Tony Rodriguez Duvale: I was different in Asia and in the United States

Few Gallicans can say what Tony Rodriguez Duvale (Koroa, 1990): played on three continents. He did it at the highest level, felt different in other football worlds and did crazy things to finish his pharmacy studies, although in the future he sees himself more associated with football than pharmacy. Tony candidly says that Lugo de Setin is where he enjoyed the most as a footballer, that Luis Enrique is the one on Twitch and not the one in press conferences and that Celta will always be his home.

How do you define your sports career?

Like intense and rich. I was fortunate to play in many countries and experience different cultures and different ways of working. I appreciate everything I’ve experienced.

– There must not be many Galicians who played on three continents …

I don’t have the data, but I don’t think so. For me it was an incentive to play an international competition.

Are you happy that your sports career followed those paths?

-very happy. If I look back, when I enjoyed football a lot and it was generally all in other countries, with different experiences like playing in an international competition and fighting for titles and winning some of them. My best moments were outside.

– What differences did you find in football everywhere?

Football is similar, but the physical conditions of the players are slightly different. In the United States it is a very physical league, and in Asia the matches are usually very open, because there are more tactical disruptions and the scores are bigger. On a tactical level, it is very common in Europe to use four defenders and in Asia it is normal to play with three defenders regardless of how they are organized in the middle and attack. 3-3 is rewarded more than 0-0.

In which football did you feel most comfortable?

-in Europe. In Spain we have a similar footballer, and in Asia and the USA I was a bit different. They were all very physical, playing with space and attacking, and I was the one who held back a bit.

—Have you always played in the same location, or does it vary by country?

—I played most of the time on my site. What I’m most comfortable with is that I’m like an inside midfielder, but, depending on the system, I’ve also signed into a squad.

What was the most unlikely situation you’ve been in these years?

– The hardest was going to Hong Kong and being quarantined for 21 days in a booked room with my wife and son due to the covid-19 issue. You can’t even open the window. Now I laugh, but it was so hard.

– Have you come across third world camps?

-No. I was lucky because I always played in big clubs with good facilities. The best fields I found were in India, even better than those in Spain. Everyone does not allow a club whose field does not meet the conditions to play at its home ground. In Thailand I know this happens and in Hong Kong the grass is grass, as it is in South America.

– In which team were you most comfortable?

—in sports, in logo. This was where I enjoyed playing football with Quique Setin. It was a team that played by heart and where I knew at all times where my teammates were, who he was going to pass it on to me and who he had to give it to them. I didn’t even have that at Celta.

How do you rate your time at Celta?

– with a great happiness. The best sporting moment of my life was promoting everything that it meant and because it was in my house. All my memories of Celta are beautiful, although there were difficult moments.

What is Luis Enrique’s memory?

-Wonderful. He’s been seen with this from Twitch and the World Cup. He is a funny, close and honest guy. I remember him as a very demanding guy on the field, but very close and fun outside.

How do you find time to study?

– I’ve done crazy things that you can’t even imagine. I came from the United States to take three exams in 36 hours, I took a flight from India to take two exams in 24 hours, and when I was in Spain and had days off, I went to Zaragoza at night and took two exams and came back to training. I did what I had to do to get a graduate degree. I also think it helped me not always focus on the same thing. Having another routine made me feel calmer and think less about it.

Do you plan to work as a doctor?

– At the moment I do not see it, but I have that training and the possibility to do it if I feel like it or if the situation requires it, as was the case with the case of the epidemic. I’m glad I finished the race with good results.

– Few studies, good cars and a lot of tattoos, is this the stereotype of a football player?

Footballers have access to a relatively comfortable life very early on and that means they don’t see the need to study, but I think it’s a subject that’s changing. In addition, regardless of whether they have completed higher education or not, most people are quite intelligent and fully prepared for whatever they experience, and because they have to grow up from a young age, they are intelligent people. I think the topic of tattoos is a matter of society, not football players.

What is the condition of knee discomfort?

-I am lucky. Since I joined Celta, I have always done preventative work that I have included in my daily routine for the rest of my career and so far I have been very lucky. This is a serious, major and labor-intensive injury.

Do you see yourself as a coach, business agent, or in another profession?

– I would like to continue to be associated with football. This sport contains things and sensations that you can only experience when you participate in it, and although what you experience as a player is not repeated, I really love every day and can see myself in any field.

– How will the studies be as a coach?

I’m on the second level. It’s something I’ve been hanging on to, but outside it was really hard. I think I have a lot to contribute from all the experiences I’ve had.