SC: Hi, good evening.

How are you doing?

Well like you said, I’m going through a bit of a rough time. I’m alright, just trying to stay positive and recuperate, you know, just trying to be as optimistic as possible.

Mmm, Did you see Celta Vigo tonight?

Yes. Yes I arrived at the hospital just in time to see Villarreal and then I saw Celta Vigo. I was happy to see the team playing well, it was about time.

Yeah it was about time, these results make you feel bad right? [Villarreal went out to AS Roma].

Yeah, when the Spanish teams qualify for the Champions League and Europa League I always support them. [Haha]

So Santi, why are you in the hospital?

Yeah [I’m in hospital] because they had to operate today…

They operated again this evening?

Yes this evening…

What did they do?

It was a small operation they just had to close a wound that had opened, so they reopened it and closed it again. It wasn’t anything serious, but that’s why I’m in the hospital.

But the operation you had, was it for a ruptured ligament in your ankle or what?

Well its a little complicated to explain…

Yes…?

It was a little unusual what they had to do. They did a graft about a month and a half ago because the skin on my ankle was practically dead and had developed a wound that wouldn’t close, so they operated in Sweden. They had to do a graft, it was starting to feel better until I started to do a bit of cycling and other exercise and then the skin broke, opened and the stitches came out. So today they had to close the wound again. Hopefully, now, I can finally start to recuperate and get better.

There are many people who don’t deserve bad luck and you are one of them. You are one of the most love footballers and one of the best footballers to come out of this country [Spain]. You are one of the most loved [players] and most people have sympathy for and you are a nice person and look at this bad luck with injuries. You even missed [the World Cup in] South Africa when Spain won. I don’t know if it hurts more physically or emotionally.

Yeah, it all comes into mind. I’ve been injured about a year and a half now since the knee [problem] in November last season and now this year with the ankle injury. Its given me a lot of time to think, especially about the World Cup and how bad I felt with my back then. Now it’s even worse than back then. Back then I was out for about six months and now its been basically a year and I’m still not better. But hey, that’s life. You gotta deal with it as best you can and be optimistic in the bad times otherwise, you get desperate from being at home all day and not being able to do anything. I can’t do much, can’t walk, I have to use crutches and it’s frustrating day after day. But I don’t have any other option, just to deal with it as best I can and get better.