**BEING ARSENAL'S FIRST SPORTING DIRECTOR AND LIFE UNDER ARSÈNE WENGER (feat. Edu Gaspar) — Transcript & Summary | SozAI**
Source: https://sozai.app/transcript/arsenal-first-sporting-director-edu-gaspar/

Edu Gaspar discusses his role as Arsenal's first sporting director, life under Arsène Wenger, and managing challenges during COVID-19.

## Key Takeaways

- Being a sporting director requires balancing many responsibilities, especially during crises like COVID-19.
- Maintaining close relationships and communication with players and staff is crucial for club success.
- Adapting to new working methods and environments is essential in modern football management.
- Arsène Wenger's legacy influences Arsenal’s culture and approach to football and management.
- Strong personal bonds within the club community help navigate challenges and foster teamwork.

## What the video covers

- Edu Gaspar shares insights on being Arsenal's first sporting director and his close relationship with club staff and players.
- He describes the challenges of adapting to remote work and managing responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Edu highlights his efforts to maintain player connection and support, including creating private training environments.
- The podcast touches on the importance of adapting club culture and football style under Arsène Wenger's influence.
- Edu reflects on his transition from player to management and the learning curve involved, including improving his English.
- He discusses the unique challenges Arsenal faces with coaching stability and internal club dynamics.
- The conversation includes anecdotes about player management, club history, and the importance of team environment.
- Edu emphasizes the need for flexibility and communication in his role, especially during unprecedented times.
- The podcast hosts share personal stories and camaraderie, highlighting the strong bonds within the Arsenal community.
- Edu expresses optimism about the club’s future and the positive energy from players returning to training.

## Chapters

1. 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
2. 03:49 Close Relationships and Club Bonds
3. 07:39 Managing Responsibilities and Workload
4. 11:41 Adapting to COVID-19 and Player Connection
5. 15:35 Creating Private Training Environments
6. 19:24 Support Systems and Club Culture
7. 27:04 Reflections on Coaching and Club History
8. 34:54 Learning and Adapting in Management Role

Answers

## Questions about this video

Who is Edu Gaspar and what is his role at Arsenal?

Edu Gaspar is Arsenal's first sporting director, responsible for managing player relations, coaching staff, and overall football operations at the club.

How did Edu Gaspar adapt to the challenges posed by COVID-19?

Edu adapted by changing communication methods, organizing private training environments for players, and managing club responsibilities remotely while maintaining close contact with staff and players.

What influence did Arsène Wenger have on Edu Gaspar and Arsenal?

Arsène Wenger’s legacy shaped Arsenal’s football culture and management style, emphasizing adaptability, team environment, and a free style of play, which Edu respects and integrates into his role.

## Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

00:01

Speaker A

[Applause] Hi everyone, we are back here at the Invisible Wall podcast show. Today, me and my friend Nchase, we have a fantastic guest. It's a great one, great guy. Above everything, he's a good friend of mine from a long, long time from Arsenal Invisible Time. Edu, how are you, my friend? Everything okay?

00:26

Speaker A

long time from arsenal invisible time edu how are you my friends everything okay hey juventus how are you my friend pleasure and pleasure to be here everything bye my friend it's great to have you here with me and team

00:45

Speaker A

Hey Juventus, how are you, my friend? Pleasure and pleasure to be here.

01:02

Speaker A

and first from the invincible time now he's pushing me just to invite some arsenal colleagues i said calm down i'm gonna bring a special one to start it you know to start it properly with arsenal i could not bring anybody

01:17

Speaker A

Everything, bye my friend. It's great to have you here with me and the team.

01:33

Speaker A

don't choose me i'm going to call you and i'm going to say roberto you're wrong my friend supposed to be me first one you know so yeah no thank you thank you very much everybody's always a pleasure spoke to you there'd be big stories in

01:47

Speaker A

As I spoke to you before, you know, me and the team have done this podcast show for the last past months, and you are our second guest. You know, my first guest was Klebeson, and you are my first, my second, and first from the Invincible Time.

02:02

Speaker A

tell him and to tell his wife and the kids you know and i i would have a trouble my house as well because i'll get a punch for my wife so you know you your family's friends then your wife's friends as well

02:15

Speaker A

Now he's pushing me just to invite some Arsenal colleagues. I said, calm down, I'm gonna bring a special one to start it, you know, to start it properly with Arsenal. I could not bring anybody else before you. Thank you for accepting our invitation.

02:26

Speaker A

straight away to say hey what about me my friend it's a political decision yeah other thing everything okay okay yes yes so far very good so yeah we are very a challenge situation right now you know the way we work the way we have to

02:45

Speaker A

Thank you, Roberto. So it's an unfair question to you because I guess, you know, asking for you because we are very close friends, so I knew you're going to choose me. If you don't choose me, I'm going to call you and I'm going to say, Roberto, you're wrong, my friend. It supposed to be me first one, you know. So yeah, no, thank you, thank you very much. Everybody's always a pleasure to speak to you. There'd be big stories in newspaper. Eddie one follows Roberto Silva on Instagram. It's a big story.

03:02

Speaker A

walk around so yeah we're fine we fine you're okay that's good that's good i'm sure you know there are as long as we have been saying everyone basically in the world about uh the moment we are facing tough times

03:20

Speaker A

Yeah, yeah, the hardest thing is because afterwards I could not do barbecue together, you know. I don't know, I need to make a good story afterwards, knowing to tell him and to tell his wife and the kids, you know. And I would have trouble at my house as well because I'll get a punch for my wife. So, you know, your family's friends, then your wife's friends as well.

