Soler: “I hope to come back to Valencia with Olympic gold”

Carlos Soler has a chance to win Olympic gold this weekend, when he plays for Spain in the final of the Tokyo 2020 tournament against Brazil. Before the big match, VCF Media checked in with the club captain.

Going for gold

“It's a game that we've been dreaming of playing. It's a final, and playing it against Brazil is something that doesn't happen every day. It's a very special day and we're going to prepare well to bring back the gold for Spain. That's what we've been aiming for from the start.”

A difficult tournament

“We knew that the tournament wasn't going to be easy, because there are a lot of circumstances off the pitch that people don't see, such as the travel. It's a bit like preseason, except that there are players who have come in after the European Championships to help us out.

It's hard to get into competition pace. The games are very evenly matched, and we've had to play extra time twice. Costa Rica and Japan were both great opponents and have good players, as well as being physically very tough. We're in the final and now we're going to enjoy these days before the game. Hopefully we can enjoy winning it.”

The weight of expectations

We knew that reaching the final was what people expected of us -as if it were an easy task. As you can see, it isn't the case. We've had injuries in specific positions, suspensions and also we've been playing every three days. It's tough to manage the workload throughout the season, so imagine it in preseason.

It's difficult to manage, and it's hard to get through each round. People need to give it the credit that it deserves. We certainly do.”

“Tournaments like World Cups, European Championships and Olympic Games have this difficulty that comes with a bad game or a mistake leading to you being knocked out. It's very tough to win these competitions.

I think that doing this deserves credit, and now that we're in the final we are going to enjoy the days in the runup.

We've spent almost 40 days here, going from hotel to hotel and making various journeys. It's mentally tiring as well -sometimes more so than physically. There's just the last step remaining, and I hope that everything goes well and that we win.”

Receiving support from afar

“We have to adapt. We've had 1.5 years of the pandemic, and playing behind closed doors is something we've adapted to, but hopefully the fans return soon. We saw fans at Mestalla the other day for the game against AC Milan. You feel the impact the fans have, including your family -who we are most missing here. It's a little bit difficult to keep in touch, with the time difference, but I've felt the support the fans are giving me. They spur me on, and help me to do my best when it is time to help the team, which has reached the final of the Olympic Games.”

A message from Mestalla from the fans

“I saw a clip of their ovation for me on social media. Thank you all for continuing to support me, and I'm sure they will be doing so at midday on Saturday in Spain. I hope that they can enjoy a win, and that I can show off the medal when I come back.”

His participation in decisive moments of the competition

“I’m happy. Every player always wants to play every minute, be a starter and score two goals -you always want more- but in the quarter-final and semi-final I have had to come on in moments when the games are decided, and luckily it has gone well. I have played in the crunch moments in the quarter finals and semi-final and I’m happy to be able to go to the final.”

What the Olympic Games means to him.

“When I was little I watched the Olympic Games and other sports. Now I get the chance to enjoy myself at the event with Spain, and it is a huge joy. Being here only happens once in a lifetime.”