Neto: "To be at FC Barcelona is the dream of every footballer"

Neto: "To be at FC Barcelona is the dream of every footballer"

 El nuevo portero azulgrana valoró sus primeros meses en el club en una entrevista exclusiva para SPORT / | sport

Barça's new goalkeeper gave an exclusive interview to SPORT about all the current events at the club

Norberto Murara or as he's more commonly know Neto spoke exclusively to SPORT about his objectives at FC Barcelona, his past and what it's like to share a dressing room and compete against Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Barça take on Napoli twice this week and Neto opened up about his switch from Valencia, Neymar and Real Madrid.

You've spent a month with the team. You went to Japan and now the United States. How are your first few days with your new teammates?

It's all gone so fast. We've spent a month together and it's been really good. I've been lucky to find such a welcoming group and that makes it easier to adapt. The travelling has been tough but it's important to spend time together and get to know each other better.

What does it mean for you to put on FC Barcelona's shirt? Is it a dream come true? 

It's a dream for any footballer. When you talk about Barcelona, ever player at the highest level wishes to play for a team like this one. It's very different. It means your hard work has paid off when your club can compete for every trophy available. For me, as someone who likes to always win, to compete at the highest level is the best.

You've played for Fiorentina, Juventus and Valencia. What's different to them from Barça?

At the moment it's difficult to say but I'm sure it's the atmosphere. It's very responsible. You know you're here to win but everyone knows the quality they have. It creates a calming environment. That's impressed me.

Just last year you won your first trophy in Spain against Barça. What are your objectives this season?

On an individual level, the objective is to work hard, do well, and improve every day. I'd love to win, hate losing and I want to win everything. What's important is to work hard every day and to feel like we are improving and give my best. The victories and titles come through hard work.

Ter Stegen is your new teammate. What do you think of him?

On a personal level, he's a professional of the highest level. He's a great goalkeeper and like every spot in the Barça team, it's well covered. Having teammates of the highest level automatically makes you improve, grow and learn. This first month has been fantastic.

Speaking of possible new arrivals. Would you like to share a dressing room with Neymar?

I've already shared a dressing room with him. I'm asked about it a lot of times because I'm Brazilian but I don't think my opinion would change anything. He's an incredible player. I don't need to explain his characteristics because the whole world knows about them. If he ever returns to Barcelona, it would be a pleasure to share a room with him.

Returning to LaLiga, who do you see as Barça's main rival: Real Madrid or Atletico?

Everybody knows the quality of both teams and the competition there is in Spain. They are rivals of the highest quality and very difficult to play against. More important than that is we know what we want and find our own motivations for this season. Whether it's Atletico, Real Madrid, Valencia or whoever else, we need to beat them all.

You shared a dressing room with Gianluigi Buffon. How was that?

He helped me a lot on a personal level. When I arrived he had a lot of experience, had spent a long time at the club, won so many titles and had made his mark in football's history. The way he controlled the dressing room and the respect he commanded. It made a big difference to me.

Two years ago you decided to come to LaLiga and join Valencia. What do you take from your time there?

The most positive aspect were the results of those two years. I arrived and Valencia were in a bad spot. Middle of the table, fighting with teams below them. When I asked what their hope were they told me it was the Europa League at best. In my first year there we qualifed for the Champions League. The truth is it was fantastic. I felt I we improved every week and as the competition progressed, It isn't easy to arrive in a new league, at a club which wasn't going through the best of times, and achieve what we did. It was important. We started the second year pretty poorly. We weren't losing but we weren't winning either. Teams began pulling away from us but later we clawed ourselves back. On a personal level, I felt more important and confident in my play. I was lucky to have teammates which helped me. What's important is the step forward we took. It makes you want to keep improving.

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