Fabian Ruiz: My mother cleaned for Betis; my dream was to free her from manual labor

Real Madrid midfielder Fabian Ruiz was interviewed by the Onda Cero program "Radioestadio Noche." At the Spanish national team's training camp in Las Rozas, he discussed his potential to win the Ballon d'Or, his upbringing at Betis, and his professional career in Italy and France. Below is the second part of the exclusive interview.

You just spoke fondly of your mother. On the way to this interview, I was on the phone with my mother, and I told her, "I'm going to interview Fabian Ruiz, the key midfielder for Paris Saint-Germain." She said, "Oh, the one with Luis Enrique? Just a few days ago, Luis Enrique publicly said he regretted not taking him to the World Cup." My mother then asked in surprise, "Ah? He didn't go to that World Cup?" I replied, "He didn't go to the last one, but he later participated in and won the European Championship…" Then I asked my mother, "If you were Fabian's mother, and your story was broadcast and everyone was talking about it, wouldn't you feel embarrassed?" My mother curiously asked, "Why would his mother be on TV?" I said, "Don't you know his mother was featured in Real Betis' season ticket promotional video?" Sometimes we think everyone knows a story, but many people don't. I told my mother, "If you listen to that Betis membership promotional video from six or seven years ago, you'll understand."

So your mother used to drive you to and from training… Tell us about that experience yourself. You first started playing football in Los Palacios, right?

That's a long story.

We have plenty of time; the show broadcasts until 1 AM.

I initially played in a football training class, which wasn't a formal club; we had to pay tuition every month. Later, we participated in a tournament, and a Betis scout noticed me and signed me. I joined the Betis youth academy when I was eight years old.

Being signed by a top club's academy at eight years old shows truly exceptional talent. Many children at eight can't even properly control the ball.

Yes, when I first arrived, the coaches joked, thinking I'd be sitting in the sand because I was so small then. Later, they discovered I played with great discipline. In my early days at Betis, I trained with another boy from my hometown. My mother and his mother took turns driving us to training. As I grew older, almost all the responsibility for driving me fell on my mother's shoulders. Our family's financial situation was very difficult at the time, and affording the daily trips to training was a huge burden, not to mention the immense hardship my mother endured. When I was young, I was naive, but later, after hearing my brothers and mother talk about it, I understood the heavy burden she carried back then. When I was fourteen or fifteen, Betis showed great kindness and responsibility. They hired my mother as a cleaner at the club and arranged suitable work shifts for her, allowing her to clean in the mornings and have time in the afternoons to drive me to training.

She worked in the morning and picked you up in the afternoon.

Yes. Until I was promoted to Real Betis B and then to the first team. First-team training shifted to the mornings, so she couldn't drive me anymore. Every morning, I would ride with her to the sports city; she would clean inside, and I would sleep in the car until training began. My mother would finish cleaning, tap on the car window, and wake me up: "Fabian, it's time for training." I'd get out and go to the training ground. After training, I would either wait for her to finish work and go home together, or I would take the bus myself, since I wasn't old enough to drive yet.

You often saw her around the sports city, right?

Yes. It was a bit embarrassing at first.

That's normal. Imagine being a sixteen or seventeen-year-old in the locker room with club legends like Joaquín, and your mother works in the same place.

Of course, at first, I didn't really tell anyone that was my mother, because…

Maybe sometimes everyone would be chatting, and you'd say, "Wait, stop talking, stop talking, my mom's coming."

Yes! And every time after showering, I was always one of the last few out. My mother would stand outside the locker room door and knock, asking, "Fabian, can I come in?" I'd reply, "Come in, come in, Mom."

Haha, exactly.

Yeah, it was a bit awkward at first. After all, I was still young then… Everyone is shy when they're young, especially when you're facing a locker room full of seasoned first-team players.

If it were me… I'd be mortified. My son is only seven now and already tells me to go away: "Dad, don't kiss me in front of people…" That hurts enough, so I can totally imagine what your mother went through back then.

Yes, yes, that's exactly how it was when I was little. Looking back now, I wish she could be with me in the locker room every day, but at that age, I did feel a bit embarrassed. However, I think…

When did you transition from this embarrassment to pride? That is, from feeling awkward in front of stars like Joaquín and seasoned players because your mother was cleaning right there, to genuinely feeling proud of everything your mother did for you. When was that turning point?

I think it was when I transferred to Naples. At that time, I went to Italy alone, far from home, and it was from that moment on that I truly realized how precious my mother, who had been by my side every day, was. I started to genuinely miss her, and I clearly saw…

Because she used to work as a cleaner at the sports city?

Yes, she always cleaned at the sports city.

So once you realized that, were you extra careful not to make a mess? Like how we educate people now, not to mess up the locker room, to keep it tidy…

Yes, from then on, I understood what it meant to lead by example. I thought, "I know my mother will be cleaning up after us later, so I must try to keep the locker room in the best possible condition." So if a teammate carelessly threw their shoes in the aisle, I would pick them up and put them in the locker to try and lessen my mother's workload.

But as I said, it wasn't until I went to Naples alone that I truly began to miss her immensely and truly appreciate everything she poured into me. It was at that time that I directly told her…

Don't work anymore.

Don't work anymore. Because at that time, my greatest dream in life was to be able to let my mother completely rest, no longer do physical labor, and be by my side with peace of mind. So when that moment truly arrived, I believe it was one of the most beautiful moments of my life, a feeling of happiness completely comparable to winning a football championship trophy. For me, that was the top priority then.

If you win the Ballon d'Or, you must dedicate the trophy to her.

I hope that day comes. If I can lift the trophy, I will definitely dedicate the honor to her…

You might forget many things, but thanking your mother on the podium is absolutely unforgettable.

Absolutely unforgettable; I would never forgive myself for omitting that in this lifetime.

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