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Calatrava: “Dreams come true”
New signing Álex Calatrava says “my time has come and I’m going to make the most of it”
Álex Calatrava's official presentation took place this Tuesday, as the new RCD Espanyol signing gave his thoughts on this next step in his career.
“From the very first moment, I knew this was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up and that you should never stop trying to achieve something like this. Dreams do come true, and I’m living proof of that.”
He also noted that he knew of Espanyol’s interest previous to the summer transfer window.
“I'd been aware of it since last year, but it didn’t work out that time. It's finally happened this year. I’ve joined a very big club, and I know that if I do things right, I can continue to grow here. I hope to contribute with my hard work. I’m really looking forward to getting started, and I’m confident we’ll have an exciting year,” he said.
He also emphasised that “I had imagined I could reach the Primera División, but it was something I saw as being very far off. Now my moment has arrived and I'm going to make the most of it. Football has always given me back all the joy and motivation I've given it.”
"The first thing I have to do is adapt to a new league. I've learned from all these stages I've had, from 'grassroots football' -as it's known. I've made many friends over the years and I'm happy to be able to fulfill the dream that many of them have had -even all those who didn't make it. I have wonderful experience ahead of me and I'm going to enjoy it by helping my teammates and working hard. I'm on a team with a rich history and I know I've come to an ambitious project. We're going to fight to finish as high up the table as possible.”
During the presentation, Monchi, the RCD Espanyol sporting director, highlighted that Calatrava embodies everything coach Manolo González is looking for.
“He’s a player we wanted at the club even before I arrived. He has quality, a great final ball, he gets forward, he scores goals… His enthusiasm to come here has been tremendous, and that motivates and excites you even more. He’s a player who has evolved, who has grown little by little. His breakthrough at Castellón wad meteoric. If he can repeat what he did at Castellón here, we’ll be delighted,” he commented.
The sporting director also took the opportunity to send out "all of our affection to Sergio Ortega from the staff here, who gave us a bit of a scare last Friday. Fortunately, his recovery is progressing very well, and I wish him a full recovery as soon as possible.”