In an interview with El Desmarque, Fabian Ruiz spoke about his family, his wife, and his feelings about becoming a father, while also looking ahead to the match between Spain and France.
Talking about family
I've always said that my mother, family, siblings, wife, and unborn child are the most important people to me. They've always supported me, not just in good times—when I need them too—but especially during the most difficult and challenging times. They've always been there for me. I owe everything I have to them, because in my heart, they are the most important people.
How did your wife support you during those tough times? Fabian, we all know that phases like this are inevitable. Could you elaborate on the specific ways she helped you?
I really should erect a statue for her. Especially this year, when I was injured for a long time and going through difficult times, she had to bear the brunt of my emotions. To be honest, it wasn't easy. I'm so grateful to her. To me, she's everything. She's about to become the mother of my child and has always been the woman by my side. I'm truly grateful for her patience and the love she's given me. Now, she's with me 24/7, the person I love deeply. I love her very much and must thank her for everything she's done for me.
Everyone experiences such low points. Fabian, what are some of the things she said that touched you the most?
She's a psychologist, so she knows how to guide and support me. She knows how to encourage and support me, and most importantly, she understands me.
She always pays attention to my well-being and knows how to handle different situations. She has received professional training, but beyond that, she is also very good at communicating with people. She knows how to make me smile again when I'm not feeling well, and she knows how to support me when I'm feeling down.
Talking about the unborn child
I feel incredibly lucky. To be honest, I still don't know what it's like to be a father. I have a nephew whom I love very much, so it's hard to imagine how much I'll love my own son. I also talk about these things with my teammates who have recently become fathers.
What did they say to you? What did they tell you?
They say it's the most wonderful thing in the world. The day my child is born will be a unique experience, bringing a feeling that words can't describe. I'm really looking forward to that moment and hope to one day be able to tell my friends what it's like. I truly can't wait. To be honest, especially after everything I've been through in the past few years, it's been incredible. I won the championship, gained everyone's love, had my wedding, and now I'm expecting my child. I couldn't ask for more. Now, all that's left is to add a perfect ending to all of this in about a week. I hope everything goes well.
Everyone's attention is now focused on Tuesday's match against France. You play for France, so you should know them better than most and have more insights into how to deal with this team, right?
I wish I could make this decision myself. However, we all know how outstanding their players are and that they are a very strong team. Indeed, I have many teammates at Paris Saint-Germain. But I think the key to this match is to minimize mistakes. Their individual abilities are very strong, especially their attacking players, who are incredibly fast. At the same time, when we get opportunities, we must try our best to capitalize and score.
You must be in a group chat with Dembele, Due, and the others, right? You should have been communicating with them these past few days.
I've been in contact with them, but we haven't talked about the match. We do communicate quite often, but so far, we haven't discussed this match. Maybe a few hours before the match starts, we'll say something. But to be honest, we all get along very well.
The head coach announces the starting lineup in his pre-match speech, right? Until then, you don't know who will start. But like you've always said, you're always prepared, aren't you?
Yes. I was very happy when I saw the starting lineup. To be honest, I won't hide it, I, like the other players, wanted to play. I felt I was fully prepared, and ultimately everything went smoothly.
Luis de la Fuente was asked a few days ago: How do you manage to keep the players from getting upset because they can't play? It's definitely a very healthy team atmosphere, but players who don't get to play certainly want to play.
Yes, of course. I won't hide it, everyone wants to play. But we also know that the team is the most important thing. We must contribute to the team and be ready whenever the head coach needs us. I think that's the key to this team, and the reason we've been able to go unbeaten for so many games and achieve good results in many major competitions.
Talk about De la Fuente
To be honest, I've always said that the head coach has always trusted me completely. This has been true from the youth team to the senior national team. I think he's an outstanding coach. He's willing to trust players he approves of, and as he himself has said, he values people of good character more than just those with exceptional ability.
I believe this is also one of the key reasons for our team's success. I've always said that I'm not someone who particularly cares about external opinions. I care more about what the team members think, because those who truly know me understand what I can bring to the team. That's what I really value.
