EXCLUSIVE: Negredo on Premier League regrets, Emery & Lim buying Valencia 'like a toy'

Now an assistant coach at Sevilla Atletico, Negredo spoke to Flashscore about his career from the other side of the touchline. He discussed why Unai Emery shaped him more than any other coach, the shoulder injury that stalled his momentum at Man City and why he wishes he had stayed in England longer. He also gave a frank assessment of Peter Lim's ownership at Valencia, recalled the deafening atmosphere at Besiktas and explained what kind of coach he wants to become.

You started your career at Real Madrid Castilla. What memories do you have from those first years? 

"It was a very special time. I came from Vallecas, from a humble neighbourhood, and when I signed for Real Madrid Castilla, I joined a club with everything - the Galacticos, the pressure, everything that comes with Real Madrid.

"Castilla had just been promoted to the Segunda Division. I remember training with the first team. Fabio Capello was the coach at the time, and he called some of us up to train. I was around some of the great superstars, like Raul, Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo. It was a beautiful experience because I started to believe a little more that maybe I could actually get there one day."

Did you ever feel, while you were at Real Madrid, that you could get minutes with the first team?

"It was very difficult because there were so many strikers at the time. When you look back now, there were five or six players competing for those positions. So I knew the opportunity would be very difficult to get. But I also knew that if it wasn't going to happen there, I had to find somewhere else where I could develop. Of course, I would have loved to have made it at Madrid. Everyone would have. But honestly, when I look back at my career, I don't regret any of the decisions I've made."

After Real Madrid, you went to Almeria and then Sevilla, where you won the Copa del Rey and became one of the club's top scorers. Was that the best period of your career?

"I think so. Especially the end of my time at Sevilla and the beginning of my time at Manchester City. I think that was the best moment of my career. I was performing really well, I was physically strong, and it was a very special period because it was the first time I played for a team competing at that level. I won my first trophy, the Copa del Rey, and I also won two Zarra trophies for the best Spanish goalscorer in the league. I have very good memories from that time."

At that time you worked with very good coaches - Manolo Jimenez, Unai Emery, Marcelino and Manzano. Who gave you the best advice?

"Unai Emery. He coached me in my last year at Almeria and then again at Sevilla. I think he's a coach who really knew how to get the best out of me and when to push me to perform. That year at Almeria was fantastic for me because it was my debut in the Primera Division.

"Then came the move to Sevilla, and after that, the transformation of my career by signing for a club like Manchester City and finishing that season with 31 goals across the two competitions we played. I think Emery is one of the coaches who really marked me as a player."

Now that you're also working as a coach, you have a different perspective on the game. Emery has won a lot, but he hasn't yet coached clubs like Barcelona, Bayern, Real Madrid or Manchester City. Do you think he deserves to coach at that level?

"I think he could have gone even further. It's true that he has his own way of working, although I'm sure he has changed a little over the years. When I worked with him, he was a coach who used a lot of video analysis and put a lot of emphasis on the opponent.

"I don't know whether the very best players at clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, City or Bayern Munich would adapt easily to his way of working, because those clubs are extremely difficult to manage. Every coach has his own way of working, and you have to respect that.

"I learned a lot from him, but I also know that he was very demanding. You have to be prepared for that. If you have to deliver a message or win a title, you have to be prepared for the pressure. At some point, I think clubs like those will have to take that step and trust a coach who is the right fit for each particular team."

At Sevilla you shared a dressing room with Jesus Navas, Frederic Kanoute, Luis Fabiano and later Ivan Rakitic. Who gave you the best passes?

"I was lucky to play with so many good players. With Jesus Navas, I had a particularly good connection. We were together for four years at Sevilla and then another year at Manchester City, so five years in total. Rakitic was another player who always looked for the forward with his passes.

"But I also had a very special connection with Jose Antonio Reyes. He was a completely different player when he was on the pitch. I knew that when he received the ball, I had to run, because I knew he was going to look for that pass forward. He was also a player I felt very strongly about emotionally because we understood each other very well and he gave me a lot of support, especially during our time together at Sevilla."

The competition for a place in the Spanish national team was incredibly fierce at that time. But you still became part of the team that won EURO 2012. Is that the greatest achievement of your career? And what were those years like with La Roja?

