The Press Room at El Requexón today played host to the presentation of the award for March’s ‘Jugador Cinco Estrellas’ Player of the Month to Nereo Champagne. The Real Oviedo goalkeeper, who has played a decisive role in many of the latest fixtures and shown good form, has been recognised by fans of ‘Los Azules’. Champagne received the most votes out of the five players nominated by the beer company on their Twitter profile @futbolmahou, and was presented with the award by Mahou representative Javier Alonso, from La Cueva in Cangas de Onís.
The Argentine keeper began his remarks by thanking the fans for their votes and support, although he argued that “any one of my teammates could have won it, because every single member of this team competes.” When asked about the break and what the week of rest has meant for the team, Nereo commented that “it’s been good for us, because we are ready to start a final sprint that is going to be very difficult. We’ve recharged our batteries and recovered a few injured players after two incredibly difficult matches against two of the best teams in the division. Having these two weeks off to prepare for a match at this point in the season has been really good for us.”
With respect to the last match, in which a mistake led to the equalising goal, Nereo Champagne said he is treating it with “normality” above all else. “It’s the same as any other goal. You know that in both the good and bad moments you have to improve from your mistakes. I am incredibly grateful to the fans at the Tartiere, because I believe that what the fan says is what matters most, in the good times and in the bad. I believe the backing that they showed me was also for the entire team, because they saw that we had given everything and the fans recognised our effort. I wasn’t able to respond to all the people that wrote to me to show their support, but I want to thank them all.”
The goalkeeper was clear in his response as to how best to recompose oneself after such a mistake, saying that “I’ve been between the sticks since I was 6 years old and I am used to living with my mistakes. Even when things are going well, you have to isolate that and know that you can always get better. Not everything is great in the good moments. You have to know where you are and give normality to all situations, good and bad.”
Regarding the team’s chances and the key to success during the remainder of the season, Champagne highlighted that it was “the unity that exists in everything we do. We’ve got the four core elements in perfect order: the players, the coaching staff, the directors and, above all, the fans. Not all the teams that we are fighting against have what we have, and you can tell. We have an advantage with this, it’s fundamental, and it will turn out to be key. It is going to be a mental marathon. In terms of the footballing and the physical side of the game, we are all pretty even. We are all going to win, lose and draw. Whoever falls mentally will not reach their target. You have to understand that the most important match is always the next one. This week it’s Córdoba. It’s an important match, and for me their difficult situation makes them even harder for us to play against. They are a team that is coming into it wounded, and I am expecting it to be a very, very difficult match.”
If you want to participate in the voting for the ‘Jugador Cinco Estrellas’ Player of the Month for April, stay tuned to the @futbolmahou and @realoviedo Twitter accounts, where the voting information and next winner will be announced.
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