EXCLUSIVE | César Navas: "I Have Many Stories About Real Madrid, but They Can't Be Told In Public". Interview About Nuances of Russian and Spanish Football

44-year-old Spaniard César Navas is considered one of the best foreign players in the history of the Russian Premier League (RPL). He won the Russian championship and later worked for Kazan side Rubin as a scout after retiring from playing professional football. Following the end of his playing career, Navas focused on furthering his education and is now looking forward to applying his newly acquired knowledge in practice.

In an interview with Telecomasia.net, César Navas discussed:

• his plans for a future career;
• what Russian champion Zenit might aspire to achieve in the Spanish league;
• the playful antics of Zidane and other stars in the Real Madrid locker room;
• a stadium where he found bullets;
• the conflict with Slovak footballer Martin Jakubko.

– What are you currently working on?

– After spending four years at Rubin as the head of the scouting department, I was also studying and interning as a coach to get a UEFA license. Besides, I studied sports management. Right now, I am waiting for job offers. This could be as a sporting director or a coach. Right now, I take the opportunity to continue learning while I don’t have a job. I attend football-related courses and observe and analyze teams and coaches.

– Are you considering job opportunities in Russia?

– Russia is like a second home to me. I was very happy to work and live there. It would be wonderful to return. However, for that to happen, there would need to be an important and prospective project.

– How would you evaluate your work at Rubin? What did you succeed in, and what didn't you have time to complete?

– It was a very good four years, both professionally and personally. When you stop being a player, new employment opportunities arise. I accepted the offer from Rubin's general director to organize the scouting department without hesitation. Being a scout is an exciting job, but organizing the work was a challenging task. It's unfortunate that the war made all foreign players leave the club, leaving the team without leaders. We aimed to attract young foreign players with great growth potential, and the team was on the rise. But they all left, and the club was left without quality, leading players.

I believe that during the years I served as the head of the scouting department at Rubin, good work was accomplished. Being a part of Rubin was a source of pride for me – both as a player for eight seasons and as a part of the club’s sports structure for four years.

– Did you take part in player transfers?

– During my time at the club, the final decision for all transfers was always made by the general director, and it needed to be approved by the sports director. In almost all transfer cases, the decision to sign a player was agreed upon by a working group, which included the coach, the sporting director, and the scouting department. We had a long list of analyzed players for each position. Later, these players were evaluated during multiple meetings, and decisions were made on who to sign.

– In Russia, Zenit is currently leading. If they were to play in Spain, what position could they realistically compete for?

– Zenit is a fantastic team with very strong players, and they have an excellent coach. I believe that in the Spanish league they could contend for a place in the range of 6th to 12th place.

– Talking about Zenit – is it bad for the league to have the same team become champions for six years in a row?

– Football is a show. Fans attend matches for entertainment. When you go to a show and already know the outcome, it becomes a bit less exciting and enjoyable. It's not good for the championship to have one dominant team, as it takes away the thrill out of football. Football is still a very interesting and fun game, with many factors to consider and analyze. However, I imagine that the fans of Zenit are quite happy with this situation, aren’t they? Ha-ha.

– Russian clubs may not be participating in European competitions, yet they are making significant transfers. This summer, Zenit spent over €40 million, and Spartak made significant investments as well. Why spend so much when there are no European matches?

– I can understand it when the clubs spend money to strengthen their squads in order to compete for victory in the Russian league. Even though the teams are not competing in European tournaments, the management wants to win the championship title.

– You were a former head of the scouting department. Were you asked about Russian players? Perhaps a La Liga club showed interest in a Russian player?

– In the last year and a half that I have been out of work, many sporting directors, player agents, and coaches have called me to ask for my opinion on players from the Russian league or specific clubs.

Ultimately, the football world is a closed and not very large circle, and many of us are connected. We help each other when we don’t have direct information about the market or a particular country. Because I’ve worked in Russia for so long, I know Russian football very well.

– Speaking of the quality of players, who currently seems ready to make the move to Spain?

– There are many Russian players who could easily play in the Spanish league. The latest generation is particularly talented. In my opinion, players like Tyukavin, Spertsyan, Glushenkov, Morozov, Karpukas, Pinyaev, and Diveev would do well in the Spanish league.

– Can we conclude that you have been asked about these players?

– Haha! I won’t say.

– This summer, Spartak signed forward Willian José from Betis. It’s not quite clear what kind of player he is. What did you think about him during his time in La Liga?

