Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has hinted he could be tempted to leave Camp Nou for the Premier League in the not-too-distant future.
The 31-year-old has played approaching 500 matches for the Catalan side since making his senior debut in 2002, winning five La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues and two FIFA Club World Cups as a member of arguably the greatest club side of all time.
But, speaking exclusively in the May 2013 issue of FourFourTwo - out now - Valdes explains that he sees his future away from Barcelona.
"I want to try new cultures, new football, new challenges," says Valdes. "I’ve had great times here, I love it at Barcelona. I will always come back here, but I have this wonderful job which allows me to travel. And I want to travel."
Valdes has been linked with several Premier League sides in recent months, including Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.
The 13-times capped Spain international explained that he has had an interest in English football since his youth, when he spent time living on the island of Tenerife.
"I lived in an area of Tenerife where there were a lot of British people. I watched them go into football bars wearing their shirts in the middle of the day.
"Each team had a different bar, one for Chelsea or a different one for United. I would see fans celebrating in the street in the middle of the day, dancing in the sun with beers. It was funny, I’d not seen this before.
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"I like the Premier League, of course. They shoot a lot 'shoot on goal' – that’s what you say in English, no? I like the respect of the crowd towards footballers in England. It’s a different way of living football. They clap a simple tackle in England, we’re not used to that. I like it."
Read the full interview with Victor Valdes in the May 2013 issue of FourFourTwo - out now digitally and in print. The issue also features our run-down of the Top 50 players in the Football League, a One-on-One with Diego Forlan and a look at the myths surrounding the term 'one man team'. Find out more about the new issue
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Gary Parkinson is a freelance writer, editor, trainer, muso, singer, actor and coach. He spent 14 years at FourFourTwo as the Global Digital Editor and continues to regularly contribute to the magazine and website, including major features on Euro 96, Subbuteo, Robert Maxwell and the inside story of Liverpool's 1990 title win. He is also a Bolton Wanderers fan.
