Madrid (AFP) – “I am happy where I am, I feel loved,” says Mikel Oyarzabal, Real Sociedad’s captain and creator, often linked with Manchester City but whose best chance of playing in the Champions League next season might be to stay where he is.
Real Sociedad are fourth in La Liga, one point ahead of Atletico Madrid, after Oyarzabal’s penalty helped them beat Eibar on March 10, the league’s last match that was played behind closed doors before fixtures were suspended completely.
A week earlier, another Oyarzabal penalty sent la Real through to their first Copa del Rey final in 32 years, this one against Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao for the first time ever. In February, they had each knocked out Real Madrid and Barcelona on the same night.
Oyarzabal, together with Martin Odegaard who is flourishing on loan from Real Madrid, has been at the heart of it. The Spanish number 10 who marauds off the left has been fouled twice as much as Lionel Messi and sits below only five players with 14 goals and assists combined.
It has already been a brilliant season and it is tempting to wonder if it will be judged a success too, regardless of how Real Sociedad place at the end of La Liga’s sprint finish that begins on Thursday.
“Listen, not for me,” Oyarzabal says, in an exclusive interview with AFP. “We are a few points ahead so what we all want is to sit in the Champions League, to live that competition next year.
“Everyone is completely plugged in now and it feels like a good time to fight for where we are.”
– “Something beautiful” –
It is not only about where they are but how they got there, with many seeing Real Sociedad as the best team to watch in Spain this season.
“People can say nice things but it’s more about what we feel,” says Oyarzabal. “We feel comfortable, we feel happy and I think that shows in how we play.
“I’m proud of this team, of what we’re doing. But we’re 11 games away from achieving something beautiful, something exciting.”
Capable of precision and pace in equal measure, la Real are full of surprises. Oyarzabal is too, a dancing dribbler with size 47 feet and a club captain already at the age of 23.
He watches the news every morning at the training ground over breakfast and has a business degree in administration and management.
from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3hmQiVs
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