– Willian José is a highly respected player in Spain. He is a central forward with a lot of experience and excellent scoring abilities. He had very good seasons in Spain and left Betis only due to the club's financial fair play issues. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have let him go.

José is a physically strong and powerful player, although as a veteran, he has lost some of his explosiveness and speed. However, he still has excellent physical skills. I am confident that he will return to a high level if he stays physically fit. Dejan Stankovic needs to create a style that allows José to showcase his qualities and experience.

– He has been reported to have weight issues at Spartak. Did you hear about such problems while he was in Spain?

– I didn’t hear about him having such problems while he was playing in Spain.

– What is the perception of Russian football in Spain? Which players are most memorable?

– Spanish fans really don’t know much about Russian football. But speaking about the Russians who have played in Spain and left a mark, it makes sense to mention Arsen Zakharyan and Denis Cheryshev, as both are currently active players. Among the legends who played in Spain and are well remembered, there are Karpin, Mostovoy, and Radchenko.

– Mostovoy considers himself a legend and recently stated, "If I come to Vigo, the whole city will be buzzing. If I step onto the Celta field, the stands will go down." Is he really that legendary for Celta?

– Without a doubt, he is a legend in Vigo. Celta fans regard Mostovoy as a legendary figure in the team and one of the greatest players in the club's history.

– How would you evaluate Zakharyan's first season in La Liga?

– He had trouble adapting to Spanish football. The game here is much faster, with a higher tempo than what he was used to. Moreover, for such a young boy, the change of language and country is a very tough step. Typically, adaptation for a young footballer is much slower than for a more mature person. Besides, he moved to Real Sociedad, which has a very distinctive and unique playing style, so it's understandable that his first season didn’t turn out as well as expected.

In his position, he faces significant competition within the team, as his teammates have a very high level. I’m confident that Zakharyan will improve his performance this season, and his game will continue to develop with each passing year. Arsen is very young and has great potential. I really like this player, and I believe that he will ultimately find success at Real Sociedad.

– Real Sociedad has had a tough start to the season. Is there a feeling that everyone is waiting for Zakharyan's return after his surgery to help turn the situation around for the team?

– I’m sure the coach is thrilled for Zakharyan’s return. Arsen provides the team with different options in play; he is a player with great creative abilities and possesses many attacking qualities. The fans also want to see him on the field. There is hope that he will have an outstanding season.

– As a player, you had the chance to cross paths with Zidane at Real Madrid. What memories do you have from that time?

– Oh, Zidane was incredible, one of the best players in the history of football! He had impressive ball control and was so elegant. Zinedine was a quiet and calm person both on and off the field, even during training sessions. He was a winner, and you could see that in his eyes.

Zidane was a silent leader. Even though he wasn’t very talkative, he earned universal respect. In Madrid, he was one of the leaders of the team. I had the honor of training and enjoying the game alongside Real Madrid.

– Is there a story about Zidane or other stars that you remember?

– There are plenty of stories, but many of them can't be shared publicly.

– How about a story that can be shared?

– I can only say that there was so much talent in that team and they had so much confidence that before games, they would change quickly and play football and tennis in the locker room, using medical stretchers and travel bags as nets! No one needed to focus before the game; they just wanted to have fun.

– Who do you still keep in touch with from that squad?

– To this day, I keep in contact with Iker Casillas.

– How is he doing? What is he up to these days?

– He is the owner of a media football club that participates in a competition created by Gerard Piqué a couple of years ago. He also works as a commentator for football matches on television and supports the Real Madrid Foundation at events.

– In an interview with the Spanish newspaper As, you mentioned once finding bullets at a Russian stadium. Can you share some details about it?

– In 2009, we were playing in Grozny, and when we went out with the team to warm up on the field, we found a couple of bullets there.

– Weren’t you scared? What did you do then?

– No, we weren’t afraid. We figured that nobody would shoot at football players.

I remember the Latin American players speculating about where the bullets might have come from. At first, we joked about it, but soon, a teammate – I can’t recall who exactly – warned us that this wasn’t the time for laughter and that we needed to focus on the game. And that was the end of it.

– Slovakian footballer Martin Jakubko suffered a serious injury after colliding with you, and later insulted you in an interview. Do you think you played dirty in that incident or throughout your career?

– I personally apologized to him, and I also made a public statement about it. I believe that it's better to move on from such stories and not provoke conflicts.