In his first day back after the summer break and at the presentation of his new gloves, Víctor Valdés spoke about his new coach Tata Martino: “we had a chat and from the short time I’ve seen him, I can see that he’s easy to get on with – as are his assistants. He’s very excited about this big project. He wants to put his personal stamp and ensure we don’t tire of winning. He’s a very positive signing for the team”.
Valdés also had words for Tito Vilanova: “It was a piece of news we didn’t want to hear. We knew about his illness and that he’d come through some very tough times. It’s a terrible, terrible thing and a real blow. We just told him to get well and win this match for himself, which we are convinced he will do”.
A special year
Looking forward to the coming season, Valdés admitted it was set to be very different for him: “it’s a really special season for me, my last at the Club. On a personal level I am very focussed, just like at the start of other seasons, trying to improve, get better and give everything I can for the Club – like I always have done”.
He’ll be playing out the season alongside new signing Neymar and Valdés admitted that at the Confederations Cup: “he impressed me - he’s a spectacular player”. Like many Barça fans he’s also looking forward to seeing the Brazilian alongside Messi, explaining: “ the big stars adapt well to playing together. I can only see positive things from the two of them together, for what they will give us, the way they are and the way they play”.
