Alen Halilovic: I see myself playing for a big club in the future

Alen Halilovic spoke to Sport on various topics ahead of Las Palmas’ clash with Barcelona. The Croatian attacking midfielder joined the Catalans before heading on loan to Sporting and being sold to Hamburg, where he’s been loaned for two years to Las Palmas. 

Have you found your place at Las Palmas?

I’m happy here, it’s a good play to play minutes and gain confidence.

But you’re not a regular starter?

I play in almost all the games. Sure I want to play more but I have another year of loan and next year I want to become a starter. I want to prepare myself well this summer for that.”

You’re only 20 and have played for five teams.

Yes, I’m still 20 and after a good season at Gijon I signed for Hamburg.

A bad decision?

I hardly ever played, it was a difficult time for me but I learned a lot of things in Germany. The problem is that you don’t play and you need to, to gain confidence. 

You lost it at some point?

Yes, In Germany because I hardly played and it’s not easy. 

Now it’s back?

I wanted to return to Spain to recover it, to start to train well, to play. You see that you can play at the Bernabeu and you can compete with them. Now I’m much more comfortable.

How do you think you’re doing? 

Well. I live with a physic who helps me, with him he prepares me physically day to day, but with diet too.

It’s not all about the ball.

The most important thing is to be a player who knows how to defend, attack, be calm in some moments. That’s not just one thing or to have talent, the most important thing is to train well, and your private life too. 

What happened at Barça?

I arrived very young, at 18 years old. If in front of you you have Neymar, Suarez, Messi. It’s hard to have chances and I had five years left on the contract. I’m not a player that likes sitting on the bench and I only think in enjoying my life. I wanted to play and show what I could do.

Can you show against Barcelona that your signing wasn’t an error?

I don’t need to show anything. I’m looking forward to playing against Barcelona and I want to play, but I only want to play a good game and help my team-mates. We have the capacity to do better than we’ve done in the last few games and against Barcelona everyone in the world is watching. 

How do you feel, facing your past? 

Respect. I have a lot of respect for Barcelona and their players, they are more or less all my friends, but that’s life. 

Barcelona are playing for a lot more.

It’s an important game for Barcelona, but for us too because it’s the last of the season at home and after two or three months not as good as the star too the season, beating Barcelona would be special for our fans.

Would you like to take the league from Barca?

It’s not entirely up to them and this year Real Madrid are playing very well. Let’s see what happens… 

Do you speak to ex-team-mates at Barca?

With Rakitic, I speak to him a lot, with Pique, Jordi Alba, Lionel Messi and Neymar. I had good times with them and they are friends. 

Do you see yourself going back to playing for a big club? 

Yes, I see it. I look at Dybala and Griezmann, who at 19 or 20 years old they didn’t grow up at the best teams in the world, but when you have chances and one or two good seasons…. I see myself playing for a great side, but I have to keep growing.