The national talent at Real Madrid shines in the form of goals and assists with one name per flag: Marta Cardona (Zaragoza, 25 years old).
The right-handed winger,
second top scorer and assistant to the white team,
is one of the safest assets in the Madrid attack.
Her numbers (5 goals and 3 assists in 15 games) make her
a star beyond the limits of Valdebebas
, where she ended up after shining at Real Sociedad.
The skillful attacker, common in the National Team calls,
does not cease to delight with their careers and imbalance in the band, being a martyrdom for the rivals.
Born and tanned as a footballer in Zaragoza and with the Virgen del Pilar always present, she wears shin guards and a bracelet with the 'Pilarica', the Spanish international
speaks in an interview with AS before Barcelona - Real Madrid this weekend (Sunday , 12:00).
The Real Madrid footballer values everything she is experiencing in the capital as "a dream" and has much more ambition.
His debut in the Champions League with the Madrid shield is already on the horizon
as the beginning of a long history to build in a team that gives its first historic lurch this season.
Enlarge
Marta Cardona was chosen as the best Real Madrid player in December. Real Madrid Women
Special week, with the Barça game just around the corner. How are you living it?
It is a special match, but it is still just another match
.
We compete every weekend with the aim of always getting the same result.
Does the game have a certain flavor of revenge after the 0-4 debut in the league?
No. On the contrary.
We do not see it as revenge, but rather it is an opportunity to give our best version.
It's a special match, but we don't have a different approach than we do every week.
In the memory is also that 9-1 of the Tacon last year in the Johan Cruyff. You weren't part of Real Madrid yet, but how do you remember that?
If I tell you the truth, I hardly saw the game because I don't remember if I was traveling with Real Sociedad ...
Has anything been said in the locker room about that painful loss?
We have never said anything about 9-1 at the Johan Cruyff.
In the end it was last year and now we are focused on this year and we have not relived it or anything like that.
We are a new team, with new players and it is a new year.
"Florentino is a super nice and close man. He told us that we would not lack anything."
Does it impose a lot to face the almighty Barça?
Yes it is a great team, being one of the best in Europe.
But we always go out to games with respect for the rival team, whoever it is.
Barça is one more that we have respect for and we are going to try to beat them.
I have seen that she is very devoted to the Virgen del Pilar. Will you invoke him to help him win at Barça?
Yes. I will not only invoke it with Barça, but it is something that I always do, with all the games since the beginning of the season.
Since I signed for Real Madrid, I asked the Virgen del Pilar to do very well for all of us, not to get injured and to be a good and humane group, getting along as well as possible to be a good team.
That's what I asked of him and I ask him every weekend that we take the three points.
They come from a game in which they won (1-0 at Santa Teresa) with a home-brand goal in the 95th minute, does this victory give them a boost?
It is the DNA of our fighting team to the end, to never lower our arms.
It was very deserved because we proposed many occasions, being all the time in his field, etc.
We don't stop until we get it, showing our DNA and we live it with great euphoria and satisfaction.
A triumphant goal in the last breath is always an explosion of sensations. Can you imagine beating Barça like this in the impregnable Johan Cruyff?
We know that we are going to suffer and that we have to give 200%.
Hopefully and we take the reward for all the effort, whatever the minute.
The important thing is that the result is positive and that we take the three points home and break their record of not losing at home.
What is more important in this type of match, the psychological or the physical aspect?
Both are very important.
When he throws one, the other doesn't either.
They have to go hand in hand.
We have to be very focused on Barça and play our game so that everything goes perfectly.
Yes it is true that they arrive with more tranquility, after having met the European objective in the first round of the League. Is that calm and filming that the team lacked on that first day of the League against Barça be a determining factor?
Our goal from the beginning of the season is to always be as high as possible.
We are not talking about an immediate objective.
We have to give our best version and we will talk at the end of the season whether we have met expectations or not.
The only thing we are thinking about now is to be as high as possible in the classification.
We continue to be a growing team and the goal is to be better every day.
The truth is that I think it will be a disputed match and that we are going to come out with the same enthusiasm as the first match against them.
Yes it is true that we are more shot because in the first game we had only played a friendly, but we continue to grow and what we want is to finish the game with the best possible feelings.
Enlarge
Marta Cardona celebrates one of the five goals she has scored in the league with Real Madrid. Real Madrid Women
Real Madrid is second in the standings in the absence of two postponed games. Yes, it is true that Barça has a lot of advantage in the leadership, with two more points and three games less, but do you see it possible to win the League?
