Borja Iglesias: "Being from Betis cannot be explained, but it is happiness"
Betis leaves a mark. Borja Iglesias is checking it, who has gone from living in his flesh the pressure of being the second most expensive signing in the club's history to one of the architects of a new splendor of Beticism. The boy who left Galicia as a teenager has traveled a long journey through Valencia, Zaragoza, Barcelona, including a return to Vigo, until he found complete happiness in Seville. It is Betis, his feeling, the people, joy, the hospitality of the city, the climate and the institutional-sports project, what has captivated the Galician.
Borja Iglesias, a footballer by profession, is in fashion. His last game, with two goals against Espanyol, serves to be included in the FIFA 22 ideal team. It is not anything. It is a recognition and a personal satisfaction. At Betis, the wellness ecosystem is found by a 29-year-old guy who has a sensitive and committed personality. A person who is active on social networks, a vehicle he uses to give visibility to injustices and has been a protagonist for denouncing racism and receiving homophobic insults. What is important is in the ordinary. And Borja Iglesias is a footballer with fame, money and values. He close, cheerful, happy and grateful to life and to Betis.
Seeing Betis is no longer a suffering. It is a colorful and winning team. Very fun to follow because of his offensive proposal, the enormous individual talent and the competitive improvement. He has achieved it with Manuel Pellegrini, the coach who has found the key to balance attack with defense. Betis is at the top of the League, competing for the Copa del Rey and the Europa League. The pride of the verdiblanco feeling grows. It is possible because of the work of the coach and that of a squad that has something special. In the Betis dressing room there is a family atmosphere, good vibes and the commitment to go all together.
These are some of the keys to the best Betis that fans have enjoyed in a long time, of some intense weeks that make you dream. Borja Iglesias discovers in this interview what secrets are making possible the resurrection of the splendor of Betis and his own.
QUESTION. Does it make up for you to be so active on social media? Are there more insults than praise?
RESPONSE. The reactions don't bother me because I try to give them the importance they have. When I like something I say it and when I don't too. I have always been active. Not just now. It already was since he was in the Celta subsidiary and many people were surprised. I have had moments in which reactions affected me more, but I have learned to give importance to what really has it. Nor can you allow disrespect to affect you too much. The basis is respect. I am quite respectful and you have to find a balance. The other day, after beating Espanyol, against my former team, I said that I was where I wanted to be and there are responses that are insults. They say I went to Betis for money. It is an operation where there was a transfer and yes, it is true, that I earn more money, but I also seek to compete for more things that enrich me and make me grow. With Betis I feel identified in sports and social matters with the projects of its Foundation, many focused on environmental issues. They are not nonsense.
P. One of the messages with the most impact was the image in which you appeared with your nails painted black to denounce racism. He received insults that even called him a fagot.
R. What really happened is that the club published a photograph of the training in which I was seen with black nails. I didn't put anything. I painted my nails black because at that moment I wanted to join the campaign to support the protests in the United States of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement. It was a way of raising awareness and fighting racism from my position. He had no intention of teaching anyone a lesson. The photo came out and there are people who did not like it and there were even homophobic reactions. I could keep quiet, but I think I'm lucky, that I have an important position and I can help as a public figure to create a better society. Homophobia is something that is there and that I hope we end up eradicating. I will take advantage of what I can to help it.
P. With Virginia Torrecilla she had an emotional message when she returned to play after overcoming cancer for two years and she was kept by the Barcelona players. Is it worth using social networks for this?
A. Sure. Also, I know Virginia and we have a good relationship. It is worth admiring the lesson she has given, I was very happy seeing that she was playing football again, the example of struggle, overcoming, the gesture of the Barça players... These are the things that are above everything . This had to be highlighted for all the human value that it transmits to us.
P. He has been chosen in the ideal team of FIFA 22 and you can tell he is proud. How important is it for a footballer to have visibility in a video game?
A. It's cool. In the end it's not because of the video game, it's because of the recognition of a good game you played that week, because you won and played well. I have a good time because I like them. Since I was a child I was excited about video games. Nothing more. It doesn't matter whether he comes out in an ideal eleven or not. It is independent of the evaluation that I make of my performance. I am enjoying at Betis. We are all enjoying ourselves and this is what you notice in the team when we play, win and have a good time. The essence of football is this and then the awards are good.
P. How can a Betis player explain, from within, what is the feeling of Beticism? What kind of passion does he generate?
R. For me, today, it is my way of life. At Betis I have found happiness and I am proud to belong to this human group, to a place where there is growth. Betis is different. It has something different. Here people live with much more intensity and feel it as their own. There are many people, even from outside of football, who sympathize with Betis. It is difficult to explain what touches you, how they make you feel something unique and it is as if it had a special aura. It is not tangible. It is more sentimental and you have the desire to participate in something that unites and is transmitted between generations.
P. What is the Betis dressing room like? It gives the feeling, from the outside, that there is a lot of joy, that you have a great time...