03:33

Speaker A

situation my friends i'm sure it's not been an easy situation i i'd like to show you what we have around me here roberto because so many papers so many things so many documents so many things to look after

03:49

Speaker A

Yes, we're all friends. Yeah, all close friends, even the children. So yeah, yeah, we have a very good, very close relationship. So that's why if you don't ask me or call me to do that, I'm going to call him straight away to say, hey, what about me, my friend?

04:05

Speaker A

but in that situation i have to do all the things by myself i have to organize all my mails or the message answer all the phones you know connect with the players connect with the staff with the coach

04:18

Speaker A

It's a political decision.

04:36

Speaker A

yeah challenge one good one but um in the same time it's not easy because we have so many responsibilities in the club so many important decisions to make you know and not being uh face-to-face to people uh don't be

04:53

Speaker A

Yeah, other thing, everything okay?

05:06

Speaker A

connect with them you know to delivery properly uh all the information what i have so but as i said so far good um yeah let's let's move forward because you cannot stop including like arsenal cannot stop at all

05:25

Speaker A

Okay, yes, yes, so far very good. So yeah, we are very challenged situation right now, you know, the way we work, the way we have to behave. So but we cannot complain, we cannot complain. I'm saying to my family here, so facing the situation we are now. So we have a healthy family, we have a good condition, we have space in the apartment to walk around. So yeah, we're fine.

05:39

Speaker A

amazing amazing job uh since he arrived here he started to put some ideas his ideas he started to connect connect with the players like straight away and when kovids arrive in our life so he just changed the way he started to

05:59

Speaker A

We fine, you're okay?

06:18

Speaker A

started to connect with the players send the players some information and share the technical view the tactical view so a lot of things which the players started to enjoy as well so he didn't stop because of course he

06:34

Speaker A

That's good, that's good. I'm sure, you know, there are, as long as we have been saying, everyone basically in the world about the moment we are facing tough times.

06:52

Speaker A

know in arsenal i think in the story of the of of arsenal we never changed the coach during the season i think they did just once in the past and the people internally is not used to it as we have experienced in brazil because

07:06

Speaker A

You know, it's quite a tough challenge for everyone in the club, you know, at Arsenal. And for you to manage all the situations, you know, I've been curious honestly, how have you dealt with all this situation, my friends? I'm sure it's not been an easy situation.

07:22

Speaker A

um i'm sure he's enjoying as well i'm pretty sure he's really happy right now let's see he goes back to training yes yes yes we was the first one to be fair to to start training not start training but to start to give the

07:39

Speaker A

I'd like to show you what we have around me here, Roberto, because so many papers, so many things, so many documents, so many things to look after.

08:00

Speaker A

in the park with my son and i saw two players of our sport running around the park and um i felt then uncomfortable and i see the situation is not the best one to players like them big names you know people watching them

08:15

Speaker A

Because, you know, normally I have someone next to me. I have a PA, I have another guy which helped me a lot with Jason, which the guy helped to do things, you know, to prepare things to me.

08:36

Speaker A

giving them like the training grounds as a private park so of course we cannot propose their training but the way they they are doing to go to the park to exercise will be the same way which they are go

08:52

Speaker A

But in that situation, I have to do all the things by myself. I have to organize all my mails or the messages, answer all the phones, you know, connect with the players, connect with the staff, with the coach.

09:10

Speaker A

have no arsenal clothes like a a private park you know and that worked very well and that the player was so comfortable the players was enjoying because to be there to be uh in the place which they are used to to be so we

09:27

Speaker A

So in quite similar same time, but it's a good one because I'm learning a lot, you know, I'm improving a lot, I think my English, because all my meetings, everything has to be true by this platform as well. So yeah, challenge one, good one.

09:44

Speaker A

some rules to to follow but yeah we are we are we are there in koni and i i feel a good energy from from from the players from there step by step you know it seems like uh players are getting back you know i've

09:58

Speaker A

But in the same time, it's not easy because we have so many responsibilities in the club, so many important decisions to make, you know, and not being face-to-face to people, don't be, you know, next to the people, connect with the people is a challenge one because the way I like to work, as you know me, I like people, I like to connect, I like the people feeling what I try to say, the way I want to connect with them, you know, to deliver properly all the information what I have.

10:12

Speaker A

park for them at london pony because they could be there you know and do their walking or whatever without nobody paying notice of them or you know to have a private place and it was very intelligent yeah but to be fair as well roberto was

10:28

Speaker A

So but as I said, so far good. Yeah, let's move forward because you cannot stop including like Arsenal cannot stop at all.

10:46

Speaker A

the break you know the social distance and if the players say no to people people going to say they are rude guys yeah you know um and that's why that's why i started to thinking about that kind of things and

10:59

Speaker A

Yeah, I feel sorry for Mikael starting just his job not long before the knockdown with everybody obviously getting it as well. So it's tough for him, right?

11:21

Speaker A

and come back to this rule you know as uh i think you are the first arsenal sports director i don't know the whole year but um from our saint wenger never had any sports director and uh it's uh it's amazing how have you

11:41

Speaker A

Yes, it is tough, but he's doing amazing, amazing job since he arrived here. He started to put some ideas, his ideas. He started to connect, connect with the players like straight away. And when COVID arrived in our life, so he just changed the way he started to work and he makes a lot of improvements in the way, of course, to coach the players.

11:59

Speaker A

um experience for me like i say courageous to me in that role what i'm doing now it was like a university you know so you go to operanches you learn a lot about everything everything so that's prepared me a lot

12:14

Speaker A

And he surprised me a lot because since we started there, he showed he was so prepared to this situation as well because he started to connect with the players, send the players some information, and share the technical view, the tactical view, so a lot of things which the players started to enjoy as well.