Right now with all this mess we don't think about that.
There are many postponed games and the only thing that comes to mind is to think about the day to day.
Work for each game that comes your way and try to play it for the whole situation that is being experienced.
It does not give you to think beyond, if you go for the League or not.
Let's go game by game.
How are they living the concern about COVID-19, which once again threatens the First Iberdrola?
I take advantage of the fact that you ask me this question to send a message of encouragement to society.
We are privileged to continue doing our sport despite the fact that almost everything is paralyzed.
For this reason, I want to send a greeting to all the people who have had a very bad time and I believe that together, joining forces, we will come out of all this.
And then, with regard to postponed matches, we still don't know if we're going to be able to finish the competition or not.
We want to finish the competition and for all the matches to be played out.
It is our greatest illusion, whenever possible within the conditions we live in, but we go day by day and it is what we have.
As for COVID-19, have you or your family experienced a complicated situation due to this virus?
Yes. Unfortunately, I have experienced it in my family during confinement.
A first cousin of my father had cancer, they operated on him and everything was going to be fine, but he caught COVID-19 and everything got mixed up and he finally died.
Unfortunately, I have lived it closely and I feel a lot for the rest of the people who have experienced similar situations.
The European classification is closer. How do you imagine your Champions League debut with Real Madrid?
There is still a lot for that.
There are many games left and the second round.
We don't know what will happen.
I prefer that you ask me this question at the end of the season if we get the European qualification.
I'm very excited to play the Champions League with Real Madrid, but it's still a long way off.
Yes, his regular presence in the National Team is a reality. How does the fact of having sneaked into the poster of the fixed in the last calls of La Roja?
Yes. I've been going with the National Team for a year and I continue to live it like the first day.
It is a tremendous illusion to represent your country and on top of that, signing for Real Madrid.
What more can I ask for?
Any player would want to be in my flesh and enjoy this.
And more with all this that is happening.
How has your life changed since your signing for Real Madrid?
The facilities are amazing and all the managers and members of the club value us a lot and we have everything we need.
We cannot be better valued than here and we try to correspond to them with our best version in each game and enjoying it a lot.
I have always tried to learn every day to be a better professional.
In the Real I considered it and here of course also.
It is one of the best clubs in the world.
I can't be happier.
It is a dream come true.
Enlarge
Marta Cardona hugs Jakobsson, with whom she has managed to form a lethal tandem in the attack of Real Madrid. Real Madrid Women
He has always said that soccer came to him from a family heritage, inspired by his father and brother. In those early days, did you ever imagine yourself wearing the Real Madrid shirt?
Of course not (laughs).
I didn't even consider being a professional player at 20 or 21 years old, getting to Real Madrid and the National Team.
In that sense, I have not put pressure on myself and I never had birds in my head and I have only worked to continue learning and getting the best of me, correcting mistakes.
Anyway, because of all this I have reached where I am now.
But, no, I never thought when I started as a child with my father and my brother to play in all this.
I'm enjoying it a lot.
How did the news of your signing for Real Madrid fall into your family?
Well, imagine, he arrived in the middle of the whole confinement situation and such.
The joy was twofold and they enjoyed it even more than I did.
They have always supported me in all my decisions and told me to go for it all with my work and my perseverance, that there was nothing better than playing for Real Madrid.
In your signing, is it Real Madrid who is looking for Marta or Marta who is offered to Real Madrid?
It is Real Madrid that calls me.
Ana Rossell called me and my representative.
And of course, I didn't think twice.
How do you experience the media impact from the dressing room?
I would also like to take this question to send a message to the fans, who we know would like to be living the games here on the pitch with us.
I want to thank you for your support and messages of encouragement.
And, regarding your question, the truth is that we try to read the minimum, neither positive nor negative because in the end the only thing that matters to us is football.
What we feel is a great affection from the fans.
Together with Jakobsson and Asllani he has managed to create a lethal attack, how is the connection with the two Swedish stars being?
It is being a very good connection and not only with them.
With all of them in general I have a very good connection.
We have made a great human group and the results are being seen that we all go to one and that we help each other.
Florentino went to see you in the derby (0-1 loss with Atlético), how about the president?
We met Florentino in the official photo and we found him a super nice and close man.
He greeted us all, asked us how we were doing and told us that we would not miss anything.
In that sense, we are very grateful because we feel that we are highly valued by him and by everyone.
We cannot ask for more.
On top of that, he came to see us against Atlético de Madrid, which is to be appreciated and we hope that if he comes to see us again, which is for sure, he will see us win.