Quotes About Center-back

At seven, I played centre-back. When you're so young, though, it's more to enjoy the training and to get a feel for the game. It's not heavy on tactics of a position. We were playing on a half pitch, seven against seven or eight against eight, so they say you're a centre-back, but it's not like the real definition.

Everybody knows that there are quality players at centre back for Madrid and for me that's the day-to-day challenge. That's why it's important to be ready to take advantage of every chance that comes up.

Not many know this, but in training sessions, I like to play in the center-back position sometimes. I think I'm good at that position, and my father used to be a central defender. Some people don't realize that if you play in that position, you can better understand how the defender thinks.

Keeping up your concentration is one of the hardest tasks when you're a centre-back because a team like Bayern tend to dominate and can give you sense of false security.

If we become world champions it may open the door to the Fifa Ballon d'Or, although I think it would be difficult. Every 10 years a centre-back may win it once.

I would love to see myself as versatile - I think that's important as a player - but I think, realistically, I feel like kind of how the team sees me is probably more set in stone as a center-back defender, which is totally fine.