Llorente: “Anfield was the best night of my career, without a doubt”

Marcos Llorente (25 years old) has undergone a great transformation this season in his career as a footballer. He went from being almost ostracized with Simeone to becoming the revolution of the rojiblancos. That big change is the reason why GQ Spain magazine has chosen him as the image for its September issue, which has as its motto “Change is good“ (change is good). This year has been a big change for everyone (in many cases with negative connotations), but Llorente is a great example that change can be towards something better.

In football, as in life, immobility prevents us from evolving and can prevent you from succeeding and Marcos is the spitting image of that change can make you better. He is very happy with the evolution he has had this year: “It is very special to experience a change like the one I have experienced in football. I know that it is something that does not happen much”. He has gone from being a positional midfielder throughout his career to having to recycle as a midfielder with arrival and even as a forward.

If there is a night that It was a before and after in Llorente's sporting life was that of Anfield. That day, Atlético was playing for a place in the quarterfinals against the European champions, Liverpool, and the game went into extra time with 1-0. The English went ahead and Atlético needed two goals to qualify. Simeone surprisingly decided to admit Llorente to try to overcome the tie. Despite being a decision that he missed at first, a few minutes later it was seen that it was a complete success. The midfielder was in a more advanced zone than usual and scored two goals in minute 97 and minute 105 that worked the miracle. Llorente states that “It was the most beautiful night of my career, without a doubt. It will be in my memories forever and it was spectacular, not only on a personal level, but for what it meant for the team.”.

After the stoppage due to confinement, Simeone decided to definitely advance his position to put him closer to the area in view of the good result he gave in the last game. And the change was very beneficial for Atlético, since Llorente contributed goals and assists to the team, becoming one of the revelations of the last stretch of LaLiga. The midfielder assures that “When you experience a change, when a change like this occurs and things are going well, it's something super special. I know it is difficult, so it makes me very happy to have had this opportunity. The credit, of course, goes to the coach, because he is the one who ultimately decides in which position you play. He saw that a little higher up he was going to bring very good things to the team and that, as he said, in training it was clear that he could play higher. Then Anfield day was super good and it was a turning point “.

Llorente is constantly evolving both professionally and personally And this also applies to your diet. And is that is one of the standard bearers of the paleo diet, which he started using three years ago. “In the end it's about eating in the most natural way possible. I leave out cereals, pasta, rice, wheat, dairy … and as proteins, vegetables or carbohydrates, like sweet potatoes. It not only makes me feel well, it also makes me happy “. Proof of how convinced he is of this form of diet is that He has opened a restaurant with his friend and former partner at Alavés, Ibai Gómez.

The Atlético player took advantage of confinement to improve a physical condition that was already enviable before. That allowed him to be one of the fittest players in LaLiga's return and one of the fastest, since it is the sixth fastest in the competition and exceeds 35 km / h in the race. Everything he has achieved in his professional career has been thanks to perseverance, effort and discipline and he affirms that “For me it is something natural and simple because I have always liked to train and take care of myself as much as possible, not only to increase my sports performance, but also for my health”.

Llorente's philosophy of life is ‘Hard work, clear conscience’. “It is something my father told me many years ago and it is the phrase that I have carried with me everywhere. Above all, because when things are going well, everyone likes to work, they like to improve; but when they don't go well, that's when I've repeated those words to myself the most “. It comes from a footballers family, many of them offensive in nature (he is Gento's great-nephew and Grosso's grandson and his father Paco and his uncle Julio also played professionally), so he thinks that “I was a bit of the weirdo of the family”.

In conclusion, acknowledge that his father has been a great help in his football career: “He has supported me a lot as a father, but, above all, he has given me very important advice, since in the end he is someone who knows the football elite very well. He also had many times when he did not play and, for that reason, he has told me to always try to enjoy football, since he has regretted not enjoying himself in those moments “.