**Importance of his parents:** “The relationship with mom and dad is close and gives me balance. I received different things from my parents. They had jobs their entire lives before leading my career. Then I saw how they handled situations, especially since I turned professional. They do such a good job, with no real experience, and I always wonder how they do it. I admire how they could find themselves in any environment and be the best.”
**The peace of mind of being carried by your family:** “Yes, it is crucial. Many interact with agents who are more interested in money than the player’s best interests. I have never considered it because I have always had my parents to talk about it. They care about my well-being and know that our dreams are aligned. When you involve agents, there’s their own incentives, their desire to make money… For me, it’s never about that. I just want to keep the family atmosphere. Plus, it leads to great conversations at the table. It can be anything from a discussion about a movie or something that happened to ‘by the way, Real Madrid is interested’”.
**The world of football:** “I have seen people very close to me get carried away in the wrong direction. If you only love football for the game, you will always be rewarded. “If you play for attention and fame, that’s not the right way to do it, in my opinion.”
**His father, a goalscorer:** “Yes, he never let me forget it, the truth is, he talks about it a lot. Even when he scores, he always says: ‘Yes, but I would have scored three or four more.’”
**His childhood dream:** “Playing for England. I’ve always had it. […] At that time, if someone had told me that he was going to spend three years in Germany and then go to Spain without ever having played in the Premier League, I would have been shocked.”
**Beginnings of his father’s training:** “At first I didn’t like football. I know it’s incredible, because if someone took football away from me now, I would go crazy. I used to go to their sessions and pick grass and flowers. I used to make a small bouquet of daisies for my mother. My parents never pressured me. My father kept taking me, but he almost told me, you know, if you want to play hide-and-seek or pick flowers, you can do that. And then I was hooked… You mentioned freedom, and that’s something I had as a child. My parents never forced me to do anything as long as I was a good boy and took care of others.”
**The football bug:** “It comes from the competition. I have always been very competitive. Even in the hideout. […] Growing up, I had a lot of problems, especially when I lost. It was a nightmare for everyone else. I didn’t want to shake hands with people. I learned that you have to show respect… Without a doubt, it was the competition that made me love the game 100%.”
**His idols:** “I admired the Birmingham players, the team that won the League Cup at Wembley (2-1 against Arsenal in 2011). My heroes were Seb Larsson, Craig Gardner and Lee Bowyer. As I got more into it, dad was the most important. Later, my first models were Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, simply because they played in England. And then when you grow up, you start watching football. My father had a fake Zidane shirt that he had bought on the beach. He took her everywhere, often at home. One day I asked him: “By the way, who is that guy?” He said, ‘Go on YouTube and check it out.’ Since then, I probably haven’t stopped. Zidane was the player I wanted to be. I was lucky enough to meet him during the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool (1-0, in 2022). I was like a child, with wide eyes. It’s so humbling for someone who has achieved so much. He gave off a great presence. And, according to the guys who played with him here, he was a great coach. That is just as important.”
**Zidane and the number 5:** “It’s a kind of tribute, of course. But, at the same time, I follow my own path and it’s almost like taking it and shaping it my way, making this number what I want it to be: Madrid’s modern number 5.”
**Birmingham retiring kit number 22:** “They told me ‘no one will take her until you get back to Birmingham’. I was like (shocked face) ‘Really?’ I had a good year (2019-2020), but it was nothing extraordinary. I looked around me. “But wait, are we allowed to do that?” But I understand the position and the decision. “My transfer saved the club, which was in a difficult situation.”
**His maturity:** “I have heard it many times, because of the way I behave on the field and how well I react to situations. The problem is that people put you on a pedestal. And then I make little mistakes, I’m human, I lose my mind and people almost say ‘oh look, he’s not that mature.’ The truth is that I have it inside me. I am not a robot”.
**First time in the Madrid locker room:** “I was a little stressed. I have never been star struck. But when you get here, with the things they’ve achieved, it’s hard not to think: ‘Wow, this is the pinnacle of football.’ The first weeks, when I was getting to know them, I was eating next to Toni (Kroos) and he asked me: ‘Am I eating gold?’ And then you realize that they are normal guys, who help you feel good. They are very humble. It’s a great lesson for me. “No matter how successful you are, no matter what you have won, you can still be a great human being like these guys, who are inspiring as players and as men.”
**First game with the Madrid shirt:** “I can’t describe it. It is a dream come true. The shirt is so famous. When you put it on, you almost feel like you’re wearing a superhero suit. It is a privilege, an honor. You have to be at a certain level to carry it week after week.”
**Feeling unique:** “Sometimes I feel a little unique, yes. A little bit because of my age and things like that. People like to remind me of that, how young I am and that sometimes you have to take things slow. Sometimes you sit for a moment and think, ‘I’m doing pretty well.’ But when you take football day by day, with the approach of ‘I’m going to have to be better today’, you focus more on the negative aspects that need to be improved. “That’s how I was raised.”
**His adaptability:** “You have to jump in all at once. You can’t put your finger in and out to see. You have to embark on the adventure. Sometimes it is difficult, but you have to get involved. And then you have to keep a cool head, I can’t get carried away, I have to move forward, whether they say good or bad things about me.”
**Position on racism:** “It’s something very strong in me, something that people my age might want to avoid because they can be controversial topics. If I were to review what I have received in the last twenty-four hours on my phone, I know I would find racist messages. Now, I have thick skin, but I have developed an awareness of seeing how it can affect others.”
**His goals in five years:** “I hope to win five Champions Leagues, a European Championship and maybe a World Cup. I am always as optimistic as possible. I don’t see the point of playing thinking we’re going to lose. You have to participate in all the competitions every year thinking that you can win them. If not, what’s the point? ”
[Source: AS](https://as.com/futbol/primera/bellingham-zidane-era-el-jugador-que-yo-queria-ser-n/)
by Lindapoon