Laia Codina (Campllonch, 2000) made her debut eight months ago with the senior team and since then has earned the trust of Jorge Vilda. The one in Australia and New Zealand will be the first World Cup for the central and her chance to claim herself in a year in which she has not had so much weight with FC Barcelona. She lifted the Champions League with the Blaugrana team at the beginning of June and before the end of the month she was already focused on Spain.
Have you had time to rest?
Just enough. When you have more than 15 days of vacation, you are already thinking that you have to start running so as not to lose your tone, so I think that two weeks have been perfect for arriving fresh.
He debuted in October with the absolute, against the United States and scoring. How did he live it?
Very happy. I already knew that he would start the day before and I think it is one of the games that I have faced with more calm, despite the fact that it was a debut with the national team and against the United States. My father was in the stands and it was very nice to celebrate with him and with a goal.
Do you think that thanks to that match he claimed vindication against Vilda?
Surely that game helped, and a lot, but that’s what it was about. In the end you have to take advantage of the opportunities they give you because in football everything is about moments.
At Barça he has barely had minutes, while in the national team he has been gaining weight. How do you manage having two such different roles?
It costs a lot and I think I’ve been learning it this season, which has been a learning experience in every way.
Do you feel important in the selection?
Yes, totally. We all like to feel important and here I have felt more important than at my club, but in the end these are things that happen. This is football, and I suppose I was able to take advantage of the opportunity and it has given me this continuity with the national team.
What does it mean for you to be in the World Cup?
Well, it’s the best. In the end I have had a difficult year personally and footballingly, and this is like closing the circle well. Just being on this list means a lot to me.
How do you see Spain’s options in this World Cup?
I think something big can be done. There is a lot of enthusiasm, and when it begins to spread from one to the other, it makes it possible to go far. I hope to see Spain on August 20 playing the final.
I was going to ask you about overcoming the historical barrier of the quarterfinals, but you are talking about the final.
It is what we should aspire to. I think that we have a very good team and that few teams play the game that we can play, so it is something that we must take advantage of.
Which teams do you see as stronger?
A World Cup opens the doors to so many teams… Losing a match in the group stage can leave you out. I could use clichés and say the United States and England, because they won the Eurocup, but I think that would be disparaging teams that also have not only the opportunity, but the team to go far.
Can this World Cup break the US hegemony?
Surely. In fact, Spain lost in the last one against them and for me, who watched it from home, Spain deserved much more. And we are talking about four years ago. I think so, and I’m not just talking about Spain, but that Europe in general will take a step forward in this World Cup.
Apart from football, it has been a very turbulent year for the national team, has it been resolved?
In a soccer team that lives together for so many hours, emotions are more intense, both good and bad. But we are very professional and if we want to go far in the World Cup, the group has to have a certain calm and cohesion. The most important thing is that we all respect each other, both those who are here and those who are not.
How have you experienced the conflict?
I made the decision to go to the national team. Each one will decide if it is more coherent for him or not, but I believed that going was the best personal option for me at that time.
They have been accused of being capricious and have been in the media spotlight, how have you managed this criticism?
I personally have strayed quite a bit. It is something that is learned, and surely I have learned it by having a hard time at some point. In the end it only matters what you do, all that is within your reach is what you can control. What you can’t control, better not pay much attention to it.
He has come to close his Twitter account…
Yes, because if we don’t have the tendency to go in and you see things that you don’t like or that don’t add up. I am one of those who try to separate everything that does not add up because the life of a soccer player is very short and I like to squeeze it.
Does being at Barça help to carry this weight?
Yes, and it is surely because it is something that you share with many colleagues. The fact of living the same as the one next door means that you can have conversations that can help you cope.
Have you felt judged?
I accept everything that is said because I understand that everyone has their opinion and no one has the absolute truth. Judged, I personally have not felt, but at times I could have felt attacked, like other colleagues. But I think it’s part of it; I mean, I don’t think it’s bad. Criticism, if it is constructive, will make us grow.
Do you think that the results of Spain will be judged differently after the conflict?
I’m sure it will come out, because we already see it in the interviews that it continues to be a topic to talk about, but I see the team as very confident and very calm in this regard. There is a lot of tranquility and I like this because it is something that makes you feel comfortable.
He has one year left on his contract with Barça, but there is speculation about his departure. Will it be decided after the World Cup?
Yes, exactly, because I think it’s important not to lose focus on what I’m experiencing right now, otherwise my head won’t be where it should be. I am very calm about what is coming, I have a one-year contract with Barça and now I am here with the national team, and I want to make the most of it.
Having a good World Cup can open many doors for you.
I am confident that I can have a good World Cup and somehow vindicate myself, why not?
