instincts more than what everyone sees logical. I still do. This year the same thing happened to me: there were other options and those around me recommended that I accept something different from what I finally chose here in Vitoria. He had a good hunch. The one who suffers or enjoys it is me and I make the decisions with my family. The important thing in life is to be yourself and do what comes out of you.
I was going to star. Why did it cost you so much to debut in First?
The year that I finished in Eibar I have offers in Primera and I was not in a hurry. I knew it was the same player in First, Second or Third. The offers from here did not call me and the second English one did. I do not pigeonhole myself, I do not think if I am a better player in this team or the other or if I am on the bench or playing. I know that I am a good footballer and I do not stop to think what people think, that it seems that I am better if I am in First or out of it. In all the places that I have been, I have shown that I am worth it and that is what fulfills me.
Did the subsidiary stage at Celta hurt you? He told them that if he wasn't going to debut in the first team he had other places to go. With President Mouriño he had his pluses and minuses.
Not at all. On the contrary, it is a beautiful stage. When I was 18, I was in first team dynamics. At 20 I went to Madrid. And I told them that: I was happy there, but if I wasn't going to be from the first team and play, I'd rather go out. It was with all the good manners. In those moments tensions are always created because the club wants one thing and you another, but I don't hold a grudge against Celta. I made my debut there with Eusebio when I was 18 years old and I have had very good times. These situations make you grow.
They called him the 'pretty boy' of the quarry.
In the end, it was what bothered the president the most, that exit. I know he was very fond of me, but you look out for yourself. I had offers like Madrid's and you think: if I don't play here, I'm leaving, it's not easy to say no to Madrid.
The hardest thing he has experienced has been that year without playing for Castilla and the operation that took place last season in England for the two hernias that caused him terrible pain, right?
Soccerically it can be. Madrid's year was one of great personal maturation. They had told me that I was going with other perspectives that I did not have. Accepting it with 20 years is not easy. Last season the two hernias… it was a tough moment because I started playing at a good level. Having to stop because I couldn't take any more and having to operate … then the coronavirus stopped me, I couldn't have continuity. Everything happens for a reason and now I'm happy. You never know if bad is good.
In that Castilla were Morata, Lucas … the one who has gone the furthest is Casemiro.
I hardly agreed with 'Case', he came in the middle of the year from a time that he did not play. It took a while to start. The next preseason he already did it with the first team. He looked very good, with those months of adaptation. He is a great player.
Of those now, who is staying with?
I am very Özil, it is a reference for me. I have been lucky to train with them, the top ones. He is no longer in Madrid, a shame, he has always seemed like a world star to me.
He will not be able to play at the Bernabéu, a pity.
It's always nice to play there, but what motivates me the most is playing at Mendizorroza and with people. Any field is fine as long as we continue the good dynamics that we have.
He was the hero of Eibar's promotion to Primera, after a goal precisely against Alavés, which he almost left in the gutter of Segunda B for that action.
That year I will not forget it. What a coincidence! We talked about it here sometime when I arrived. This year I am going to give it back to you. LOL.
Do you have any fear that the press of your heart will disturb your peace with all this Kiko Rivera affair when you are with your ex-partner?
Nooo We are very calm, we live our life and we do not worry about any of that.