Alberto Gil: “It is the first time in my life that I want Valencia to lose”

Alberto Gil (Valencia, 1997) counts the hours to face Valencia, to ‘his’ Valencia in the round of 16 of the Cup. The Ourense attacker He spent five years in Paterna and his heart is black and white. Alberto does not hide his feelings from AS before the appointment this Tuesday. He admits that it is the first time in his life that he wants Valencia to lose and he is worried about the team’s current situation in Primera.

How many years were you in the Valencia quarry?

At first, I spent two years, in the Infant and first-year Cadet classes. They didn’t count on me and I went to Alboraya for three seasons. Then, I returned to Valencia for another three years, the last one as a youth player and the two in the reserve team. In the end, I was at Valencia for five years.

Did you have a bad time when it was time to pack your bags?

It wasn’t easy. I didn’t have as many minutes as I thought and what a child has to do is play. In Alboraya I grew a lot and the same people who had decided not to count on me called me again. It was another different stage.

Many remember him for that penalty against Chelsea that he scored and the referee It was not considered valid in the Youth League…

I don’t like to talk about it too much because it makes me look stupid. I did my job, I scored the goal. They stole a classification from us to the round of 16 of the Youth League, which is like the Champions League for a youth player.

What generation are you?

I’m from ’97 and I coincided with Pedro Chirivella, Lato, Carlos Soler, Villalba, Rafa Mir… Only Rafa remains in the first team of that generation and it’s a shame because she was very good. It’s a shame there aren’t more.

Let’s go to the game…

I am a Valencian. It is a very special match. I never imagined playing against Valencia in the Cup. For a Valencia fan like me, I feel sorry that Ourense or them are going to fall. I hope we pass. It is the first time in my life that I want Valencia to lose and I hope it is the last.

What has Ourense’s path been like until these last 16?

Ourense is a small, humble club but it is doing things very well. We came from winning this weekend. We have had a Copa del Rey in which we beat Guijuelo on DANA day, which was a bitter victory. Then, we had Depor, a historic team and now Valladolid. We played a great game and I hope that on Tuesday we can compete the same and go to the quarterfinals.

Who is favorite?

The normal thing is to be eliminated, but the nice thing is that the favorite doesn’t always win. It is the game of our life and we are going to leave everything. They are not going to beat us in hunger. It’s Football and anything can happen. I hope we can win.

Are you worried about Valencia’s current situation?

It’s been very hard because I grew up with Valencia in the Champions League and winning the League. You’ve been on the edge of the cliff for several seasons now and in the end you fall. It would be a shame if it went down. With the new coach we are seeing something else. When you are like this, everything bad happens to you, as happened in Seville. The entire second round remains. I trust that it will be saved because I can’t imagine Valencia in the Second Division. But if it goes down, those of us who are really from Valencia will not get off the boat.

Who was your idol?

I really liked Pablo Aimar. When I grew up I also played his videos. I loved it.

In that locker room, the matchup with Valencia was celebrated…

He’s always going to be great. Many wanted Madrid or Barça for their stars, but O Couto is going to present the best entry and with the withdrawal of entries the greatness of Valencia is being seen. They are even going to put extra stands.

How does Ourense play?

We are a young team that is in good shape right now and is out of relegation. We try to play football and we have heart. We come from coming back in 88′ and 90′. We are sure to play a difficult game against Valencia.

But this Ourense is not the classic…

No. The old one disappeared in 2014 and the city can be said to be divided with us being the Ourense Football Club and the Ourense Sports Union, which are in the Third RFEF. They have more fans, but being in the First RFEF and with this Cup we are making them excited.

Do you think they may have more options if Valencia is focused on the League?

As a Valencia fan, this club can never throw away the Cup. We are also playing with the least common and there are no excuses.

What Valencia shirt would you like to have?

I would like to have Gayà’s. He is the captain, the one who has been there the longest. I was lucky to meet him when I trained with the first team, when they brought me up with Nuno, Marcelino and Voro. Gayà is a great person.

Would you celebrate a goal?

I can’t even imagine what it would mean to score against Valencia. I don’t know what will go through my mind if that happens.

He left Paterna years ago. It doesn’t make him angry to think that at this time it would be easier to reach the first team…

It is something that I have thought many times because when I was at Valencia, the team played in the Champions League and spent 40 million euros on Guedes. It was difficult to go from Juvenil to Mestalla. Being selfish, I would have liked to be there now because with my desire, I still would have made room for myself. But as a fan, I tell you that I liked that team better because they had more money and could be with the best…

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