Joao Rodríguez: "Chelsea gave me one more year in the contract, so I'm still with them unti
Chelsea confirmed that Colombian forward Joao Rodríguez would be spending a year back in his home country with Independiente Santa Fe last week and he spoke with Caracol Radio about spending 5 years in Europe and why he returned to Colombia.
Interviewer: "Joao, good night welcome to "El Alargue" (that's the name of the show) by Caracol Radio."
Joao: "Good evening Diego, a very special greeting for you and all the people listening at this time."
Interviewer: "Thank you for being with us, well Joao, why did you decide to come back to Colombia again? This time to a big team as Independiente Santa Fe."
Joao: "Well, first of all, I had been five years in Europe, since I was 15, so young, that big experience meant a lot to my life, but what I was looking at this time is a project with an international tournament and many competitions where you can achieve continuity through the games and I think Santa Fe is a good project to develop my sport career in this moment."
Interviewer: "Yes, definitely Joao, but are you still being Chelsea's property or your sport rights?"
Joao: "Yes, even before making a deal with Santa Fe, they give me one more year in the contract, so I'm still with them until June of 2018."
Interviewer: "But what happened to you Joao? what's the story in Europe? they didn't give you participation? what happened?"
Joao: "No, well, my first step in the French league was with Bastia, when I first came I had some good performances, there was hope on the project, on me, on the team. Unfortunately the coach that brought me there, and supported me was gone and then a new coach came, and he was more into the players with more experience, and well, that harmed me a little bit. In the Belgian football I had a little more of continuity, but then something similar happened where the coach who needed me went to bigger team. But well, now we're here in Santa Fe, thanks to God, it's a big project and I hope we achieve all the expectations."
Interviewer: "Yes, we hope you do. At the age of 20 years old Joao, there aren't much players who can do what you're doing, I mean, had been in two European leagues like French and Belgian. I guess that coming to Colombia has another objective, come back to the Colombian national football team, now that you've been in the youth team."
Joao: "Of course, that's one of the things that motivate me in this little return to Colombia, it's an internship, coming here, catching the course of the game, having continuity, coming here to Santa Fe, looking for a step to the national team. I have the profile because I have been in all the selection process and well, who says that maybe I could do that project with the Colombian national team, we have to work hard for that and we're doing it."
Interviewer: "Joao, you're talking about a short term goals, what are that goals? How long are you gonna be in Colombia? Where are you gonna leave? And what seduced you of Independiente Santa Fe?"
Joao: "Well, this thing with Santa Fe is just one year, to start, but with the clause that if in January there's something to go back to Europe I can be out without any trouble, that's the idea, give everything, score goals, give my football to Santa Fe. First, the team goals and then looking the individual ones, we know that this team has six tournaments in this semester, in this season, we have a good team to fight for all of them and well, preparing ourselves to win titles and achieve the objectives."
Interviewer: "Well Joao, it's the time to consolidate you career in Santa Fe, are you available to play tomorrow?"
Joao: "Of course, it's the time, we took this important decision that wasn't easy, but well, I'm here and yes I'm available, ready and let's wait what the coach needs for tomorrow."
Interviewer: "Well, for the ones that haven't seen him playing, probably not many because we have seen him playing in the youth Colombian team, in Quindío, tell us your attack qualities, Joao."
Joao: "Well, I'm a smart player for the game, ability, capacity, vocation for goal, I like to play with my teammates, and yeah these are my qualities."
Interviewer: "How did you see Santa Fe in the first game, the victory, against the Boyacá Chicó? And how would you fix in that team of Alexis?"
Joao: "Well, I think it wasn't easy knowing that there were new faces, we only had two weeks of preseason, we're still learning the advice that the directives give us against the Chicó that made a good plan too, they're fighting against the descent, but well, thanks to God we won. This week we'll correct our mistakes and we wait tomorrow to win these six points, in the classic."
Interviewer: "Joao Rodriguez thank you so much for join us in Caracol Radio and good luck if you have the chance to play tomorrow."
Joao: "Thank to you for inviting me."
