In Matchday 6 of La Liga, Real Betis defeated Getafe 1-0 at home. After the match, Dani Ceballos, who made his home debut following his return to Real Betis, gave an interview discussing his feelings about coming home, his current physical condition, the Ballon d'Or, and other topics.

This is your first day back home. How are you feeling today?

It's a reunion after a long time away. The most important thing is that we won. For me, this is a very special day, and the reception from the fans means a lot to me.

I imagine you've dreamed of this day many times.

The wait was long. Really, longer than it should have been. But I'm very happy, especially because we got three points. The fans' reaction was exactly what I imagined. To be honest, now it's my turn to repay their trust with my performances on the pitch.

How are you feeling personally right now? I'm curious if these are the same feelings you expected fifteen or twenty days ago. Tell us and the Real Betis fans how you're feeling now and what your life looks like at this moment.

I'm very happy. The club has developed tremendously. When I left, it was already a very good club, but now, for me, it's a giant club in Spain.

I think we need to stay grounded and respect all the other teams, but I believe we have a very competitive squad. We have 25 players, and everyone is now in very good form and on an upward trajectory, and they follow the coach's instructions very well daily. I'm very happy to be back here, and I'm gradually getting up to speed, which isn't easy for me.

What has pleased you most since your return?

To be honest, it's the love the fans have shown me. Before, I had some doubts. I knew there could be applause or whistles, but I felt that after my first touch, those whistles would turn into applause, you know? Now I feel good, comfortable, and confident. My teammates and the coach have given me confidence, and today's reaction from the fans confirmed that.

Many people came specifically to see you today, and there were a lot of people here, right?

Yes, I was still asking my teammates for tickets (laughs). I'm very, very, very happy. Most importantly, I've come back home to my people and my family. Now we just need to keep growing.

What's the difference between the Dani Ceballos who left here many years ago for Real Madrid and today's Dani Ceballos? What have you improved, and what aspects have you refined? Are you very different from that young man who left for Real Madrid back then?

From a personal perspective, we're definitely completely different people. Now my emotional state is very stable, and I have a very happy family. I feel that the Dani Ceballos who has returned now is completely different from the one who left back then.

In terms of football, I think I was previously a player who could play in different positions. Now I feel much more comfortable in a system with two defensive midfielders, and I can even play further forward. I feel I'm in the best phase of my career as a player. I'm 30 now, and I have more experience. The only thing I need to do going forward is train hard and show my best version.

Looking at the league table, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Real Betis are in the top three. What's happening? Will it be like this all season? What comes next?

We need to stay grounded and respect our rivals, but not be afraid. We can't be intimidated by our current position. Right now we need to rest well, recover, and then travel to A Coruña on Sunday to try to win. The team needs to maintain this momentum: win, win, and win again.

If I may, Dani, I hope you won't be upset with me. Everyone is talking about the Ballon d'Or right now, and you'll definitely support Fabián Ruiz, right? After all, he was your teammate here before.

There's a lot of debate about it right now. As for team awards, Fabián Ruiz has won almost everything. If Fabián Ruiz ultimately doesn't win, then I hope Kylian Mbappé does.

I wanted to ask, you mentioned at your presentation that you weren't 100% fit at that time. How is your physical condition now?

To be honest, I've only trained with the team about seven or eight times and played just 30 minutes. Right now I'm probably at about 60-70% fitness. There will soon be a break that I can use to increase my training load, and there will be a friendly match where I can get more playing time. After that, we'll gradually see a better version of Dani Ceballos.

Переведено ИИ.

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