The Villarreal captain asks for health in the new year to continue enjoying football and competing at the highest level
Raúl Albiol appeared before the media this Friday to take stock of the season following the team’s return to training after the Christmas break. “We’ve been able to enjoy our families and disconnect a bit. Although we would have liked to come back earlier because it would have been a sign that we would be alive in the Copa del Rey. It was a disappointment to be eliminated. Now we have to focus on our league objective, which is to get into Europe,” confirmed the Yellows’ captain.
Likewise, the Villarreal No.3 has taken stock of a positive 2024 in general terms: “The team has been good in LALIGA during 2024. Now we need to improve our results at home and concede fewer goals. If we can do that, it will be much easier to be in Europe next year.”
As for his wishes for the new year, on an individual level, Raúl Albiol only asks for health: “That would be my wish for 2025. I would like to avoid injuries and to be able to enjoy playing football. I know that the rest comes with work and preparation. I just want to have continuity and to be able to play until the end of the season.” Meanwhile, on a collective level, the captain insists on achieving the two aspects to improve: “There have been times when we have deserved to concede a lot of goals because we conceded a lot of chances. Lately, on the other hand, we’ve been punished a lot by generating very little. We are working to solve this. We want to concede less in the second half of the season and be stronger at home.”
Similarly, Raúl Albiol has a clear objective for this season and that is to be in Europe: “We want to achieve it and even compete for fourth place until the end. To do that, we have to be very consistent. Away from home, we have achieved it, but we must be stronger at home. Fourth place is very demanding. There is only one place for five or six teams. We want to be there fighting until the end, even though we know that there are teams that are very strong right now, like Athletic Club.”
With the recent return to work, Villarreal are already preparing for the next league game against Real Sociedad: “We know it’s a complicated stadium. Whenever we play there they are always difficult and evenly matched games. But we have time to prepare for it. We’d like to finish the first half of the season with a win. It would help us to get closer to fourth place, which is the first European prize. We want to at least fight for fourth place until the end. For that we need to get good results against direct rivals like Real Sociedad.”
Finally, Raúl Albiol pointed out that he is happy competing and that he would love to be able to prolong his career as a footballer: “I want to play until I’m 45, but I don’t know if I’m going to do it. At this age, I’m already going year by year. Now I feel good physically and I’m happy. The important thing is to be healthy and not get injured. I’m working to feel good physically. Today’s football is very demanding. I want to achieve the collective objective of reaching Europe and help the team both on and off the pitch. My only thought is to enjoy every game. I know that time goes by and this is not forever. We’ll see what we’ll do.”
