Claudia Pina: "External criticism motivates us to shut mouths"

Saint John the DespisedEven though she is only 25 years old, Claudia Pina (Montcada i Reixac, 2001) is already one of the veterans in a Barça dressing room that, despite losing very important players this season, continues to aim for everything. The season opener is this Sunday (7 PM, TV3) at the Johan Cruyff stadium.

You are starting a new season against Tenerife. What is your wish for this campaign?

— A wish? Mmm... To win all five titles, right?

You had a clean summer, without international competitions. Is it good for resting, or are you already eager to compete again?

— I think this time of rest was needed, both mentally and physically. But, of course, in the end we were eager to start. The preseason has also been quite good and quite long, so everything is ready to start again.

You took the opportunity to go to your grandmother Dora's village. We saw you picking grapes with her in some photos you shared on social media.

— It is in Xiprana, heading towards Zaragoza, next to Caspe, that perhaps more people know it. It is my grandmother's garden. From childhood until I was fifteen, I went there every summer with her, all of August. We had two days off and I escaped there. She was excited to go pick grapes and we helped her. It was a weekend and the truth is that I am very happy with the family.

Can you go quietly, Xiprana?

— Yes, there are very few inhabitants. But it's true that when I arrive, my grandmother says it because she loves it. Especially the children and the elderly do come to the door of the house to take pictures and so on.

And for Barcelona? More and more people must know you.

— I suppose it's not like Lamine, Alexia, or Aitana, but it's true that in recent years it's becoming more noticeable. You go out for dinner in Barcelona or for a walk and normally someone always recognizes you. I've also noticed it a lot this past year with the FIFA card [football video game from Play Station where Pina appears], because maybe there are many people who don't follow women's football much, but they do play FIFA.

This season Alexia, Mapi, Salma, and Ona will not be there. Can you aspire to win all the titles?

— This is football. Obviously, they were very important players for the team, but we have to recover from that. I think the team is doing well. We have had a good preseason and there are many very good young people. We have a very good team and we are working to be better.

How do you see the reinforcements that have arrived?

— The truth is that they are doing very well. Above all, they have a lot of quality. They are adapting, but I think they are doing it very well. The youngest ones perhaps have to get into the rhythm, because all this is a bit new or different for them. But the truth is that both on and off the field we are superb, we are happy they are here and that they help us as much as possible.

You are 25 years old, but you are starting your eighth season with the first team. Do you feel that, with these changes in the squad, you need to take a step forward? Is it a motivation or added pressure?

— People of great importance have left. It was hard the moment we knew they were leaving, but not only because of how they are on the field, but also because of how they are off it. We had been here at Barça together for many years, and with Salma, even from the lower categories, since we were very young. Now, for example, Patri, who is becoming the first captain, will gain even more prestige. And the others, a little younger, have to try to help the team as much as possible and, above all, the younger ones, so that everything goes as well as possible. We have to continue playing football the way we know how to do it.

You've been playing for Barça for over a decade. What does it mean to you?

— I've always said it: Barça means everything to me. I've been here for many, many years, since I was twelve, if I'm not mistaken. I've just turned 25, so Barça is my whole life, my childhood. I am the footballer I am today thanks to all the coaches and all the teammates I've had here, at the club, who have trained me and made me better. And, in the end, Barça for me is... I don't know how to say it. It's everything that has accompanied me until today.

What do you ask of yourself this year, on and off the field?

— Above all, give my all on the field and try to be at my maximum physical level, because this will help everything go well. And off the field, be happy, be with the people I love and who love me, and I think this is very important to be able to perform well on the field afterwards as well.

One of the keys to the team is the balance between the most veteran and the young ones.

— There is a very good vibe. We also meet outside the field every week, so there is a good atmosphere, very fun players... And that makes the day-to-day cool. We like being here.

Do you see an important generational change between your generation and the players coming up now from La Masia?

— I think that every time the girls from the academy or those we sign from outside are also better. Things are being done better and better from the grassroots, from a very young age. Nowadays there is much more level than perhaps years ago, when everything started to change in the first team of Barça and then the other teams at La Masia were built. I think there is a very good structure at Barça today. The girls, from a very young age, are already very good and are trained very well. The level at which girls arrive nowadays is very high.

We've seen you play a lot on the left wing, with that tendency to come inside and shoot. Do you see yourself playing on the new or do you prefer to start from the side?

— I prefer to start from the wing, but if in some match it is necessary for me to play again, I already did it last year in some match. I will play wherever I am needed.

In the latest ranking of Soccerdonna you have been placed as the most valuable footballer in the world, with a value of over two million euros. Did you know that?

— Yes, they passed it to me the day it came out.

And what does it mean to you to see yourself in this ranking above Alexia, Aitana, Patri..., players who have been role models for you?

— It seems strong to me, the truth. You don't expect something like this. I grew up with them and they are role models for me. Today they have put me in, but I have to keep trying to be the best footballer I can be. I hope to have no ceiling and keep growing.

One of your coaches, Miguel Llorente, highlighted your tactical intelligence on the field. Is that your strong suit? What do you think you stand out most for?

— Perhaps I see things differently or I think more about what needs to be done at each moment, or about a pass that perhaps not everyone sees. I believe that this could be something in which I stand out a little more. Then, well, the shots from outside the area [laughs].

On the other hand, one of the things that has been mentioned that you have to work on more are emotions on the field. How does this competitive nature affect you?

— Sometimes maybe I get angry and I shouldn't dwell on some things, especially on those that are not part of the game, like the referee or something. Maybe sometimes my attention drifts a bit towards that, when in the end the ball is the most important thing in the game. But I think this character is also good because I am a very competitive player and I want to win absolutely everything. There are many training sessions where maybe I end up angry and go home very upset. But I'm like that. I try, of course, not to disrespect anyone. I get angry with myself and try to push myself, but also not to punish myself too much, because sometimes it might affect me a little more.

Have you approached it with psychological work?

— Yes, since last season, I usually talk to a sports psychologist before each game. I think it's important because they are people who help you develop habits or tools to, in my case, manage frustration or moments that aren't so good on the field. If a shot goes wide into the stands or you make a bad play, you have to try to focus on what needs to be done next. A game won't be defined by a single action.

Does external criticism affect you?

— Honestly, what is said outside you end up finding out through Twitter or wherever, but I think it doesn't affect us directly. The only thing that can happen is that it motivates you a little more to shut people up and keep going. We are the only ones, along with the staff, who know what's really going on inside: how we train, how we play... The day-to-day life we all live as a team, the good vibe... I think every year we are getting closer and we are all happier too. In the end, that's what's important.

Because of the U-20 World Cup, you will start the F League with many absences. Do you think it should be played at another time?

— I think so. I don't know how many people we have out, also players who are in the dynamics of the first team and who surely would have minutes this Sunday... But that's how it is. We have to accept it and continue.

This season you already know you will play against Madrid at the Camp Nou again. How would you explain to someone who has never played there what it feels like?

— At the Camp Nou you fly. Even if you are tired or whatever, the atmosphere, the type of match and, above all, the fans make you enjoy a stadium like this. It's something that stays with you. And surely we will enjoy it much more, but it is super important for us to be able to play there. We value it very much, because it is the best stadium in the world. For people who have never played there, the sensation is of flying, when the fans give you that last push to be able to win the match.

You celebrate many goals by making an L with your fingers. It's for your sister Lucía. How important is it to you?

— A lot. She has always been by my side. We get along much better than when we were little, when we perhaps fought a little more [laughs]. But a few years ago we grew up and I think she is a very important person, if not the most important, in my life. She is always by my side for everything I need, and I for her too.