Westerbeld: “La Real are favorites and the game will not end without goals”

Sander Westerbeld defended Real Sociedad's goal for two seasons, in which he played the Champions League, but above all he belonged to the unforgettable squad of the last league runner-up, which fought again until the last day to win again the league. His son Sem was born in San Sebastián and today he is the goal of the lower categories of AZ Alkmaar, Real's rival on the third day of the Europa League group stage.

You will be enjoying the Real from a distance, right?

The heart is still with the Real. I have played for many teams, but I don't have many teams in my heart like Real and Liverpool. I put things about the Real on social networks many times, and people remind me that it can be like when we were runners-up. For me it is early, but if they continue like this they have a chance to have a good championship.

Here we feel that since then football owes something to Real …

Hopefully, I hope. It would be a joy, but that year was the best of my career for me, but at the same time it was a very black point in my career. We came very close to making history, as Leicester did in England.

He is achieving this under the direction of his friend Roberto Olabe …

Yes Yes. He always makes very good teams. I also signed with Almería when I was technical director and we won the league in the Second Division, they made a team and we were promoted. and when he returned to Real he has done the same, he has made a winning team that fights for Europe. That is Roberto Olabe's job. There is the data.

Tell me why you left La Real so quickly if you were so comfortable …

Too soon I left San Sebastián. In his day I already said that they never offered me a new contract to continue. And in the absence of a year they told me that I had to go, that they wanted to sell me, they had a risk and they wanted to earn a little money with me, but I did not want to go to Manchester City. I was able to go to Atlético, but Astiazaran asked a lot of money for me. And on the last day I only had the option of leaving the last market day on loan to Mallorca.

There in Mallorca he coincided with Miguel Ángel Moyá, who is now in the Real …

Yes, they told me there was a very young and very good goalkeeper there. I was going to start and he learned from me. But I signed so late that Moyá played against Madrid in a spectacular way and the coach couldn't take him off. I have always said that Moyá is a great goalkeeper. It's a shame that he doesn't play, so Remiro has to be very good so that he leaves Moyá on the bench, of whom I am his fan. But Remiro is a very good goalkeeper, and very complete. He plays well with his feet, dominates the area, one on one, good reflexes. He has a lot of future ahead of him.

His son Sem., From San Sebastian, belongs to AZ Alkmaar ….

(Laughs) Yes, he has the mix of his grandfather, who was a goalkeeper too, and mine. He looks like me in the face, and then he is very explosive, he has a spectacular jump, he is very fast, he catches the balls and dominates the area, and that is not done by goalkeepers in Holland.

If Sem were in AZ Alkmaar, his heart would be divided …

No no, I'm from La Real, not from AZ. I want the Real to win. If my child were there, let him stay 0-0 and let them both go through the phase.

And what is AZ Alkmaar like?

It is a team similar to Real, with a lot of players in the quarry, with an attractive style, good players tactically and technically. They always play forward, they do not know how to defend, and they receive many goals, and then they need many chances to score. His idea of ​​playing is similar to the Real, so we will see an attractive match, 0-0 is impossible. La Real are favorites, but the game will not end without goals.

Where will you see the game?

At home with family. I can't go to the fields. Here we are with the children. I would rather watch the game in Anoeta, which I think is spectacular.

Do you play in this Anoeta and the league in 2003 does not escape?

Surely. I'm convinced. But we will see if when the coronavius ​​ends, I can go to Anoeta to see the last league game, in May, when the team is ready to win the league. Hopefully. That would be very nice.