It is 4:15 p.m. in Spain, 10:15 p.m. in Hong Kong. Diego Bardanca arrives on time for the video call set for 4:00 p.m., while yours truly is 15 minutes late. No matter how hard you try, there are things that do not change, like the fact that the coach of Atlético de Madrid continues to be Diego Pablo Simeone.
Another thing that does not change is Diego Bardanca arriving at a new team, this time at Kitchee SC, rival of Atlético de Madrid tomorrow, Wednesday, August 7. His signing for the Hong Kong team occurred this season, from Indonesian side Persis Solo. With this, there are now nine countries visited in the last decade.
Hispassion for football has led him to live experiences of all kinds , from good to so bad that he himself remembers them as "going through the military." Recently, he has become a father and takes this part of the season more calmly, because there are also things that change over time.
How are you? Diego. I was just looking at the photo you took with Simeone.
Yes, we ran into him at the end of training and we took the opportunity to take a souvenir photo.
First of all, thank you very much for having a moment and being able to do an interview with Esto Es Atleti. We are still a small medium, which is little by little becoming professional.
Don't worry, the first thing is what you said. Grateful to be here with you. For me, regardless of big or small, that is very relative.
The truth is that when Atlético made the match against Kitchee official, I thought "let's see if there is any chance that there are any Spanish speakers." It doesn't even matter that I'm Spanish and it just so happens that you were there.
Well, the truth is that Kitchee is a team in which there have historically been many Spaniards. In fact, Diego Forlán retired here. I don't know if it had anything to do with the fact that a match against Atlético de Madrid was agreed upon. But it is true that he had a very good relationship here. There has always been a lot of Spanish here in Hong Kong. Raúl Baena, who played for Espanyol, is also more or less known here. Also Belencoso, Alberto Berrocal...
Is it for any special reason that many Spaniards have passed through Kitchee?
I don't know, historically the Spanish player has been liked a bit. I believe that as a result of the boom of 2008 or 2010. And it is true that there have been many players who have stayed here and have become naturalized in Hong Kong. They have retired at 37, 38, 40 years old.
And then Kitchee is a team that plays against big teams every preseason. He has already played against Arsenal, Villarreal, PSG, Manchester City. In other words, every year it organizes large-scale matches.
You started your career in the Deportivo de La Coruña youth academy and moved through 2ªB teams. Then you went to teams from Finland, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong. You're like "El Loco" Abreu in Spanish, right?
Well, it's not something that I have premeditated, it's not something that comes up. In the end, I try to enjoy the places as much as possible. Many times either I'm comfortable and a better option comes out or I'm not comfortable and I don't like to delay things when you're not comfortable in a place. It is true that playing soccer is my passion, that traveling is another of my passions and that I can combine both and make my passion my profession. I'm not jumping from one place to another just because, I try to look at it. In Asia I have been lucky to be on quite powerful teams.
When you were, for example, in Thailand, you won the League and Cup there, right?
We won a triplet two years in a row and well, there, for example, I would have liked to continue. I didn't lose any games, but they decided to end my relationship with the club. Then I went to another club there on loan, then Indonesia, a two-year contract that didn't go well at all. And finally, the Hong Kong option arose.
Is it easy to reconcile so much change in team and couple with your family?Because in the end he goes with you everywhere, I understand, he doesn't stay around in Spain and such.
Yes, we have been together for 13 years. There were 8 of us at a distance. And it is true that since the pandemic we have been together. It's like everything in life, in the end you need to have a little luck. I feel lucky because he has always supported me a lot, he has trusted me a lot and for me that has also been a great peace of mind when deciding.
We have been talking about good experiences. In an interview on Telemadrid you say that in Serbia you have a bad experience. I don't know if you can tell us a little more about it.
I say that I did my military service in Serbia, because I arrived there, after 2-3 days the sports director who had signed me resigned, the coach did not say good morning to me... He was the only foreigner. We had financial problems. I began to experience somewhat complicated conditions.
I lived in a house with no hot water, no refrigerators, no refrigerators, no blankets, no anything. And in the end I tell you to get tough, but hey, I had the option of returning home and I always decided to bet on a dream. Not throwing in the towel during those months, even though I didn't count much to get in or anything, it helped me sign in Slovenia in the next market and from then on the truth is that my career took a 180 degree turn.
How did you keep from failing? What did you rely on in the most difficult moments?
Well, you also often say that a book comes into your hands and I remember that at that time I started reading "Man's Search for Meaning." Sometimes they are the right words at the right time. That is, you have two situations and the situation is what it is and it depends on you how you want to face them. You can be a victim or you can face it head on and if you don't want to face it you have the option of going back home.
