Sergio Rico: "Preparing a locked final is tiring for the mind"

Keylor Navas' injury in the last minutes of the quarter-final match between Paris Saint Germain and Atalanta (2-1) gave Sergio Rico (Sevilla, 26 years old) the title in the semifinals against Leipzig with only five matches played this season. For tomorrow's final against Bayern Munich, if the Costa Rican goalkeeper fails to recover from hamstring ailments, the responsibility of playing an "unforgettable match" and defending the goal of a club that will fall will once again fall on his shoulders. In nine years nearly a billion euros have been spent on transfers with the aim of winning the European Cup. “We have just eaten, we are very well in this hotel, the only thing that, for safety reasons, we cannot leave. This looks like a prison ”, he recounted by phone from the luxurious Myriad hotel, which has its foundations on the very shore of the Tagus estuary. From there, he remembers why he became a goalkeeper - "because of my older brother, who was also a goalkeeper" - and Palop's contribution to his career: "He helped me a lot when I got into the Sevilla first team." International on one occasion and third goalkeeper in Euro 2016, the Seville club loaned him to PSG. With his future in the air, Rico, if he plays, will have to face the intense bombardment of Bayern.

Question. He has played in a Champions League semi-final and has a chance to play the final if Keylor Navas does not recover.

Answer . Football takes many turns. After a season with a few minutes this opportunity has come to me; unfortunately, due to the injury of a partner.

Q. Your competitor is doing his best to be ready for tomorrow.

R. In his place I would do the same: I would try to do everything in my power to play an unforgettable game.

Q. How have you gotten ready to face two games in which nobody was counting on you?

R. It is difficult, you have to be very focused. You have to think that you are prepared, that you have worked all year and that in each training session you have left everything to help the team. Then it is important that they trust you. Both the teammates, the coaching staff and the club have supported me. Before the semifinal I felt that necessary heat and now too.

P. Does the goalkeeper's loneliness invite a lot of introspection in such demanding moments?

R. It depends a lot on the people, each one has their character and their way of being. If it is true that in the position in which we play we spend a lot of time alone, that sometimes leads to loneliness and to withdraw into yourself. I am looking for a balance, not spending all day just eating my head. At certain times you are thinking about the game, about the situations that may arise, but later I like to share with my teammates, distract my mind and add moments of thanks and laughter that help you clear up for when you are in that solitude again .

P. They had hardly competed for six months and they have stood in the final.

R. It has been complicated. The French league was terminated and we were proclaimed champions, but there was a long time without competing until the Champions League came. We have faced it with great courage, great enthusiasm and professionalism. We have all arrived at our weight and in good physical shape. It was about doing everything possible to keep our bodies prepared for a top-level tournament like this. We are in the final and all that effort we made in our homes has been worth it.

Q. Have you played many games with <CF1001> sparrings </CF>?

R. It has not been excessive, it has been something normal. You really realize the quality of the players we have, and the healthy competitiveness we have put into training is what has helped us to be in the situation we are in.

Q. Is it hard to prepare a final in a bubble like the one you are in?

A. Yes, especially without being able to leave the hotel due to the coronavirus. It is an experience that helps us to live together as a team and as a kind of family, but being locked in the same building for so many days is stressful for the mind.

P. Atlético's protocol in your hotel prohibited players from being in rooms other than their own, can you do it?

R. We have not had positives and we have a little more freedom, but always having to be sure of having the mask on and without accumulating many people in the same room as it is a closed and small space.

Q. Your coach [Thomas Tuchel] has said that the group that Keylor Navas, Sarabia and Ander Herrera have formed thanks to you is what has allowed Neymar to give the level he is offering.

R. But not only Neymar. We have created a small family, we enjoy time together after training. Our families get along well and this is nice personally and professionally. I already met Sarabia at Sevilla and we shared a room. This has helped us to integrate with the group, where there are also many Spanish speakers. Bernat, for example, I see very well. He plays against his former team and he looks motivated, but very calm at the same time. He's a great winger.

P. Since this Champions League was resumed, there are many errors from goalkeepers and defenders due to the advanced pressure. Bayern crushed Barcelona with that strategy. What does Tuchel ask you with his footwork?

R. You have to follow the plan and the idea that we have carried out since the beginning of the season with confidence in yourself and in your teammates. You have to have a balance, it depends on the match situation, you have to have a head, not be a kamikaze or not always hit the long ball. You have to know how to read the matches and the rivals.

P. Bayern play with advanced defense and Neymar and Mbappé can hurt them a lot, even with a long pass from you.

R. Well ... We will comment on the rival, we have to draw up an effective plan.

P. In front you will have Neuer.

R. He is a great goalkeeper, it can be a very nice duel.