How is your time at Betis going so far?
Great, I feel at home. The fans have been fantastic. Seville reminds me of Hamburg a little in that people are very friendly and it’s a great city. The heat however is a major difference.
You appear to be happy.
Of course. Playing football is the best job around. Few people get to see their childhood dream come true and I’m one of the few.
There are those who see your arrival at the club as an excuse to sell shirts.
I certainly feel I’m far more competitive than being a media personality. I want to win, score goals, get back into the Dutch national team. To achieve all that one has to do more than just sell replica shirts.
How do you find your new coach?
He thinks like a Dutch coach. He’s very communicative with the squad and I get along well with him.
Looking at your career. Do you feel that you missed out on the World Cup losing to Spain?
My generation have been very lucky. I needed just another half a meter to block Iniestas’s shot, Robben just centimeters to beat Casillas... If that shot had have gone in, then we would have won the game.
How did you see Iker’s departure from Madrid?
It was sad. He won so much there that they way he left was a total lack of respect for him. Casillas is synonymous with Real Madrid’, the club ran through his blood. I hope he gets a chance at Porto to prove just how good he still is.
What do you remember about your time at Madrid?
I am proud of having spent two years there, playing and scoring for the team. I arrived these when Calderón was president, Mijatovic was sporting director and Schuster was first team coach. In just three months all three were all gone, crazy.
How do you mean?
At Real Madrid, if you win nothing it’s deemed as a major fiasco. The most impatient club in the world. You lose a game and it's as if the world has ended.
What about wanting to retire at Cadiz CF?
I just want to live for the present. Cádiz? Maybe in the future. My family are from Chiclana and now I’m closet o there, living in Seville.