Today we conduct an interview with Joel Robles, Real Betis goalkeeper.

Age: 30 years  old 17/06/1990
Height: 1’97
Actual team: Real Betis
Debut date: 8 May 2010 against Sporting de Gijon . 1-1 Sporting – Atletico de MadridClubs: Atletico Madrid , Rayo Vallecano, Wigan Athletic, Everton, Real Betis.

How did you start playing soccer?

I started playing soccer because like every child of our generation we liked to play soccer on the street and from there I joined a team from Getafe (Madrid) called CPI (no longer exists).

Tell us what the Real Betis is like from the inside

The Real Betis inside is a very big club, a lot of employees and it is like a big family, everyone works hard to make the Real Betis a big club.

What model of gloves do you wear?

The model of gloves I use are the Aquagrip, they are very comfortable gloves that as soon as you put them on give you a sense of security.

What advice would you give to a young keeper starting out?

The advice I always give is that they never give up their hopes of fulfilling their dreams , working hard is very important and during the difficult moments work even harder.

How would you define yourself as a goalkeeper?

I define myself as a quiet goalkeeper who over the years has been improving in many phases of play both offensively and defensively.

How did you start playing in the goalkeeeper position?

I never wanted to be a goalkeeper when I was a kid, I wanted to be a player, but my uncle told me to be a goalkeeper because it was a better position, but I made the coaches make me play the first part as a player.

What has been the most important moment in your career?

The most important moment obviously was my debut in the first division with the club of my life, Atletico Madrid and in 2 years have been able to win titles with them that had not been done so for a long time within the club.

Nerves are one of the biggest problems a goalkeeper has to face when and how do they affect you?

Nerves clearly are something quite negative for a goalkeeper because of the position we have, but I think few goalkeepers get nervous since we have a particular personality that we start to train from a very young age, I never get really nervous but it is true that there are important moments where I do feel  more tension, but this is something that helps you to be more focused.

Any habits before or during matches?

Few habits, I don’t like them because once you start they keep growing.

What care do you give the gloves to keep them ready all the time?

Well, I try to have the gloves perfect for every game in the best way I can. There are times I need to use a new pair for each game but the most important thing for me is to feel the best possible I can for that important and beautiful day that is the match day, the day we train for all week, but most mportant, I always like to keep them clean.