R. We have created a very good human group and it is seen that we are all involved in the objectives. A very nice relationship has been generated between the players with the club and the fans. We know that we all need each other because it is the way we are strongest.
P. How is the rivalry with Sevilla? Do you have players at the rival club who are friends?
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R. The rivalry in the city is lived with intensity and sometimes sparks fly. But we need each other. For me this rivalry is healthy and it is normal that each one defends his own on the field. I know several Sevilla players because we are neighbors and there is a good relationship.
P. In the Copa del Rey derby the match was suspended and several Betis players were accused of making fun of Jordán with messages on the networks. Did they have this intention?
R. We have not laughed at Jordan. The reality is that this issue has become quite clear, the club has taken its measures and faces them as they have to be. For us, last week was very nice both in the League and in the Cup and beating Sevilla is as special as when they win. We are performing at a good level and we are only thinking about the next game, raising the bar to always win.
Q. Is the key person in Betis' good season Manuel Pellegrini? What is special about the coach and what does he transmit?
R. Since he arrived he implanted a winning mentality and made the squad believe that he had the capacity to play with a system that benefits us. This squad is made to play attacking, we work a lot on automation to be an effective offensive team, but it has also given us the tools to be solid. We needed to be better defensively. Thus we have improved and raised the level of demand. Pellegrini has experience, he is a cultured person, who knows how to get the message across and keeps his distance. We have a beautiful and demanding relationship.
Q. The other leader is Joaquín. Is it beticism in person? What does the captain transmit and what example is he for the squad?
R. Joaquín transmits many positive things and, obviously, the feeling of Beticism is not clearer to anyone than him. That's all. His happiness, his way of understanding life, how he enjoys coming to train, play, work... All this is not easy to achieve. With very little, it infects you because it is super productive. It is true that it is a show because it has that capacity for the show and generates situations of good vibes, but then it knows how to say things very clearly, with good humor. When you have to get serious, get. He does it with respect and without crossing any red lines.
P. And how is Borja Iglesias? He has said that he is happy at Betis, that he feels the need to always win, that he enjoys playing... he has started a streak in which he is scoring goals and helping the team. Is he at his best?
R. I demand a lot of myself and I like to be critical of what I do. But I also try not to punish myself. I know that you always have to give a good performance, improve, help the team and compete for all the objectives. You have to know how to be focused and also disconnect because a few days later you play a game again. I'm fine. And I am lucky that in my house I have Teresa, my partner, who gives me that necessary emotional balance. She has the ability to understand me, help me and respect me. I have that luck and when she is the other way around I try to do the same.
P. It gives the feeling that you have something extravagant, original... Do you consider yourself an eccentric person?
R. We all have our eccentricities and we like different things. I like to enjoy life, the little things and always be in a happy mood. I am what you see. I feel like I'm well surrounded.
P. What does Borja Iglesias suffer with?
A. I have had times when things have gone worse on a personal level. Injustice frustrates me. There is a lot and it is difficult to control it. Life has to be based on respect and being happy. There are no more secrets.
Q. In the program 'La Resistencia' he had no qualms about revealing the amount of money he had in his checking account (697,000 euros). Is it good to be so transparent?
R. There are certain taboo topics and I didn't mind commenting on it because it is true that talking about money can be a controversial subject, but it is what it is. You have earned it with your work, effort, legally and that's it. It is true that footballers are privileged. But not only for money. We are also because of a social and media positioning that we have to value and give it the importance it has. I believe that I do not lead a luxurious life and I have a standard of living that is linked to what I earn. I am quite aware and try to give money the value it has. Five years ago he played in Second B and arrived just at the end of the month to pay the letter of the car. I've been organized, if you can call it that.
Q. Is he a very Sevillian Galician?
R. I feel loved in Seville, I like the city, the people and, of course, getting up every day and seeing the sun. They have welcomed me very well, people are open, you socialize and I see it as another stage in life where you have to take advantage of opportunities.
P. He had a brief period in Zaragoza and they named him the adoptive son of the Fiestas del Pilar. Does he have empathy with the people and cities he goes to?
A. It is tremendous. The truth is that it was something very nice and an incredible stage because it was my first season as professional footballers. I made very good friends in a short time and in Zaragoza I met Teresa. She always helped me. Wherever I go I always try to enjoy, help and get involved in charitable causes. I am very grateful to Zaragoza.
P. And in sports, he was a boy who left Galicia young, who sought his life for several teams, who has reached a Betis that now competes at the top of the league table, is in the Copa del Rey and the Europa League. How do you remember this long journey?
R. It has not been easy, but it has been nice. I consider myself lucky and I can't complain because there are people who have it harder and don't have opportunities. I have had them and I have used them. This is my attitude. Now I am at a great club, a team like Betis that aspires to achieve goals in the League, Cup and Europa League. We are in the final part and the most demanding part arrives. We are setting the bar high and it is better to fight for this than to be stuck at the bottom. For all the Betis, they are very excited to be able to win a title.