"For me, simply being part of a team like that was already a privilege. Even when I didn't play a single minute, I was happy. I was happy to be with them and happy to train with them. I was lucky enough to play two matches in the Euros, against Croatia and then in the semi-final against Portugal. But I knew who was ahead of me - Fernando Torres, (David) Villa, Fernando Llorente.

"I didn't play much, and there were also games when we played with Cesc Fabregas as a false nine. But professionally, winning that title was the biggest achievement of my career, and I'm very happy to have been part of it."

In that team were Xavi, Andres Iniesta, David Silva and many other top players. You also mentioned Cesc Fabregas. Looking at his career now, not only as a player but especially as a coach, did you see that potential when you played with him?

"Yes. There are some players who have a certain way of seeing football, explaining things and understanding the game. You can feel that they might go in that direction. I felt that with Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernandez and some other players who later became coaches. With Cesc, I felt the same.

"I think he was an incredible player, and as a coach he's already showing that he understands the game very well. I think he'll go step by step and continue to grow, because I believe he has a great future as a coach."

Do you see him becoming one of the best coaches in the world in a short time?

"I think so, but we shouldn't rush things. As coaches, we have to learn a lot. When you've lived one side of football as a player, you know how to manage a dressing room because you've experienced it yourself. But knowledge and decision-making are different things. As a coach, you have to make those decisions, make changes, and sometimes you're right, and sometimes you're wrong. That's what gives you experience.

"I'm also starting out as a coach, and I'm not going to rush it either. Hopefully, I'll reach the top one day, but I want to be very well trained and very well prepared for all those decisions. The best thing is to take it step by step, not make giant leaps, because you can also get hurt that way."

Let’s talk about Vicente del Bosque. He always came across as such a calm and composed person. You were a starter for Spain in the EURO 2012 semi-final against Portugal. How did he tell you that you were going to start, and what was that moment like for you?

"That's exactly how he was. I remember we were at the hotel. We'd done some stretching in the morning, then we went to eat, and after lunch he called me to his room because he wanted to talk to me. I knew he was going to tell me something about the semi-final against Portugal, so I was wondering what he was going to say. But he was incredibly calm.

"He told me to stay calm, to play as I had played with the team and as I had trained with them. He wanted me to be physical because of the centre-backs Portugal had at the time, Pepe and Bruno Alves. They were very physical. He knew I was comfortable with contact, jumping and competing, so he told me to use my body and trust myself. That's what happened.

"We went through to the final on penalties, and eventually won the tournament. It was a day I'll always remember."

You were part of the group that didn't go to the World Cup. Were you disappointed?

"What can you do? Spain has always had very good strikers. Of course I would have liked to go; I'm not going to deny that. At the time, yes, I was disappointed because I had been scoring goals and had played a good season. But you always have to respect the decisions.

"Now that I'm on the other side, I understand that it's very difficult. You have to choose what you think is best for the team. Maybe at that moment Vicente thought another player was the right choice. But, selfishly, as a player, of course I was upset and disappointed. I think that's completely normal. Now that I'm on this side of the game, I understand things differently."

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Manchester City came calling in 2013. You scored 23 goals in your first season before a shoulder injury interrupted your campaign. Have you ever wondered how different your career might have been if you hadn't suffered that injury?

"Yes, I've thought about it many times. I think the injury happened at a really unfortunate moment. It was in the semi-final against West Ham. We'd won the first leg 6-0 and were winning the second leg comfortably as well. I had scored two or three goals in the first game and then another couple in the second. I was flying. In the last minute, I went for a ball, tried to compete until the very end, and I got injured. The problem was that I didn't stop playing.

"At that time, 'Kun' Aguero and (Edin) Dzeko were also injured, so we didn't have many options, and I wanted to keep pushing. But because I didn't recover properly, I never got back to 100%. When you have an injury and don't stop, you can't perform at your highest level. Kun and Dzeko eventually came back and kept scoring goals, and it became difficult for me to get back into the team."

You mentioned Aguero and Dzeko. What was it like competing with them? Was there rivalry between you?

"No, I was lucky enough to have a very good relationship with both of them. We understood each other well. They had been there longer, and I had just arrived, so every time I played, I tried to help both of them and be their friend, to help them and help the team.

"I remember playing a lot of games with Aguero and Dzeko. We were almost always a very good combination. That season we scored more than 100 goals as a team. We had a very strong midfield with Yaya Toure behind us, players who could score a lot of goals, and Jesus Navas and James Milner as well. It was a fantastic season because we won the Premier League and the League Cup."