12:31

Speaker A

to big that jump to to to arsenal because to be the first technical directors to be in the club which never faced that situation people not used to to eat so it's a challenge one it's a challenge one but beautiful beautiful

12:49

Speaker A

So he didn't stop because, of course, he couldn't, but he found a very nice way to work and to connect properly to the players. So that's so far made me feel so proud because the decision to choose Miku wasn't easy, you know, because as you know in Arsenal, I think in the story of Arsenal, we never changed the coach during the season. I think they did just once in the past, and the people internally is not used to it as we have experienced in Brazil because nobody in Brazil do that a lot, unfortunately.

13:09

Speaker A

piece of the new model because there was plenty to have our technical directors a long time ago but they didn't really make the decision that it really was clear to choose someone and then um yeah we we have a meeting we discuss a lot of

13:28

Speaker A

But here the club, he wasn't prepared to that, but so far he's been so great. So I mean, I'm happy to be part of his choice and I'm sure he's enjoying as well. I'm pretty sure he's really happy right now.

13:42

Speaker A

patient with people normally they don't know how to treat the technical director or how how the the responsibilities of the technical director you know because it's so long time with nobody or no long time but never so that's why it's a challenge one nice

14:00

Speaker A

Let's see he goes back to training.

14:20

Speaker A

difficult to you know to manage all the information to sign in players to keep players to loan players so and you have to be close and the most important thing as well has to be you have to think quite

14:35

Speaker A

Yes, yes, yes. We was the first one, to be fair, to start training, not start training, but to start to give the opportunity to the players to train almost properly because we have by the government here, as you guys know, the lockdown which allowed people to go one hour to exercise outside home.

14:52

Speaker A

yeah you've got to be painting the same picture haven't you yes imagine i don't know if i have in my mind um because of course i have to build a squad to the very short periods medium periods and long periods so

15:06

Speaker A

So but I faced the situation which I was in the park with my son and I saw two players of our sport running around the park, and I felt then uncomfortable. And I see the situation is not the best one to players like them, big names, you know, people watching them, take a photo, filming them, and it wasn't comfortable.

15:18

Speaker A

by short and long but if we don't connect well that would be difficult to choose the right players to choose the right um system um the way when i play so that's start to be a big mess between

15:35

Speaker A

And in that moment, I started to realize how important to try to provide a good environment to start almost running or almost do something else at home. And then I spoke to the club to try to give them like the training grounds as a private park.

15:54

Speaker A

first thing you'll learn is how to do the depression hold on under the pressure how much depression expectation the expectation on the funds you know in brazil work at corinthians like animal has not been easy especially when you lose a game but uh

16:14

Speaker A

So of course, we cannot propose their training, but the way they are doing to go to the park to exercise will be the same way which they are going to the training ground, you know.

16:30

Speaker A

football club and tell us about the question yes listen i want to learn as well the main one the main one is the easiest one for the international team you just pick up the best one and put in your team

16:50

Speaker A

So then the club understood the situation and we provided the players that kind of situation as well to provide them to go to training, to go to the corning. So they choose the time, they have no Arsenal clothes like a private park, you know.

17:06

Speaker A

not choose for your for your for your system or of course for the coaching system and that's this is a is an important one to to thinking about but then you know in brazil uh you have to manage

17:20

Speaker A

And that worked very well, and the players were so comfortable. The players were enjoying because to be there, to be in the place which they are used to be.

17:34

Speaker A

of course the players has to to feel comfortable happy and has to see all the environment prepared to them and make they feel really really prepared and you feel really good and then they can play like i like you

17:49

Speaker A

So we restart like that, and after a week or ten days, they allowed us to start training.

18:07

Speaker A

in this kind of situation in the club so the main point for me it's um to identify our squad balance you know so we have to see where you are as squads uh you have to make sure which system the coach really wants to

18:26

Speaker A

So now we are quite training as a group, we're training almost normal. So we've sent, of course, some rules to follow, but yeah, we are there in Koni, and I feel a good energy from the players from there.

18:44

Speaker A

sign but it doesn't fix to the system or to to the coach or to the characteristic for the coach so that's the most important you have to be inside the mind of the coach try to learn or try to get

18:58

Speaker A

Step by step, you know, it seems like players are getting back. You know, I've seen some pictures of them, you know, very look very happy going back training.

19:11

Speaker A

happy so and then the results normally will come for sure do you when you're looking to sign your place do you look at the personality of them as well like the person sure yeah sure sure so what i do

19:24

Speaker A

I'm sure for them, I think it was a very good sense from you guys, you know, to bring the players, you know, to do kind of a private park for them at London Pony because th

19:40

Speaker A

break backgrounds all the information what you have around the player not only the technical view you know even even sometimes i go to the news to see on the path of the players if they have any inch or any problem

19:57

Speaker A

uh you know outside the normal life so we we see almost everything everything to choose because as you guys know in the in the football now to sign a player it's not cheap anymore so it's a lot of money to invest

20:15

Speaker A

and if you want to invest a lot of money you have to be careful because you cannot take a mistake exactly just to let you know on the podcast three weeks ago juvederm rated himself at 80 million pounds

20:29

Speaker A

oh you know you what you know why because my position your position the position we played you know there's there are not many players this was because i pushed our price right you know i'll push it high but you're right

20:53

Speaker A

yeah i know i know i know but you know they will think now i can put the price in my my own yeah let's go back a little bit more you know tell us us a little bit you know how was uh at

21:11

Speaker A

your beginning at the corinthians now i think you originally hold a big part of your heart as well where you start now uh best friend you you've got you know how was it you know because when we spoke

21:25

Speaker A

a few times about koreans i always failed to know your your eyes you know and on your eyes the love inside your hearts the way you speak about the club the way speak about the funds you know i'm

21:37

Speaker A

sure you have a lot of good memories from that yes and that you have to be grateful for the moments what i have there because i'm almost born in corinthians roberto so i started in corinthians like with five

