FLASH
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Former Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta, now assistant coach of the Albanian national team, gave an interview to “Flashscore” where he reflected on the highlights of his career, revisited the “Citizens” clash with Napoli 14 years ago, their first taste of Champions League football and recalled the emotions of winning the club’s first Premier League title under Roberto Mancini after nine years at the Etihad.
Zabaleta also spoke about City's transformation during his time there, while acknowledging the bitter memory of Argentina's defeat in the 2014 World Cup final. On the pitch, he stood out for his tireless skills as a right-back, something he now tries to pass on to the Albanian players under his command.
At 40 years old, Pablo Zabaleta is Silvinho's assistant coach with the Albanian national team, an Argentine and a Brazilian working together in football, a rarity...
“ Yes, it is true that, from a football perspective, it is something strange. We met in the 2009/10 season at Manchester City, and he came from Barcelona, while I had come the year before from Espanyol. A friendship was born there, and three years ago, he called me to help him coach Albania. It was an opportunity that I seized with haste. Going to the World Cup is the dream. Now we are second in the group, seven points behind England, but one point ahead of Serbia. And the next challenge will be at the home of our rivals. It is a challenge that must be handled with due care, because in 2016, there were problems (some clashes between players after a drone flew a flag of Greater Albania, which includes the state of Kosovo). It is a match that carries a lot of social risks, but we want to go to the World Cup .”
What would happen if a nation with less than three million inhabitants reached the World Cup?
"Ah, they would make a statue of us in Tirana!"
You were the first Argentine to ever play for Manchester City. Then came notable compatriots like Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero and Julian Alvarez, to name a few. However, nine years later, you are the one who has planted the Argentine seed with the most fruit…
"I arrived young, at the age of 23. And the truth is, yes, I spent practically my entire career in England. There were 12 years between Manchester City and West Ham."
You witnessed first-hand City's transformation from a mid-table team to dominance in England and Europe...
"Yes, I think along with Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart, I was one of the few who saw the transformation before the new owners came in. Not just on a sporting level, but also in terms of infrastructure. At first, I didn't think you could really win anything with a mid-table club. And then, instead..."
Sunday, May 13, 2012, changed everything...
"That last-minute win against QPR was a historic event - mainly because we were playing for the title against Manchester United who were also winning against Sunderland, and we were a goal down in the 90th minute."
And in that 3-2 victory, hardly anyone remembers that the first goal was yours...
"That's true, it's probably the most forgotten goal in history! I remember I had entered the area and Jaja Toure had served me. I had little time or space to think, and I shot as best I could. The ball was intercepted by the goalkeeper in a strange way, it went up and ended up in the roof of the net. But in the end, it was almost meaningless, if you think about it."
Then, the epic finale…
"Thank God it was Kun (Aguero) who scored and gave us an unforgettable title. From 2-1 down until the 90th minute, in four minutes, we took the lead and won the first title in City's modern history."
Can we say that at that moment, not only did the City's history change, but also yours?
"Absolutely yes, especially the way it all happened. These are results that rarely happen in the world of football. What we experienced at that moment was like a scene from a movie. And we celebrated twice as much."
However, two years later, that World Cup final between Argentina and Germany at the Maracana was not a movie with a happy ending…
"Yes, that lost final is a wound that will last practically a lifetime, a wound that will never heal. At the end of the match, I was 29 years old and I knew that it would be very difficult for me, perhaps, to play for the next World Cup because not everyone can be 33 or 34 years old and play, especially in the full-back position. Fortunately, Messi and Di Maria won in Qatar and took that curse off their backs. But for me, it was a big disappointment, because being world champion means touching the sky with one finger."
Go back to your old team. Today, Manchester City and Napoli are playing at the Etihad. You were on the pitch on September 14, 2011, in the same stadium. And even then, it was the first match of the round…
“The group was particularly challenging, as it included Bayern Munich and Villarreal. I already knew Lavezzi, with whom I had played in the Argentina youth team, and we had written to each other before the match. But City were not yet very strong and we were not yet 100% focused on the Champions League. Napoli surprised us by drawing in Manchester and beating us in the second leg.”
That team still had an attack with Aguero, Balotelli and Xheko...
"However, we were eliminated precisely because of the direct clashes with Napoli. I remember that on the way back, we arrived at Capodichino airport and found about fifty Napoli fans at the airport insulting us! I felt like I was back in Argentina. Even when we were at the hotel, on the beach, the street was full of Napoli fans, and we knew then that it would be difficult."
However, at the end of the season came the Premier League title...
"I think it came at the peak of a season where we knew we had to focus on that path. So getting out of the Champions League in the group stage was partly a blessing."
From there, City's recent glorious history truly began. However, today, both your former team and Napoli are completely different teams from 14 years ago...
"Napoli are champions of Italy and have a coach like Antonio Conte, a great coach. He has very physical players and had the strength to go and get a certain Kevin De Bruyne."
In an interview on City's official website a few months ago, you mentioned that De Bruyne changed your team after his arrival in 2015...
"He did, really. It's a bit strange to see him as another blue, but I'm sure he will continue to make a difference. He may no longer be the player in his prime physically as he was around 2018, but he has a unique quality and the strikers who play with him are privileged. He is still a phenomenon."
For City, what kind of match will it be?
"A difficult match, because Napoli have grown in recent years. But I am always convinced that in the Champions League it is better to start at home, especially since it is the beginning of the season. It is better for Guardiola to avoid the chaos in Napoli and to be able to play this match in front of his fans. Just like in South America, some stadiums are better to avoid!"
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