Aguero, you've mentioned him and shared a lot of time on the pitch with him. As his former teammate, do you consider him one of the best strikers in Premier League history?

"For me, he's one of the best strikers in Premier League history. From what I've seen and experienced, there have been many great players: Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and others. But I was lucky enough to play with Aguero and to see how much of a difference he could make.

"Everything seemed easy when he played. He could score, dribble, hold the ball up and combine with his teammates so naturally. In that sense, for me, he could be one of the best strikers I've ever played with. And I've been lucky enough to play alongside many very good players."

We've talked about Cesc as a player and as a coach. Another one of your former teammates, Vincent Kompany, is now doing a very interesting job at Bayern Munich. Did you see those qualities in him when he was a player?

"Yes, I did see those qualities in Vincent. As a captain, as an organiser, he was always talking to the coach and communicating with the players. But to be honest, I didn't expect him to become a coach so quickly, but when you start moving towards the end of your playing career, you begin thinking about what you want to do next.

"I think he was very, very mentally prepared to become a coach. I didn't expect him to progress so quickly, but in the end he deserves everything he's achieved because of the work he's put in."

Who was the toughest opponent you faced in the Premier League? Are there any who really stayed in your memory?

"There were quite a few. I remember John O'Shea. I think I played against Sunderland when I first arrived at Manchester City, and there was one challenge that really stayed with me. It had rained, and there had been a storm, so the pitch was full of mud. The first play was a long ball; I think Joe Hart hit it, and I jumped to try to win it. O'Shea came from behind and put his knee into my back while I was already in the air. I landed in the mud and looked at my shirt. I thought, 'This is what I've signed up for'.

"There were also players like Kompany. I remember training against him; he was incredibly aggressive and very strong. There were a lot of physical, aggressive players at that time. It was difficult, but I actually liked the contact. I liked competing for the ball and going into battles, so I didn't have a problem with that side of the Premier League."

And which stadium atmosphere in the Premier League stayed with you the most?

"Liverpool. When you walk out onto the pitch and hear the stadium singing You'll Never Walk Alone, it's one of those moments that really gets to you. There are situations where, even if you're not a fan of that team, you can still appreciate it.

"It's the same here in Sevilla. When people go to the stadium and sing the Sevilla anthem together, even if you're not from Sevilla, you can still get goosebumps because you know what that atmosphere is going to be like. I played for City and Middlesbrough, and I remember going to those stadiums and getting goosebumps. Those are moments you don't forget."

You arrived at Valencia in 2014, just as Peter Lim's project was getting started. The expectations were huge, but in the end the project didn't reach its potential. Why do you think that happened?

"In the end, I think that when you buy a club, when you're the president or the owner, you have to be above the club and really involved in it. In the two years I was at Valencia, I think I saw Peter Lim once or twice. I barely saw him during those two years. In the end, it felt a little bit like buying a toy: 'I get bored, I buy a toy, I leave it here, I leave it to my son, and someone else manages it'.

"If you buy something on that scale, something that involves so many people and so many fans, you have to be much more present. You have to show your face, especially when things go wrong, because football moves so many people, for better or worse. And when things go wrong, you feel it even more. A club like Valencia, with its history, titles and European finals, cannot be abandoned by the people running it.

"Something has to change. You have to try to turn the situation around. I hope that somehow Valencia can get out of that situation."

During your time at Valencia you also worked with Gary Neville. He arrived with an enormous reputation as a player but very little experience as a coach. How did the dressing room react to his arrival?

"It also coincided with a period when there wasn't really anyone properly in charge of Valencia, if you want to put it that way. His brother Phil Neville was also with us; he had arrived a little earlier and was working as an assistant. When Gary arrived, we saw a former footballer who had won so many things with Manchester United and had been their captain. But the situation wasn't the best one for him to take over Valencia at that particular moment.

"The language was also important. There were many Spanish players. Gary spoke English, although he was learning Spanish quickly, but communication wasn't ideal. Sometimes you had to get the coach's message through a translator, and the message doesn't have the same impact as when the coach can speak directly to the player.

"I've played for many teams and lived in places like Dubai and Istanbul, so I know how difficult it can be when a message has to pass through two or three people before reaching the player. Things simply weren't going well, and when things aren't going well, it's very difficult to change the situation. The role of a former footballer can change when he becomes a coach because he understands the dressing room. But Valencia is also a difficult club to play for."

