Real Madrid's José Antonio Reyes is the focus of the most recent edition of Spanish football magazine Don Balón. During the interview, the Sevillian midfielder recounted how he landed at Real Madrid and his first few weeks in the Spanish capital. Realmadrid.com has provided some exerpts from the article out of one of the top selling newsstand magazines in Spain.

“The hardest days of my life”
Uncertainty prevailed as of late. He hit a rough patch over the last two months because his future was unclear. “They were very hard. In other words, they were the hardest days of my life, and I'm not exagerating. They were truly very tough times, as my family well knows,” declared Reyes to our magazine.
It was time to wait it out, and patience paid off. On 10 September, his dream of debuting with Real Madrid came true. “After these two long months, being able to wear the white shirt is a great reward, although playing in Valencia was great as well.” It was Matchday 2 of the League. He took the pitch following halftime and he contributed to his team's 4-1 win over Levante. He wasn't nervous, although he did admit “I was a little worried being that it was my debut, but that's it. I was fine.” Then came a position in the starting eleven and goals in the League and the Champions League.”

Sergio Ramos, who he shared a dressing room with at Sevilla, has been his ‘guide’ at the ‘White House’. “He's been directing me to where I need to be and how I need to get there.” The centre-back has given him good advice. For example, not to get nervous if he loses his spot in the starting lineup. However, competition in the White front line doesn't scare him. “That word doesn't exist in my dictionary. I will fight as hard as I can for a spot in the starting eleven. I'm not scared of the competition. The coach won't regret keeping me in.”

Reyes likes Capello. His reputation for being hard and demanding doesn't frighten him, but rather gives him wings. “The players are motivated and have winning attitudes. I like these types of coaches.” Last year he witnessed just how hard Juventus were to beat (Arsenal played the Italian team in the Champions League), as they were led by the Italian coach. Nevertheless, he isn't worried that the defencive stronghold characteristic of Capello's teams will take it's toll on Madrid's attack. “If you look at the midfield upward, the team is very capable of scoring. Van Nistelrooy scored three times against Levante, and we have Cassano, Raúl, Robinho, Ronaldo, and myself. I think we have a well-balanced attack.”

His goal of playing for Madrid for many years is obvious. In terms of the Whites buying the rights to the player at the end of the season, Reyes wants to be cautious and prudent. “I can't start thinking about the end of the season now. I have to take each game at a time, and I'll see what happens at the end of the year. There's still a long time until we can sit down to talk about me signing on.”

Difficulty in London
The forward doesn't want to think about the possibility of returning to London. It would be too hard because Reyes' family and he himself never felt comfortable there to begin with. He didn't adapt to England as he and his family would have liked. “It appeared I would be fine at first, but I was away from home and the distance made me uncomfortable.” He has come to the conclusion that “I don't want to leave Spanish football, but never say never.”

If that's not enough, thanks to Barcelona, he was left with a bad taste in his mouth at Arsenal. “We came so close to winning the Champions League last year. There were only ten minutes left. We were dumbfounded. But now it's my goal with Real Madrid.”

Perhaps what shocked him the most over the last two seasons was not playing in the aforementioned final at Saint Denis. “It was a huge downer. When you've played most of the Champions League games as a starter...” A big disappointment that was just more incentive to leave the British Isles.

Of course, not everything was negative. “I've gained a lot of international experience. I always try to stick to the plus side.” Very few can boast of having played for the prestigious Arsene Wenger. Reyes can confirm that he “is one of the best coaches in the world. He's got the same personality as Capello. They're both winners. You learn a lot under orders of coaches as good as them.” He also did an accelerated masters degree playing alongside Thierry Henry, who he shared the Gunner's front line with. “Everything is positive and you learn a lot when you play with footballers like Henry.”

Belfast mishap
Reyes experienced first hand the Spanish national team's drama that unraveled in Belfast, although he only watched from the bench. “It was a huge disappointment that none of us expected.” All eyes were cast on the Spanish coach after the 3-2 loss against Northern Ireland. However, he doesn't agree with the words of the ‘Wiseman from Hortaleza’, who took full responsibility for the situation. “It's the players on the field who are the culprits.” Furthermore, he was surprised by Luis Aragonés' resignation (that was not accepted) because “he told me he would be with us every step of the way.” But, with the important clash against Sweden right around the corner, it won't affect the standings. “The way we started out is insignificant. We can begin by losing and then reach the European Championship and win it. I don't think we have to think so drastically.”

What Reyes cannot deny is that being eliminated from the recent World Cup caused disenchantment throughout the team. “We were better than France, but it was the small details that spelled our demise.” And that is why he doesn't think the Spanish national team needs radical changes. “We need to win something so we can believe we can be champions.”

thanxs vera intrestin interview

you're wellcome! I found it on RM's site so i thought i should post it here...