On the eve of the FIFA World Cup final, Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón was interviewed by Radio Marca. This is the first part of the exclusive interview.

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Unai Simón: I can't promise to win the final, but we will give our all.

Hello, Simon, how are you doing lately?

Hello everyone, how are you doing?

How are you feeling yourself?

Very good, very good.

Did you sleep well? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Are you fully adjusted now?

Yes, everything is fine, everything is normal.

Are you a dreamer?

A dreamer? What exactly do you mean?

For example, have you ever imagined, or rehearsed in your mind, making a save against Messi similar to Casillas' save against Robben's one-on-one?

No, no. I do think about many things, I consider various aspects, but I'm more focused on what this match might demand of us, rather than imagining a specific moment or action.

When did you truly start thinking about this final? I mean, truly start thinking about it.

We truly started thinking about the final when we qualified for this tournament. That was when we played against Bulgaria, one of those two opponents. Since then, when you participate in such a tournament, you naturally imagine whether you have a chance to play in the final in New Jersey. But you still have to play one match at a time, focusing on each match you face along the way.

It's a bit like that saying you often hear, the trophy can only be looked at, not touched. You know it's there, and it's everyone's dream.

Yes, this dream is what drives us to compete, and it's why we're here at the FIFA World Cup. Our goal is at least to reach the final, and then compete against the eventual opponent.

I understand that you probably don't pay too much attention to the result of the other semi-final, England vs. Argentina. Because sometimes you want to face a certain opponent, but the outcome might be worse, right?

Yes, sometimes you choose an opponent, and the result might be worse, or it might not, I can't say for sure. Ultimately, in a final, in addition to tactics, technique, and various factors of the game itself, I think emotional management is also very important, including how to deal with everything that happens during the match. Finals rarely end with scores like 3-0, 4-0; they are usually very tight. We believe that the final against Argentina will also be like this.

You were right, the team that caused you the most trouble was Cape Verde. Did you give us some hints after that match?

No. The teams that really caused us the most difficulty should be Belgium, Portugal, and France. These opponents obviously made it much harder for us. Against Cape Verde, it was just harder for us to score, but they weren't the team that caused us the most trouble.

You've had full confidence in this process from start to finish. A lot of things might not be visible from the outside, but you yourselves can feel that this team is improving every day, growing with every match. Have you now reached the stage you expected?

Yes, we have reached the position we wanted to be in and entered the stage of the competition we expected. I think all of this was envisioned by us before. Of course, there is always room for improvement, and we must continue to look for ways to get better. Because to win the final, you have to play at your best level.

This match was originally supposed to be played in March, the so-called Copa América-Europe match in Qatar. At the time, there were many rumors that this match became complicated due to economic and political reasons. Some also thought that it was not the right time for Argentina to face an opponent like Spain at that time.

I don't know why that match ultimately didn't happen. As you said, there were all sorts of reasons. But the point you mentioned last, I think, is completely groundless. Argentina has always been a team capable and ready to compete with any team in the world, and so are we.

Now we finally have this match. I don't know if it's fate or coincidence, but Spain and Argentina will eventually face each other, but the stage is completely different, no longer the Copa América-Europe, but the FIFA World Cup final.

As a goalkeeper, although there's no Zamora Trophy in the FIFA World Cup, you are one of the "Zamoras" of this tournament. Of course, you've also said before that any goalkeeper in the team could achieve the same statistics as you, thanks to Spain's excellent overall defense. But so far, has there been any iconic save of yours in this FIFA World Cup that particularly impressed you?

No, there really hasn't been. I also hope that I won't need to rely on such a save to end the match, and I hope the final won't require the goalkeeper to make extreme saves. Of course, no matter what happens, I will be ready. But in the seven matches we've played, the team's defense and overall solidity have been outstanding. I believe this is the direction we must continue to maintain in the final.

How did you spend July 10th, 11th, and 12th, 2010? If I'm not mistaken, you were still in Aurrera at the time. What was your state like during those days?

I was at a training camp for Athletic Club in Leicester. I stayed there for two weeks, learning English and playing football. Coincidentally, I happened to watch Spain's semi-final and final there in England.

What exactly was the situation then? Did you make friends there, or did you watch the games alone?

Yes. Actually, there are many coincidences in life, and I only recently learned about one of them. The coach's son, analyst Alberto de la Fuente, was also at that training camp. He was a year or even several years older than me, but we were both there at the time and celebrated the victory together. If I'm not mistaken, we watched the game in the restaurant. During extra time, everyone was very nervous, and then Iniesta scored. For everyone, it was like a big party. To be honest, I don't remember many details anymore, as it's been a long time. But I remember that everyone in the training camp gathered together to watch the game.

So, there might be a photo of Alberto de la Fuente and Unai Simón there.

No, there's no such photo. I think that can only be considered an imaginary photo.

And that photo of Messi showering Yamal. How do you feel when you see something like that? Doesn't it feel quite astonishing? One of the best players in the world, arguably one of the greatest of all time, showering a player who might rewrite the history of Spanish football.

I don't know. As I said, these are coincidences, and things that happen in the world of football. Now, their life paths converge in the FIFA World Cup final. Thinking about these things certainly feels beautiful, but during the 90 or 120 minutes of the match, no one will be thinking about them.

You just mentioned that the final often depends on emotional management. In this regard, you might be the best team in the world, perhaps even the best team in history, because nothing can throw you off track. You always remain focused, not overly excited when things go well, and not down when things go badly, always maintaining balance. How does the entire team achieve this? For example, after Argentina eliminated England, they were jumping and singing wildly as they passed through the mixed zone from the locker room, celebrating like crazy. Your emotional stability, in my opinion, is highly commendable.

Every team has its own way of celebrating. We don't show all our emotions because some things can be misunderstood. So in public, we try to be restrained, but internally, of course, we also celebrate. We celebrate every match, every victory, and every qualification. We might not be as boisterous as other teams, but we celebrate in our own way.

In the match, we will stick to our philosophy and plan. A difficult match for us was against Uruguay. That match was very tough, and the opponent committed many fouls, often disrupting our rhythm. We believe that the match against Argentina might also be similar, so we must be prepared in advance and maintain a good mindset.

If the match goes against us at some stage, or if we fall behind, we must also have the ability and confidence to believe that we can come back. Argentina has already proven this in this FIFA World Cup. If it's our turn to face such a situation, we must also prove that we are a team eager to win the championship.

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