21:51

Speaker A

years old playing football so i went into the first team with 17 years 17 18 years old and my first personal game was in korean chance so i have a important titles in korean as well as a player so the fans in

22:10

Speaker A

corinthians respect me a lot because i was the player since you know from the academy to the first team winning titles and i am corinthiano so my family is lurking yes all locals so all my family and uh of course you build inside the club

22:30

Speaker A

something special because to play there to born there you know everybody in the club you know when you go to the club you know for the secretary to the president and everybody became your friends and then you start to be properly at

22:44

Speaker A

home but i have um a one very peculiar situation which corinthians showed me a lot of respect because when i was 14 years old i have a problem in my leg which i couldn't um really walk for almost

23:01

Speaker A

one year and that period i haven't with the opportunity to go to private hospital private doctors so as you know as you have a normal life but korean just was amazing with me in that moment they support me i wasn't professional

23:22

Speaker A

football player and they support me and my family as as a you know a pro football player they put me in the first team talk to the doctors for the first team physios for the first team they helped

23:38

Speaker A

me to go to the hospital private hospitals so they really really look after me so since there i was in love with the club but i feel even more because the way they treat me that you know difficult circumstances that

23:53

Speaker A

show uh how nice they was so that's why my eyes sometimes you know shining when i'm talking about corinthians because i remember that kind of situation because to be fair when everything's well you're playing you're right you play well so everybody

24:12

Speaker A

wants to look after you and blah blah blah but when you are 14 15 nobody knows if you're going to be footballer or no if you have a future or no in the club they they don't really care about that

24:26

Speaker A

in that moment so they really get me as a proper football player they look after me so that's why i really appreciate what they did and that's why i i always when i have opportunity i have to say good words

24:37

Speaker A

about corinthians because it was amazing started it's like a part of family because this how they they treat you uh at this time were you scared of oh my god what's going on with me i'm going to have like a normal life i'm

24:58

Speaker A

going to to play football again yes uh to be fair i was fortune and i didn't really realize what was what's happening with me i was in the bed you know almost a year without oaking you know my body composition was quite

25:15

Speaker A

strange but i don't realize i just remember my mom my dad my brother sometimes crying next to me my friends which went many times to visit me was looking to me as a strange people you know and that's

25:30

Speaker A

why i started to realize how bad i was but in my mind internally i always say no i'm going to be okay you know i'll be fine but because maybe it was you know to understand how how serious would be

25:45

Speaker A

it yeah but it was a good thing you know that football and life provides because after this you know if i remember quite well you have your debut at the professional team quite young between you know many good players you know some

26:04

Speaker A

good guys like uh i want you you know you're gonna tell us you know it's better than me that was it was was amazing yeah because uh uh that situation happened like uh when i was 14 15 and then i started recovery

26:22

Speaker A

and then things started to happen like a very fast in my life because i started to running again play again and then i remember playing a game and after the game i remember someone called me to sign me to go to mexico

26:36

Speaker A

and i said no why mexico and then korean just called me to sign a professional contract because they don't want to lose me as a footballer and uh after that i went into the first team just to training you know being selected

26:50

Speaker A

by the the first team coach but not choosing but just selected i need some five four five players from the academy to go there i was inside that four or five and then i did well and then they kept me there so my career was

27:04

Speaker A

like like uh who was the manager who was the manager wow and then he kept him in the first team and then and the campasta was my debut with uh next to mundo gamara uh carlino marcelino so what's amazing

27:30

Speaker A

was there ring was there he arrived after that uh in 1998 and i was away with the first team and that was amazing to be part of that e-squad because in 2019 1998 i think was the greatest team in

27:48

Speaker A

corinthians ever so if you compare just that team with 2011 and 2015 maybe probably but uh the team was unbelievable hinco marcelino vampire with a juice on vida was a great so to be to be part of this

28:10

Speaker A

group was amazing great star how old were you i was 17 i was 17 to 18 my my debut yeah yeah in brazil you know it's not easy so thanks to lucian to to give me the opportunity now he's passing this squad now to is to

28:30

Speaker A

this squad of players you know big names uh big team like corinthians where the pressure is massive or young player like you by the time was something very very unique and very special in a life of football player

28:45

Speaker A

yeah as as you know of course you know roberto how important is when you uh are with a big squad big names around you when you are young and if you're clever enough to learn with that guys it's

29:01

Speaker A

amazing so sometimes i say in my career i have a very good luck because for the beginning the sport what i started in korean just was amazing so so important players all good players and so good mains as well to help me to

29:17

Speaker A

grow as a person as a footballer and of course and i took all the experience of the guys i took all the information what they sent to me i was looking today the way they train so and then of course

29:33

Speaker A

with your talents and then he starts to put something inside as well and then you start to grow to to be part properly of the the group okay so uh tell us what is your you know what you have to

29:48

Speaker A

learn with those you know because you were very young you have a tough time before i start playing for corinthians by now as i have seen you haven't played you know in your all your career you just had three clubs

30:02

Speaker A

uh corinthians uh arsenal then valencia then went back to grinches before go to us you know you know what have you learned at corinthians you know what the lessons you have tell us about you know that was really

30:19

Speaker A

important for you when you moved to arsenal to bring you all things you've learned tell us i learned because korean chance if you not have that so playing corinthians you cannot play so if you're tough you're strong you can

30:37

Speaker A

play focus if you're weak you cannot play focus at all so that was the first learning because i remember a situation when hong kong was sell it to to to santos and then in that time it was osvaldo jolifera was the coach and

31:00

Speaker A

uh everybody was talking about hong kong because was the most important players in the group and then they said let's sign someone let's find some of some some players and then they uh osvaldo de oliveira said to me no no

