Roig: “We are among the four best teams in the world”

Fernando Roig He has been at Villarreal for more than two decades. The president of Submarine He has already lived through the last semi-final his team played 16 years ago against Arsenal. Roig, together with his son Roig Negueroles and José Manuel Llaneza, is the soul of a project that touches the sky again. Villarreal rubs shoulders with the biggest in Europe.

-How did the night end?

-Impressive. Everything’s fine.

-In Munich they say that Villarreal passed by luck…

-It was complicated. If we add up the chances from the two games, we had more. I think we deserved to pass. In Munich we had few but in one of the ones we had we scored a goal. But in the tie as a whole, we were better.

-How does the president of one of the four best teams in Europe feel right now after the crush against Bayern?

-There are four important teams in the world and one of them is Villarreal. A town of 50,000 inhabitants. It is a great pride to be among the top four.

-Can you win the Champions League?

-First we have Liverpool. And what touches us, do it with great enthusiasm, with great desire, well prepared and with the effort of this great hobby. Afterwards, the final is a final and everyone wants to play it.

-But football owes one to the Submarine with that penalty that Riquelme missed in the semifinals...

-We are playing against teams with seven or eight times more budget than ours. But we have to surpass them in efficiency, desire and enthusiasm. We must highlight the work of the coaching staff, with the coach at the helm, the players, who are great… And the great fans we have and who showed it at La Cerámica and at a monster on the pitch that is the Allianz Arena with those 1,500 ‘groguets’ who traveled to Munich.

–Speaking of fields. How is it to start work on La Cerámica?

-In 10 or 15 days we will know what we can do or not.

-I ask about Emery. Things were going well with Calleja but he decided to sign Emery….

-It was a decision made by the CEO to change despite the fact that we finished well with Javi Calleja. We have taken an important leap and we are happy. He is also happy and may he be like this for many years. This has to be the union of good coaches, good players and everything.

-A lot of people have forgotten, but this Christmas Newcastle wanted to take it…

-Renewed is. Let’s hope he stays happy. We want to continue in Europe although we have it complicated by way of the League. And by way of the Champions League, one thing is clear: one of the four is going to be the champion.

-Does this step ensure the economic stability of the club?

-Well, with this income we balance this year’s budget, which would have been in deficit and we have to plan this year and the next. But first we are going to enjoy, to see the semifinal and we will see how we play the music when it plays.

-In the final of the Europa League he could not be because of the Covid. This time he has enjoyed with his whole family…

-We all enjoyed it. The seven grandchildren, my children, my brother Juan, my sister Amparo… Everyone.

-What did you do in the goal?

– Hug my son and nothing else. My wife spent the entire game with her eyes closed.

-In Vila-real there was a big party all night..

-The mayor couldn’t come but I’ve already told him that we have to talk next time. I know that he exerted a lot of force. In the town it was a great party, this is to give the town an illusion so that it can enjoy.

-Young people are growing up watching them win the Europa League, reach the semifinals of the Champions League…

-People have to think that this is very, very, very complicated. It is not easy to get here. You have to enjoy it and savor it with humility. If you stick out your chest, they will hit us with a ‘chestnut’ that will bend us. The objective is to continue the same as before and to be able to enjoy the journey.