Interview with Carol González, Women’s Best Player of the Year
On the night of the 10th of November, four years after her first ever beach soccer international competition, Carol González was named the Women’s Best Player in the world. Many things came to their mind at that moment, but her family, her main support, was the first thing she thought about. Despite a long and successful career in football, which she is still enjoying playing for Malaga, she reckons in beach soccer things no other sport can provide.
What does being the Best Player in the World mean to you?
It is the reward to the hard work I have been putting in during all these years, since my first steps in beach soccer. And I do not consider it only an individual award, but a collective one, since without my teammates I would not been able to receive it.
What did you feel when you heard your name at that very moment of the Beach Soccer Stars gala?
I felt an immense happiness. Being amongst the best three was already something really big for me, I couldn’t even believe it, and I was very nervous all the night. Being able to represent Spain in those awards was very important to me. I felt very proud to be able to do that.
After receiving the trophy, we saw you do a very special dedication to your mum… What made you do that?
I always dedicate my goals to my father, because he normally comes to watch me play in summer, and I wanted to dedicate something different to my mother. Specially because she deserves everything, she has always been there in the good and the bad moments, supporting me.
Your father and your brother are football referees… Does this make you behave differently with referees on the pitch? Is it something you have been taught at home?
Actually, yes. When you go to complain to a referee you think that they could be your family, they are just persons and they are allowed to commit mistakes, just like everybody else does. But I have to admit that, sometimes, in the heat of the competition, I do not react well…
Out of the hundreds of messages you received after being handed the award, which was the most special to you?
Of course all the messages coming from my home always make me feel a lot. Also, with two of my best friends and teammates, Andrea Mirón and Sara Tui, we had agreed to call each other after the gala, whichever the result was, and well, we spoke at that moment and it was really special to me.
After all the celebrations and phone calls that night, you got to your hotel room, left the award on the table, and finally lied on the bed… What thoughts crossed your mind at that moment?
Still today I don’t manage to understand all these things that have happened to me in just weeks: winning the Gold medal at the World Beach Games, then the Best Player of the Year award… I guess that it will progressively sink in as days go by…
Do you think this award will help women’s beach soccer grow in Spain?
Since 2016, when the Spanish National Team began competing at an international level, more and more women’s competitions have been appearing . The team’s successes have contributed to that, too, and hopefully more and more girls will join, because it is a great sport, very attractive. It offers so many unique sensations, things that regular football cannot transmit.
What is what you like best about beach soccer, then?
The atmosphere is so special. The people involved in it, the great experiences it brings you…. Both at a team and an individual level. Also, it is very demanding, you have to overcome not only tough opponents, but also specific conditions of the sand, the heat, the rain….
How do you define yourself?
I am mainly a family person. I also like to work hard, humbly, and to help the people around me bring out the best of themselves.
And as a player?
I think I am a quick player, with a good ability to shoot. And I am also a hard-fighter on the pitch. I never give up, no matter the result. I am also very self-demanding, and this is something not good sometimes…
Euro Winners Cup Champion, World Beach Games gold medal, Best Player of the Year… Has this 2019 been your best year?
Without a doubt. If someone had told me some years ago that I would achieve what I have achieved this year, I would have never believed it. But it is great to see hard work pays off… Football, and sports, is not always as rewarding as you would like it to be, after all the effort.
And what do you want for the future?
I just want injuries away from me… I’ll take care of the rest.