31:13

Speaker A

we'll be you i don't want to sign no no one you're going you're going to be the man you're going to replace income and then i remember that moments to say okay you know leave it to me so

31:26

Speaker A

i have to be tough you have to be strong i have to get all my personality and start to play because if i start to be a little bit shy i don't know maybe and blah blah blah they eat you

31:39

Speaker A

you know you know brazil the press in brazil defense what we have in korean just you know every team in which you're going to play against korean just wants to beat corinthians so that's why i say okay okay let's go

31:51

Speaker A

let's be tough let's start well and then that was my first learning properly because as i said corinthians corinthians like that yeah making you know like uh the seizure take the responsibility was very important for start you know properly at corinth and

32:11

Speaker A

uh move on later on for the next level you know it was the same was the same when when i signed for arsenal you know because when i arrived here as a player if you look around the team the sport i

32:28

Speaker A

have the same feeling said come on i am 21 the guys it's very experienced the guys these are big names but if they sign me they sign me for some reason but have to be tough here oh they're

32:42

Speaker A

going to eat me again so no i say no no no let's be let's be the way i am you know and try to learn play and you know try to be best football as possible um how um how did you find you know when

33:03

Speaker A

uh when before you arrive at arsenal okay i haven't chanced to go to europe i was sitting on there because um i remember grew up from brazil played for my first club american here me and my colleagues we we had a dream

33:18

Speaker A

you know like most brazilian football players or one day i want to play in europe then arsenal came to bring you to england how was the feeling yes it wasn't brilliant because i remember us today i have a first meeting in hotel with

33:39

Speaker A

a guy which was representing arsene wenger and declared that moment and i was with my agent in the time my father and my brother in the meeting um i didn't know about arsenal i just went to the meeting because they tried

33:56

Speaker A

to like surprise me you know and then i went to the dinner and the first words to the what i i heard for the guys they said to me he wants to play for arsenal and i look into my dad to my brother

34:14

Speaker A

and i said yes why because it's so strange you know such a strange question to to ask before uh just started i said of course of course would be a pleasure and that the guy said to me okay

34:29

Speaker A

you are silent because we're going to sign you because i want to listen for you if he wants to play for arsenal and i said you have some doubts about it so so everybody wants to play for arsenal why

34:41

Speaker A

why not they say no no it's important to listen to you and i said yes so and then after that straight away after that and to be fair i didn't really knew about all the sports i knew about arsenal but i didn't really

34:54

Speaker A

properly understand the sports and then we started talking about the squad players patrick cherry denny's uh martin key lynn dixon david seaman i said whoa that would be it would be fantastic it would be fantastic and there'll be a big jump

35:13

Speaker A

izadi as i did now in my role you know it's i did the same time and as a footballer so yeah and thanks god everything went well so far yeah i have played a alongside on such a big

35:29

Speaker A

big guys you know like patrick we we know him well i think you had tony adams as well as a captain tony tony tony was a captain yeah yeah big son martin kiyong so that that guys so yeah it was a pleasure as well again

35:46

Speaker A

again you see we started in arsenal with these guys was amazing for me was amazing because they really helped me uh they really take me care of me so they've always been talking to me so again it's important to have guys like

36:04

Speaker A

jesus in the squad to you know to take the guy sign and you know and uh that's why we say sometimes i'm like guy to have so important guys around me in my career was there one person that really helped

36:17

Speaker A

you settle in uh yes my first sixth month was silvino because uv was here as my teammate so he took me like a brother you know because the change it's it's a massive one you know to play in brazil and to play in

36:37

Speaker A

england you change almost everything the way you play football the pace of the game the referees uh the lifestyle so everything changed everything changed so you need help you need help to to adapt and to understand and suvi was

36:53

Speaker A

was the one which helped me a lot because gilberto said you were that man for him he always speaks fondly about you how you helped him settle in and his first training session was it that keown broke the reserve keeper's arm and you

37:04

Speaker A

asked it on and i think still my favorite story from chiba is that he his first game was the community shield and he didn't know it was he thought it was just a friendly he couldn't understand where he was he came

37:27

Speaker A

off the bench scored a goal the crowd went mental and he was given a trophy at the end of he thought it was just a friendly escape in england's crazy did you not know that i don't know if you remember we you know

37:40

Speaker A

when i arrived at arsenal we i met you guys in austria you were there you were you know very you know you welcomed me in the arsenal count and we spend i don't know how many days there i don't know

37:55

Speaker A

one week ten days or two weeks after we went to to play against liverpool at the millennium stadium i i remember i asked you edu and very good now yeah we got your game but that's it i didn't ask any of my

38:11

Speaker A

questions about the game who was i remember asking who was was going to be the opponent and say oh liverpool oh nice one looks like a good game and then we arrived in the stage you know we just

38:26

Speaker A

came off the bench and um you know i i scored the winning goal was fantastic you know out say nice score and make a part dancing a good celebration with uh with the guys after the game just came a

38:41

Speaker A

trophy i i don't know i think i asked you if you're gonna friendly that was a nice word nice one very very important very important start for juventus of course to start the way he started you know but he he arrived woodcut

39:14

Speaker A

winner so it's impossible to start um you know in in the bad way so it's impossible so how was your battle when he first started there it was essentially that we helped give some like funny stories go for it

39:34

Speaker A

no but listen if people really know roberto robert was the same guy when he was playing for brazil play for arsenal winner titles interview talking he's the same guy yeah what do you think you better hear is your birth on the field is your bet

39:52

Speaker A

with the family it's uh it's an amazing guy amazing guy it's uh it's it's always the same he never changed he always has a way to talk very polite so this is roberto that's why he's our our legends here yeah and everybody has