You once said that returning to Spain was a mistake. Do you still feel the same way?

"I don't regret the decisions I made because I made them for a reason. But I do feel that I could have given myself a little more time in the Premier League. In my first season, I scored 23 goals. By February, when I injured my shoulder, I had scored those goals. So I was in a hurry, and I also had personal circumstances at the time. I came to Valencia and separated from my ex-wife.

"When I look back, I realise that part of the decision was because I was comfortable with the English language and life in England. It wasn't because Valencia was a bad club; we even played in the Champions League. It wasn't purely a football decision. My personal situation and my football at that time might have been better suited to staying in the Premier League.

'I regret not staying in the Premier League a little longer'

"I don't regret going to Valencia. The decisions I made as a footballer and as a person are mine, and I have to accept them. The thing I do regret is not staying in the Premier League a little longer. That's the one thing I wish I'd done differently; I wish I'd backed myself a little more and continued to grow in England."

You eventually returned to England with Middlesbrough, which must have been a very different experience from Manchester City. How was it, fighting for survival rather than competing for titles?

"It was a different role and a completely different experience. At City, we were fighting for the Premier League and the Champions League. At Middlesbrough, we were fighting for something very different. But I felt very comfortable in the Premier League. I scored goals, and the team was a great group, even though we didn't achieve our objective.

"Middlesbrough is also a city that I really appreciate and love. It was the place where my son was born, so I'll always have a special connection with it. My little boy is English. He says he's English, and he supports England. It makes me laugh because he was born there in January, so he spent six months in England. But he's very clear about it. He says he's from England and supports England. When England lost, he cried, but then Spain won, so he was happy about that too."

Let's talk about Besiktas. You arrived at a club that was very different from the others, with great players like Pepe, Talisca and Ricardo Quaresma. How would you describe that team?

"That team was fantastic. We also had Adriano, who I had played with at Sevilla, Gary Medel, Cenk Tosun, who was a striker for the Turkish national team, and many other very good players. It's one of the places where I enjoyed football the most, both as a player and as a fan. The level of passion around the team was incredible.

"Istanbul is also a very special city. You experience its culture, the atmosphere and the passion. It's a place that makes you feel things very strongly. If someone told me in the future that I could coach a team like Besiktas, I'd go there with my eyes closed. The fans live for the team. They generate so much emotion and make you feel everything, both the good and the bad. They can be quite radical, but I think that's part of what makes it such a special experience. The Turkish passion for football is wonderful."

Was the Besiktas stadium the loudest stadium you've ever played in?

"Yes, without a doubt. I remember that first game. From the moment we won the ball, the whole stadium erupted. I think my son became a bit of a hooligan because he loved the football so much. I have a video of him hitting the fence, jumping and screaming. He was only about a year old. I had an incredible time there. It's a shame we didn't win the league because we came very close that season, but the experience was amazing."

Where would you put Ricardo Quaresma among the most technically gifted teammates you've ever had?

"He was an exceptional player. He had so many skills and so much ability that it was sometimes difficult for a striker to adapt to him. That's just the way he played. Sometimes, when he was close to the stands or when he was in certain positions, you had to adapt your movement to him rather than the other way around. He was one of the most gifted players I've ever shared a dressing room with. He also had a lot of character and trained very hard. We became friends.

"Sometimes we'd get annoyed with each other during games because of a particular pass or a decision, but that's football. When you're in a dressing room or in the middle of a match, you're surrounded by so many people and emotions. But he's someone I have a very good relationship with, and I have very good memories of my time in Turkey."

How would you compare the Turkish Super Lig with the other leagues you've played in?

"In terms of footballing level, it's a good league. A lot of players from around the world have played for Fenerbahce, Galatasaray and Besiktas. Players of a very high level have gone there. The passion is what really stands out: the football, the stadiums, the crowds. In that sense, I could compare it with Spain or England, although obviously the Premier League moves at a different level financially. But the Super Lig is a very competitive league."

You were a classic centre-forward, a traditional number nine. Today we see players like Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe, who are a little different. Do you think the classic number nine is disappearing from football?

