José María Giménez, defender of Atlético Madrid, spoke on the program Polideportivo (Teledoce) about the injury he is going through and his role in the Uruguayan National team after the retirement of Diego Godín, who played his last professional match on Sunday.
Giménez is recovering from a fracture in his shin, which prevented him from traveling with his club for preseason friendlies. "It's a non-displaced internal fracture. I was running like nothing in some intermittent exercises, I felt like a piece of wood was breaking and I was left standing. I thought it was something with my muscle that would go away, I could walk afterwards. They did the tests and it's a small fracture. In three weeks, they will do the first test to see how it's healing, and from there it will depend on each person's progress. It takes six weeks for some, eight for others, it depends," he commented.
In recent weeks, another Uruguayan joined Atlético, another defender, Santiago Mouriño. "He's a great guy who wants to grow a lot, you can see his desire to adapt quickly. For young players to come from Uruguay here is difficult, especially adaptation, but you can see his eagerness to adapt quickly. He's a great player, hopefully he gets to learn a lot here," Giménez said about the former Racing player.
Talking about how he envisions his future at Atlético Madrid and if he would like to play there for the rest of his career, he said that football is very unpredictable and that it will not depend solely on his desire. "If you ask me, I would like to live in Madrid for the rest of my career because it's a divine city, my children were raised here, I have friends and loved ones here and we are very well. I want to stay here, but it will not depend solely on me," he expressed.
The Celeste world
With Godín ending his career, Giménez appears as a natural candidate to be the next captain of the Uruguayan National Team, of which he is already one of the leaders.
"I take it very calmly. In the end, I've been there for ten years. I have learned a lot from the teammates I have had by my side, the great Pharaoh and everyone else. I don't focus on whether I will take the armband or not, but on all the things I have learned alongside them. If they are no longer there tomorrow and I have to keep going, I will help the younger players in the same way they helped us. It's time to start assuming that role, that change that will happen naturally. There are many leaders in the National Team, it's not just about speaking, and they will have to take charge of the future team. It's a challenge that I want to take on and I'm very calm about it," he said.
About Godín's retirement, his teammate both in the Celeste and in Atlético, he said that the news made him reflect on when his own moment will come, and that he will try to support the Pharaoh in the best way in this new stage. "Totally grateful for what he has done for our country and what he has taught me. I can proudly say that I had the privilege of sharing a thousand battles with Godín," Josema commented.
Another aspect he referred to was the arrival of Marcelo Bielsa to the Uruguayan National Team, whom he described as "a legendary coach, one that everyone talks about."
"I want to learn. What I hope is to adapt if he needs me to. Contribute from wherever I am, give my contribution whenever it's needed, and help the country and the team qualify for the World Cup, which is what we all want," he said, acknowledging that he had already been able to meet with the Rosario-born coach, who pointed out some corrections in his game.
Another important topic is the four-match suspension the defender will have to serve after assaulting a FIFA official after the match between Uruguay and Ghana in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Giménez explained that a person who was assisting the Uruguayan delegation with FIFA protocols during the tournament told him that the person he assaulted was his friend, so the Uruguayan asked to be put in contact with him to apologize.
"I called him and sent him messages, but he got defensive and said that the matter was in the hands of those in charge of the sanctions. I was surprised, I didn't expect him to take it that way, I don't know if he accepted my apologies because he didn't respond, he just said that he couldn't talk about it. These are mistakes that one makes, that one learns from, and that are taken into consideration for the future, especially considering what I said at that moment. It's not the example to give to anyone, our children, our relatives, the children of Uruguay, and in the end, you receive a sanction that hurts because you miss matches with your National Team," the defender pointed out.
Giménez also acknowledged something that became public in recent days, which is that he participated in a donation of equipment to improve the gym of Danubio's youth teams, the club where he trained and made his debut in the First Division. He said that this action arose from a visit to the La Franja complex, where he saw that a reform was needed. "I told them that I was going to help them with the renovation if possible, and so it was. In the end, it's a detail, it's giving a little of everything they have given me. I owe everything to Danubio for the opportunities they have given me to play in Europe and to have played for the National Team. Whenever I can contribute a grain of sand, I'm delighted," he said.