40:08

Speaker A

a beautiful memory know us only as a footballer because this is without passion but as a person that's that's a really really appreciated because we really have a good relationship and it's nice to to know uh how people in arsenal respect him not

40:30

Speaker A

only as a footballer but as a person as well so that's that's amazing yeah absolutely everyone you speak to i've spoken to kind of on behalf of your batteries introduced me to you has nothing but nice to say it's really disappointing

40:41

Speaker A

because i want to give them some sometimes but no one says anything bad it's really disappointing but it's um it's great because i arrived at arsenal i always tell everyone you know for me my adaptation was much much easier

40:59

Speaker A

having you there and the way you welcomed me you know treat me as as a big brother you know as a big brother took me show me the city i feed me out many many times now i want

41:14

Speaker A

to go every day i have some nice food i always tell how how important it was for me you know have you there how you know made in park not only about the game about football but especially about

41:36

Speaker A

life because when people ask me about you i asked him who do you want me to talk about the player i guess you know but about the guy because the guy is is here you know about the player you can find

41:51

Speaker A

you know something for me but i can give you you know a lot of information is a compliment of everything professional the family guy you know the big brother and uh also do what i tell people you know when we mentioned about that

42:08

Speaker A

you know the guys you mentioned like donators they've seen the other guys you know how important was for us to adapt to the english game having those english guys dressing how important toward them for that as well i always you know have mouths

42:35

Speaker A

and kion in the back of my mind because he you know he's such a nice guy but helped us a lot to to understand how in football works doesn't come across as a nice guy in the football pitch i'll tell you

42:50

Speaker A

no but giberto there isn't one point as well that i think helped us a lot of course all the guys was amazing importance but there is something we have to remember always because the way arsene wenger wants to play football

43:04

Speaker A

help us a lot yeah because i don't know if we the the style we play football as a brazilian likes to get the ball likes to pass you know creations and or whatever if you go for a team

43:18

Speaker A

which you know a proper english team in our time you know go forward fight for second ball and blah blah blah i don't know if you can adapt as we did and arsene has a very important of course part on it

43:31

Speaker A

because the way he wants to play football uh the way he builds the teams uh the way he wants to propose the games and the match so that's helped us for our style of the game so you are very technical guy of course

43:45

Speaker A

you're strong but to you once the ball he wants to play with the ball he wants to keep and creates things so as me as patrick as pete is as almost everybody in our team so that was important part as well

43:58

Speaker A

for our adaptation because i'm um as i said imagine if you go for a team which play long balls and fights i don't know i don't know if you'll be in our proper style you know so of course all the things to be

44:13

Speaker A

successful is important players technical environment mentality and i think we have in that time yeah this is what i tell people as well you know austin was uh very important to build up you know the style but find the players that could play on that

44:32

Speaker A

style and also the personalities the personalities as well you know the winning mentality everyone very focused in what we want to achieve and i always tell them how hard was the training session oh it was beautiful it was beautiful

44:54

Speaker A

yeah in the other day i know i read something from lauren he said that i told him at some point that everyone was crazy in the training session kicking everyone you know but it was amazing yeah i don't know if you remember you

45:13

Speaker A

when you arrived um nelsonview was here no he wasn't uh okay because when i arrived here nelson vivas was a right back and he was very close but very close friend of juvie sauvignon and of course one right back and one

45:32

Speaker A

left back and in the training sometimes they of course they have to play against because they have to confront each other and uh i was looking then training they were almost fighting proper fighting there was training like a crazy and you know

45:48

Speaker A

pushing each other you know go to the floor you know with the bad face looking i said no this is not normal and then after the training they went into the dressing room organize a dinner i said something's

46:02

Speaker A

wrong between you two no no here everything in him training every time we have to fight fight because we prepare ourselves and then we prepare our teammates as well so that's that's the mentality gilberto said that before in another episode he

46:18

Speaker A

said that um you'd all call each other out and if one of you was being lazy for a session you'll get called out um and he says yes layman was the one lover for sure is it patrick vieira had to go

46:44

Speaker A

out and pierre was like really sorry i think i think he's i think japan said he tried to shout at patrick vieira one training session you know pierre wasn't putting it in hard enough in training and your bed was like that's right uh

46:59

Speaker A

you know i was like you having a go at me he's like yeah i'm having a go at you he goes all right calm down a little bit all right fine yeah the fact that that was your reaction

47:09

Speaker A

when i said does you enslave me again you went mamma mia kind of answer the question as well as you could ever answer it but listen there is a beautiful story one day i was training as well and that the

47:20

Speaker A

session was a simple session you know just passing the ball because i don't know if we was tired or are staying organized or easy session you know just pass in and just enjoy the session and it was training

47:32

Speaker A

you know nobody was pushing so hard in that period because it was fine and blah blah blah and then lemon was shout on me like i do go right go left go right go i said what's going on and then look

47:45

Speaker A

back i said the lemon today the session is a little bit quieter it's let's just enjoy and pass the ball because that's the way you have to train it today no no no no no it do today tomorrow

47:57

Speaker A

after tomorrow always we have to train hard said okay let's talk to the manager because he told me to just pass the po but if you start to shout me like crazy i cannot train training my friend and he started to laugh so he was always

48:09

Speaker A

like there he puts you now because sometimes he came here to watch games i've always mentioned that situation and he's always laughing about that and he remember that time he said to me they do you're brazilian having to push

48:21

Speaker A

you because you are very talented but attempt to keep that lazy realization right lazy come on yeah not here not here exactly the same thing he said he's on everyone all the time jen's lame is on everyone or something i guess

48:39

Speaker A

but i guess you need that don't you yeah it's a it's um he has a you know he if you want you understand him properly yeah he has a proper mentality to be a winner you know first of all he's a german guy

