Balliu: “No matter who you play, Spain will paint your face”

Ivan Balliu (1/1/1992, Caldes de Malavella) was born in Spain, but this Monday it is in his rival field defending the colors of Albania. The Rayo Vallecano player, who wore the ‘Roja’ shirt as a kid, is ready to make his debut in his first European Cup in a very special match for him. And he will do it like an expert, because he knows Luis de la Fuente’s squad so well that he ensures that, whoever plays, Albania will have a difficult match, although it will fight to reach the round of 16 .

First Euro, how does it feel?

Everything is very cool, the organization is spectacular, the atmosphere is also… So looking forward to playing, really, and I hope I can do it again because it’s spectacular.

After a tough season at Rayo, do you feel stronger about it?

Yes, that’s what you’re saying. I come from a difficult year in Rayo, where we struggled and almost burned down. But yes, in the end the change of scenery, different environment, was good for me.

How did Ivan Balliu end up in Albania?

Well nothing. I received a call from the federation, because of my last name. Which is very typical of Albania and together with my father and my family we started gathering papers. With their help I got a passport and now represent them.

Is it true that you never went to Albania until you were summoned?

That’s right. It’s true that I didn’t do it, the first time.

do you speak albanian yet?

Not one hundred percent, but I’m progressing better and better.

He played in Spanish youth teams. Are you surprised by the choice of De la Fuente?

Nothing surprises me. In the end I know the players and well, people are surprised now at the level of Nico and Lamine Yamal but not me. I worked hard for them. Spain played very well, they were very aggressive and on the ball they were at a very high level.

Did you keep up with anyone from this call at the time?

No, the only one I was in a team with was Alejandro Grimaldo at Barça B.

Speaking of Nico and Lamine Yamal, they steal all the attention. How do you stop them?

The truth is that by giving them some space, they will not receive. But if you are too close they are so fast that they find space behind you. They are two very unbalanced players and difficult to stop.

In the case of Lamine, you who also came through the youth ranks of Barça… Did it have an effect on you?

Yes, incredible. When I was 16 years old I sometimes thought about it. Here we discussed it with the team and said ‘wow, at 16 years old, what am I doing?’. I can’t even remember. This is almost one of the best players in the world at this age, so imagine the future he has.

So far Albania has proven to be a very competitive team. They had chances against Italy and Croatia to get more…

In modern football today you compete with any team. We showed that we compete. Being aggressive, putting our foot down and being very heavy, we are alive against any rival. Against Italy we had that chance from Ray in the last minute and against Croatia we got that little point, although I think we deserved a bit more. We hope that against Spain it will remain open.

Does Albania see itself capable of winning and qualifying?

I think you have to go with that attitude. We know that it will be very difficult, that there will be moments where we will suffer because Spain, with the ball and the unbalanced players, will ask a lot from us. But as I say, reach for the last 10 minutes of life to achieve a good result.

Do you think Spain is classified with their benefits?

I do not know. Because there is also talk that there will be rotations, but you don’t know if it will be better or worse. Because those who don’t get a lot of minutes want to show that they need more minutes. I think it will still be complicated. These are the elite and these groups never relax. They come with unit A, B, C or D and at the end they paint your face. It must be said. Sometimes you’d rather play the most minutes because there’s always the risk of injury and they might be thinking more about the second round. He would be crazy on both sides.

Taking advantage of the fact that he knows them… Will we see Balliu as a starter?

I hope. I’m always ready but it’s something that doesn’t depend on me.

What must Albania do to beat the National Team?

Cover the interior spaces, where you can see Pedri, Fabián or anyone else. And then with the imbalance on the wing, having help so that it’s not one against one, but two in defense against an attacker.

What is clear is that if Albania wins anything at this Euro, it will be on the level of support from its fans. Could it be a custom against Spain?

At the games we always bring more people, they always cheer. But, a coach told me that the fans don’t win. The players are the ones who do it, so it’s up to us.

What does Sylvinho look like as a coach?

Very close, having dedicated a lot of time to it and living it a lot. He puts a lot of emotion into who he is and the way he trains.

There is also Pablo Zabaleta…

He is the second or third coach. He is mostly in charge of the dead ball, but he often talks and communicates.

Albania is a team that has been growing in recent years. What’s this for?

The federation is doing a great job. In the country there is a lot of football and a lot of school teams, they force them to play and it increases a lot. They invested in the league, where better and better players are emerging and some are already in the big leagues. They also have a department in charge of finding players with families and all that level up.

where is your roof

I want to be a Croatia-style team. That they are always there, that they go through the group stages and you see them at World Cups. We are a small country but where football is often played.

One of its peculiarities is that there are many players like you, who were not born in Albania but defend their colors. Does it affect you in any way?

The same thing happens to almost everyone. In all the teams, everyone comes from a team, with an idea of ​​the game, and comes together to play the other team with very little time to do it. What we players are looking for is to win games using the tools the coach gives us, we are fighting for the same goals

When this is done, vacation and soon return to the reality of Rayo. What didn’t work this year?

We started with great enthusiasm with Francisco (Rodríguez). I wanted to implement an idea similar to Iraola’s, but things didn’t work and then we didn’t know how to redirect it.

Did Iraola’s departure affect you?

Of course. He is a great coach who led us to play at a very high level. Even before climbing. He is very demanding and knows how to read games perfectly.

Were you surprised at how well he did in England?

Not really. I know I will succeed.