"I think there are fewer of them than before. Nowadays, more importance is given to wingers and inside forwards - players like Lamine Yamal and Vinicius, who start wide and then move inside. In the past, wingers didn't usually play with the opposite foot. They played on their natural side, got the ball and crossed it. That gave the striker many more opportunities.

"Today, the striker doesn't have as many opportunities because he is often positioned between the centre-backs. Before, crosses came directly towards the striker. Players like me, (Roberto) Soldado, Llorente and Fernando Torres benefited from that kind of football. (Robert) Lewandowski is another example. Strikers like him used to have many more opportunities to score. Sometimes you can get a penalty or a rebound, but generally it's harder for a forward today because you don't receive as many crosses or balls into the box."

You're now the assistant coach of Sevilla Atletico, so you're experiencing football from the other side. How has this new adventure been? What are you discovering from the bench?

"As a coach, you have to learn every day. You have to learn how to manage the group, and I think that's the most important thing. When you're a player, you can sometimes just go with the flow. Now you have to make decisions: this player yes, this player no, this one plays, this one doesn't. And you have to manage young players.

"You have to make sure that when a young player comes back on Monday after a game, even if things didn't go well, he doesn't lose his motivation. He has to come back mentally prepared to show you that you were wrong. Many times, a player will think that the coach is the one who is wrong, not him. You have to make him understand that he needs to work harder and continue improving.

"There are also practical situations that happen in every team. Sometimes, 10 minutes before training, three or four players are called up to train with the first team. You've prepared a training session, and suddenly you have to change everything and adapt it to the number of players you have.

"For me, experiencing that is teaching me to make decisions faster. You have to manage everything - training, games, the squad. So I'm treating this as a year of learning. I'm enjoying it; I'm trying to help and contribute, together with Diego, Juanma and the rest of the staff. I want to add my experience and give my perspective on situations that perhaps I've already experienced as a player. I'm taking this as a learning stage, but also as an opportunity to learn how to make quick decisions, how to help the team and how to live in an environment that is almost semi-professional but is just one step away from the first team at a big club like Sevilla."

What kind of coach do you want to be?

"I want to be a coach who tries to get the maximum out of his players and demands a lot from them. I want my teams to play football, but I also don't want to be stubborn and say, 'We have to play this way, and that's it'. I know there has to be a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C - there are many different possibilities. You have to be prepared for all of them.

"One day, if I have the players to play out from the goalkeeper, I'll do it, because I like that style. But if I don't have the players for it, I won't force it. I've had coaches who didn't have the players capable of playing out from the back, but they tried to do it anyway. Sometimes you have to be smart. If the goalkeeper is constantly kicking the ball 60 metres up the pitch, that doesn't make you a worse coach, goalkeeper or defender. It's simply another way of playing, and I think it's just as valid as the style that is fashionable today, where you put a player next to the goalkeeper and build from the back. If I have good players who can do it, hopefully I'll play that way. But if I don't have them, I won't."

Would you like to manage some of the teams you've played for one day?

"I don't know where I'll end up. Of course I'd love to coach Sevilla, and all those other teams as well. I'd love to experience coaching abroad too. I don't close any doors. As a player, I had no problem moving abroad, and as a coach I don't have any problem with that either."

Finally, I wanted to ask you about the Ballon d'Or. There's a big debate at the moment involving Lamine, Mbappe, Harry Kane and others. Do you have a favourite?

"Honestly, I don't have a favourite. The way I see it, the player who has performed best at the World Cup may not necessarily have had the best season with his club, and the player who has had an incredible club season may not have been as good at the World Cup. In the end, it's a combination of everything.

"There are players like Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe who are phenomenal and who will eventually be up there. I also really like (Jude) Bellingham. He's one of the players I really enjoy watching. Maybe his season at Real Madrid wasn't as good as some expected, but at the World Cup he was outstanding.

"It's difficult because you're always going to get criticism depending on what you choose, whether you focus on titles or individual performances. So I'll say Fabian Ruiz because he’s won the most important titles."

Quick-fire questions

The best player you've ever played with?

"David Silva."

The best striker of all time?

"Ronaldo Nazario."

The funniest teammate you've ever had?

"Coke Andujar from Sevilla."

The hardest opponent you've faced?

"Sergio Ramos."

The best coach you've ever worked with?

"Unai Emery."

The best stadium you've ever played in?

"Sanchez-Pizjuan."

The most fun period of your career?

"Cadiz."

One word to define your career?

"Beautiful."