48:53

Speaker A

so you know german guy is staff but his mentality it's unbelievable he's unbelievable uh training session games always try to win wants to win that's good that's good for the for the group of the players we need that kind of mentality you know

49:09

Speaker A

pushing pushing push that's sometimes important just every now and then it'd be nice to be calmed down a little bit yeah sometimes yes it's entirely cheap but listen uh you know when people ask me what's the best memories about

49:23

Speaker A

my time at arsenal you know i always struggle you know i'm gonna throw it to you as well you know to see you know get you know your your perception or your time at arsenal as a player what's the best memories you know you

49:38

Speaker A

recall uh from your time as a player uh gilberto it's um it's unfair when people ask us that because we have so great memories so great times so nice to be together uh but i always like to mention something

49:57

Speaker A

make me feel not make me feel i learned a lot with that moment because i remember when we won the trophies uh against torte and we had like a two or three games ahead to play and i can remember it was two or three

50:14

Speaker A

games yeah i think four four more yeah four four more games to play and we won the league everybody was happy enjoying so was everything like a dreams you know without losing one game but after that i remember we have a meeting in the the

50:30

Speaker A

dressing room for sending with everybody everybody was happy and blah blah blah and then they mentioned guys we can make something unbelievable we can you know win the league without lose one game you know but properly all games without losing

50:50

Speaker A

even if you want something already as our our title and that period i really um realized how strong mental mentally we was and i learned that like everything is good but you can make it even better you know

51:11

Speaker A

we was happy champion without losing game but our group of players and our manager always tried to find something more you know that's that's always keeping my mind so your situation can be fine you can be happy you can be you know

51:28

Speaker A

working properly but i keep that you can be always being better you know working better doesn't matter how well we are let's go more let's go more let's go more that i keep in my mind because that was

51:42

Speaker A

a beautiful time to turn you know our mentality because we was winner already and then to play four games you know us um with a good experience and properly to not lose the game was something amazing i don't know if

51:59

Speaker A

you remember that roberto but was something amazing yeah and then it was not so easy to keep our focus after you know being a champion already and then the last four games of the season was quite hard you know we

52:14

Speaker A

yeah i think the last game we were close to lose and um every time the newspapers say oh maybe they are going to lose the next one yeah yeah or maybe it's today or maybe the next you know and we

52:31

Speaker A

kept going and finally we finished the season without losing any game was something very very unique yeah yeah one one good thing i always remember you know i don't know if you had a feeling about my feeling especially

52:46

Speaker A

when we had to play at hybrid hybrid was something you know much for me yeah you know that uh cold dressing room and the narration you know it was too cold for me not for you but for me it was too cold

53:01

Speaker A

[Laughter] and uh listen to pat rice all the time come on you have to be ready get them get them kick them out don't disappoint them don't disappoint them be ready be ready and throw them out throw them out

53:19

Speaker A

and um but one good feeling i've got you know seems like the game before the game starts we have won the games in the tunnel shoulder to shoulder the way the other players look at us in the tunnel you know us seems like

53:38

Speaker A

they will look into a giant look up like this you know and as i said oh three more points to myself i this was the feeling i had i don't know if you had something similar yeah that's for sure

53:52

Speaker A

that's for sure the way they look to ourselves they they treat us uh you know when we start the games you you have the feeling you have the feeling you're going to win the game so that's that's have the similar one for

54:06

Speaker A

sure you said you felt like gladiators exactly what um you know um from our time is impossible not talking as you mentioned him before about asking what does us say you know uh when do you look back and uh say that um wow i've

54:34

Speaker A

can you hear me oh sorry sorry it was my phone what's he was fantastic to all of us and uh the way he built things and building mentality when you remember him think about him from your time at arsenal what is uh the

54:55

Speaker A

best moments come from him and what things you've learned from from your time together with him so i have a personal situation as you remember you know that roberto uh when i arrived here my sister died a week before i just

55:15

Speaker A

arrived routine so and then again you know uh i have a good people around me to support me to look after me and arsene wenger was amazing so um he treats me like you know like a sand every time you're

55:31

Speaker A

asking me about my life every time about my family he never talked to me about system the game how i wanna go and i play uh how i should play so we always focus on my personal lifestyle with my family

55:46

Speaker A

so that's that's for me was great and until now i take this because i have to treat the players as a person no only as a footballer so i have to treat them uh properly and then i felt um

56:03

Speaker A

like jesus with him and that i learned a lot how how to treat the player when have a bad situation and another one i remember as well so he was always uh inside the fields in the training session always shouting my name as well

56:20

Speaker A

we do go left and right go back go left right go back and i start to be a little bit tired to be fair i said ah every day every time he's asking me to go up front go there go there go there whatever

56:33

Speaker A

and i was thinking with myself oh next day will be fun just me no again again again again and one day i realized he wasn't next to me you know shouting like go left to go right go let's go right go

56:48

Speaker A

left to right and i i feel strange something's wrong you know i was so used to it i feel something strong something wrong but i see him next to wash nicole doing the same thing as ash and go left

57:02

Speaker A

go right and you know coaching him as me before and i was you know after session i went there to to play with him because he gave us you know the the chance to talk to him properly and i

57:15

Speaker A

said what's wrong you don't talk to me anymore i said now because you know how to move my friends now you're okay so i don't need you to talk to you anymore just play football be focused now i have to you know be

57:27

Speaker A

look after uh ashley ko so that was what was nice that was nice two two different situations but two beautiful ones yeah it's great that um you have this you know you understand and at the moment it would be easy you

57:42

Speaker A

know for everyone to complain you know it's gonna shout or shout back and you know it's upset when you start to talk about him you know i think oh maybe he'll learn with viens [Laughter] i was tired to be fair one day i say

