The program ‘El Chiringuito’ presented by Josep Pedrerol recently released an advance of their interview with Quique Sánchez Flores on the podcast ‘Josep Pedrerol’s cafelito’. Javier Balboa, a former Real Madrid player, had previously criticized Quique Sánchez Flores, stating that the coach “was not sincere” during their time together at Benfica in the 2008-2009 season.
When asked by Pedrerol about the situation with Balboa, Quique Sánchez Flores responded, “What happened to Javi Balboa… did you feel that you behaved badly with him?” The coach explained that he has a lot of love for Balboa and had made an effort to sign him, but in football, you can’t commit to anyone. He also stated that the commitment is to oneself and that he tried to be as fair as possible.
Quique Sánchez Flores recalled that he had made an effort to bring Balboa to Benfica, paying 4.5 million euros for the player, who was then completing a fantastic season with Racing de Santander. However, he acknowledged that he didn’t give Balboa what he deserved, and the player is entitled to his own thoughts.
Quique Sánchez Flores: “I love Javi Balboa more than he loves me”
Quique Sánchez Flores emphasized that he respects Balboa a lot and thinks he’s a great guy. He believes that the player has the right to think what he wants, and Quique doesn’t have any hard feelings towards him. The coach’s response was in reaction to Balboa’s statement that Quique Sánchez Flores was the coach who had disappointed him the most, citing a lack of sincerity.
Javi Balboa answers Quique Sánchez Flores: “It’s his point of view… he didn’t give me an explanation”
After hearing Quique Sánchez Flores’ statements, Javi Balboa replied, saying that it’s the coach’s point of view, but he didn’t give him an explanation for what he needed from him. At the time, Balboa had an offer from Porto that would have paid him double what he was earning, which may have influenced his decision.
In 2009, Quique Sánchez Flores, who was then the coach of Benfica, declared that “a player who has doubts cannot be in the field or be summoned. And I have doubts, due to many reasons, if Balboa has room in Benfica. When this is clarified, we will talk about the possibility of playing.” This statement may have contributed to the tension between the two.