Tellez admires Del Bosque and Zidane (He sees points in common between the two), due to his character. Says it a direct type, do not beat around the bush. His career ended prematurely, at age 31, after a confrontation with Dimitri Piterman, with which he became locked in a locker room.
Did Garitano's dismissal and Muñiz's arrival on the bench catch your attention?
No, I think that no one was surprised to see how the team was playing and the results it was having.
A little primitive football, right?
Perhaps too defensive and depending too much on two players like Joselu and Lucas Pérez to score the goals.
Do you think that Alavés will fight and continue in Primera next year?
Yes, because although there are other teams such as Mallorca and Leganés that have won some matches, I find it difficult to catch up with Alavés who, surely, will get some more points than he has.
As for Real Madrid, do you see him as the league champion?
Yes, that seems very clear to me. He has returned very strong from the break and is achieving very good results. He is going to get the League in a very deserved way.
You are an admirer of Zidane.
I am also a coach and I value his ability to manage the group. Then I do not know how you can really assess whether you are a better or worse coach. I compare him a bit with Vicente del Bosque in his day, who knew how to lead the team and the stars of wonder.
Del Bosque was precisely one of his mentors when he was at the Real Madrid youth academy.
Yes, I have a very special affection for him. A couple of years ago he was here lecturing and asked about my mother, who had died. I remember that I used to set it as an example in training because it was the one that took me to the sports city with a great effort. I get excited when I talk about Vicente …
You call Vicente and he calls you, Oscar …
Yes, Tellez has never called me, always Oscar. Just like my mother did.
Talk about your time at the Real Madrid youth academy.
I was from 11 to 17 years old. I played in various categories. A very happy stage.
Do you like football in current Madrid?
Yes, now he works in all the lines and is very good in defense. Before, you depended too much on the 50 goals Cristiano gave you.
Barcelona complains a lot about VAR and says it is favoring the white club.
Well, look at the Camp Nou game where there were a couple of penalties in favor of Madrid that were not called. Or the red that Messi had to see in the match against Athletic for a clear stomp.
Tellez, along with a large group of blue-white followers, poses for AS in Vitoria.
Paulino Oribe
Is Madrid, therefore, just the Primera's leader?
Of course, no one would have to question that.
Do you think VAR favors the greats?
Yes, in general yes. I thought it was an instrument that was going to equal the forces of all the teams, but it is always used in such a way that the greats benefit.
What do you think of this new football that has brought the pandemic?
I don't like that people can't go to the fields. I am very sorry that the kids or the clubs, for example, have to watch it on television. Soccer is for fans to be in the stands. I don't see that playing so often, with long templates and the things that are being added in the Regulations.
On a personal level, how are you?
Good, living in Vitoria and working in a soft drink bottling plant. Until recently I was at a bus assembly company in Alsasua. I was also very comfortable and I have left many friends in Navarra.
And, are you in a position to help Alavés again?
Yes, why not? If, for example, Muñiz called me now to give him a cable, I would be happy to collaborate. I have Alavés deep inside and the truth is that there have been contacts at certain times with Sergio Fernández, sports director, or with Óscar Garro, head of the Academy. They know that I am at their disposal whenever they want.
It will be difficult to see an Alavés like the one of his time.
What do you want me to tell you, I'm involved? We were on the crest of the wave for several years, we were constant in success. Abelardo's team, for example, obtained some historical numbers, but the thing was to stay that way for several seasons.
The greats of Europe loved him!
In the summer of 1997 I arrived at Alavés in the Second … a spectacular year that I remember as much or more than that of UEFA. He came from Pontevedra and Rayo loved me. But the signing was not made and I only saw possibilities in Second B. Returning home, my representative tells me that Alavés loves me. I wanted to leave football and seven months later, I was signing for Valencia. It was a very important leap, what happens is that afterwards I was not at ease there. What's more: I left Valencia. They loved me for my progression. Ranieri told me that I was the substitute for Djukic. There were very veteran people there, but I was very impulsive and always wanted to play.