58:06

Speaker A

that's not yeah yeah but then there is um him you know there is something you've learned with him you know in the way the money uh arsenal that you learn that you can of adapting onto your style you you know

58:24

Speaker A

learn something and bring and oh i remember he did something like this you know and it worked quite well let me try let me get to what i've learned from him and adapt to my my style learn something

58:40

Speaker A

and bring to the you know the time being you know and the way i i want you to to work from now on or attack something new skills something like this as i said i remember that you know how to treat people how people

59:00

Speaker A

how to treat everybody in the corner how people how he's uh he was so famous so a powerful guy inside the club and he was so nice with everybody the way he treats people the way he managed all the situation the bad

59:14

Speaker A

situation the good situation he was the same so that's good to see someone like him you know the way he behave here and um that's that's the way i i really i look towards him you know um that's the way i really i really

59:32

Speaker A

appreciate him that's good now this um reminds me when uh i had him up with uh an experience that in greece to work for panathinaikus and i always uh i know i had some seemed the same same feeling uh with another

59:50

Speaker A

another person who was really important in our time david uh the way he always treated us in the dressing room you know go inside and shake the hands of everyone and speak to everyone you always try to speak to me in

60:03

Speaker A

politics there's a few words but i'm treating people well i think it's basically the way it's like arsenal as a club everyone very very close to each other and uh i'm sure you know um you returned to the club this new rule you

60:26

Speaker A

are of you in the club after having experience as a player understand the culture it's a lot easier for you you know to try to bring you know everyone back into the same spirit you know although is very challenging

60:43

Speaker A

but bringing this this experience now back yes if i can say that yeah but roberto if if you remember your best moment in your career always you're going to remember good people around you not only good footballers yeah you know because this is for me is

61:00

Speaker A

the most important thing to be to build a good team you need a good people around you good people around you that's that's for me the most important thing people has to feel comfortable with you people has to feel happy

61:12

Speaker A

uh people means players and the staff everybody's around our team you know and then you start to create a good atmosphere between everybody and that's you create something positive you know as you said you know arsene wenger was a

61:28

Speaker A

so nice guy david was unbelievable our team our squad was so nice guys around so we enjoyed to be together you know uh we we was happy together you know we winning game losing gaming we enjoying we're happy because in the end

61:45

Speaker A

we stay most of our our life together so our parents you know more than from our family and uh you have to enjoy you have to enjoy so respecting uh treat the people properly and make the people feel comfortable in

62:00

Speaker A

the team in the squad in the club in the environment so that's the main point for me because if you have that you know the footballers can can be free to play so that's that's the way i think that's

62:12

Speaker A

how that's the way i like to work and i try to bring uh some uh some kind of that things for for the club again yeah it's like you have um you enjoy being together have fun play football

62:27

Speaker A

and play football having fun with responsibility yeah that's that's the words that's the words you know players have to trust in a lot in the manager players has to try it a lot in my myself you know like uh treats

62:43

Speaker A

everybody in the same level and let's go let's see team no i'll just be sitting here listening nice uh it's a great story now we could talk you know for for a long long time you know asking a lot of

63:00

Speaker A

things that i'm curious and uh you know from when you look back um the position you are now at the club if you could advise the young adult starting at 4 inches what would you say to him he stole this

63:18

Speaker A

question from me i asked him this question stole it uh today there is a no way to be key to being a footballer without responsibility uh without the consistency because it's important you know you have to look after yourself

63:38

Speaker A

you have to be as i'm being saying a lot to me that interview a good guy working hard so that's no more than that no more than that focus consistency responsibility you know as i talk to my to my son

63:56

Speaker A

you know if you want to be a footballer today is not easy you know never never been easy to be fair but today maybe it's even more difficult i don't know because more today's is physical games uh you know much more maybe games

64:14

Speaker A

uh so it's a lot of things going on around the players right now so you have to be focused you know your career be strong and um take the responsibilities and then be tough applied to corinthians yes yeah as long as the challenges

64:34

Speaker A

yeah and i started foreign know to us and be taffy don't you face all the responsibility you had you know from corinthians uh national team we didn't mention valencia very much because otherwise we're going to spend another hour because i'm sure there's a lot of

64:57

Speaker A

good things maybe in the next opportunity but uh you know um yeah i want to close thank you thank you very much for the opportunity to talk and tell us a little bit about some stories about time about your you

65:11

Speaker A

know i was a little bit curious about understanding on your rule you know but uh on a very relaxed way to give you you know the freedom and to make you feel comfortable but by the way was fantastic to have you

65:26

Speaker A

here too um as uh my big brother as you know was a good friend it's always amazing when uh we have an opportunity to be together despite the fact we are far from each other now but it's like

65:42

Speaker A

we are very close you know because of uh things we build in the right way special friend a good friendship it doesn't matter where you are you we always have a very good feeling from each other and the time we spend together

66:01

Speaker A

at anywhere we we were you know there was a national team as well we didn't talk about that maybe for the next next opportunity thank you very much thank you very much roberto your swords and my words my friends

66:16

Speaker A

as you know so thank you very much pleasure thank you my friend regards the family come on arsenal come on arsenal great fantastic thing thank you so much sir great to talk to you yes how how how was my english just to to

66:41

Speaker A

make sure if you understand probably what i what what i tried to say sorry i get told i'll talk too quick uh so yours is absolutely perfect mate pleasure really honored to talk to you thank you so much no thank you very much thank you

67:13

Speaker A

yeah you

Topics: Edu Gaspar Arsenal Sporting Director Arsène Wenger Invisible Wall Podcast Football Management COVID-19 Challenges Player Relations Football Culture Club Leadership


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