I had that option, I decided to fight, I was in the Serbian First Division, well what I'm telling you, I was uncalled, I was going to watch my team against the Red Star, I was a journalist behind the goal to see the fans and I I agree that they threw a firecracker at me there, they almost deafened me.
When we score a goal, I start celebrating, the Red Star team almost killed me there. And in the famous tunnel of death with 50 police officers, with Kalashnikov, I went to see the Belgrade derby, Partizan - Red Star. Culturally I went to spectacular cities, I learned a lot of Serbian with my classmates, because we started talking a little about the Balkan war, which at first is a bit of a taboo topic.
And now how are things going in Hong Kong?
I'm enjoying it a lot. It's different because I just became a father very recently, but I value it positively. I have arrived at a very professional club, very well organized, very well structured, and with great enthusiasm.
How do you face the game against Atleti?
Well, with great enthusiasm. Like when the schoolyard bell rang and we all went out like miras to play. It is one of the best teams in Spain, it is one of the greatest powers in Europe.
I saw Simeone before starting training and I felt nervous, I felt excited, I saw Gustavo Lope. In the end they do something that you would like to do, that you do on a smaller scale, that you admire a lot. And the truth is that with great enthusiasm. It is the first time that I am going to face Atlético in 31 years, possibly the last. So with great enthusiasm.
How do you see Cholo as he continues to lead Atlético de Madrid for many years?
I do not know the truth. Having Atleti always ahead, even if it is an illusion, is a pain in the ass. They are a team that always makes things difficult for you, that does not understand what a friendly match is, but I can't know much beyond that. It is true that looking at the situation of the coaches in Europe, for example Klopp, who has been there for much less time, that wear and tear that is occurring, that is deteriorating in the elite coaches, I don't see it in him.
It is admirable that year after year he continues to maintain that enthusiasm, that enthusiasm, that speech. I like to put on solo press conferences. I think it could be political. He seems very from the town to me, very from the street, very earthly and the truth is that I have great admiration for him.
In an interview with EfficientFootball you talked about coach profiles: "In my opinion they must be demanding, honest and honesty is related to sincerity"
What he appreciates most is the honesty, the fact that they don't lie to your face. Many times he is like your father, he tells you something that may not sit well with you at the moment, but in the long run you say, he was honest, he told me what he thought and I can't blame him for anything. I think the footballer appreciates that.
From what I'm listening to you, I think you would want to be a coach. What would Diego Bardanca be like as a coach?
I don't know, I would have to see a little about the wheels I fit, the chassis I have and based on that we would see how we would start. I really like the game, analyzing it, watching games, in fact I was watching Atlético's game the other day against Getafe, seeing a bit of ball exit, pressure... Although it is preseason, there may be a thousand tests, but you make a little bit of an idea.
It is true that in the long run the instability of the world of football, especially in the coaches, pulls me back a bit, because there is nothing easier in football than losing three games. But coaching is one of my favorite options for when I leave football.
In the same interview with Efficient Football they ask you about attributes that a player who would always be a starter on your team would have, and you give the example of Antoine Griezmann.
In the end Griezmann is elite. I also admire him a lot because after his time in Barcelona he reinvented himself again, he came back to release a much more improved version, even for me. And that speaks to you far beyond the football aspect, the mental aspect, the strength that he has.
And for me it's a shame not to see him tomorrow. In fact, all the Atlético shirts I see say Griezmann. It is impossible not to see a shirt that does not say Griezmann. That speaks volumes about the kind of player he is.
And apart from Diego the footballer, Diego the person, he is also very committed to charitable causes such as the initiative of Juan Mata of Common Goal.
Well, football is the most powerful tool or speaker I know, which has the most resonance and is what can help raise awareness the most. I think I've been at Common Goal since 2018. It's a very nice idea.
But beyond Common Goal, I do like to get involved. In fact, last year, for example, in Indonesia I also had a series of problems with the coach. I was separated from the team and I went to schools, I went to villages, I went to train with the children, I helped them with material, I brought them to the stadium.
And finally, in these 15 minutes that we have been talking, I have noticed that you like to read. What would be your top 3 books that you recommend?
My top 3... It's complicated. Man's Search for Meaning. I really like the classics too. I would tell you "Tuesdays With My Old Professor" and "In The Name of the Rose" that I am reading right now by Umberto Eco.
Well, thank you very much for your time Diego. It has been a pleasure chatting with you this time and good luck in tomorrow's game and in the season.
Nice to meet you Carlos. A pleasure. Thank you.