Goalkeeper Conan Ledesma spoke to the media via video link ahead of the clash against Villarreal on Sunday. “My name is Jeremías Conan Ledesma. They call me Conan and in Argentina people also call me Conan. If they want to call me Conan, that’s fine by me. I’ve felt very comfortable in these three games, it’s very important to be able to help the team and to provide a bit of peace of mind. Over these three games I’ve been able to do that and so I’ll try to continue on that path so that results are good ones for the club,” Conan said.
The Argentinean stopper received his first call-up to the national team this month and was also in goal as Cádiz beat Real Madrid last weekend. “I could never have imagined that in 10 days such important things like being selected for Argentina and beating Real Madrid were going to happen. Representing your country is something that every footballer aspires to in their career. I never expected something like this. But it has happened, and I embrace it strongly, it’s a source of great satisfaction for me.”
Conan expected to be competing with Alberto Cifuentes for a starting spot but the club captain elected recently to hang up his gloves and assume an institutional role at the club. “When I arrived, I always said that there has to be healthy competition, that’s very clear. The coach decides who is in the best shape to play. Then it turned out that he decided to retire and I only had words of thanks for him because as the captain, he welcomed me into the squad and helped me to integrate. I felt comfortable. We didn’t have the chance to have a relaxed chat between the two of us. I was isolating because of covid-19 and when I returned to training, he had moved on to another part of the club. I only have words of gratitude.”
“It’s very sad what we are going through on a global scale,” Conan said regarding the coronavirus pandemic. “I have experienced it. I wasn’t ill in terms of symptoms but it was a difficult time because I had to stay indoors far away from my family. Now it’s in the past and I have to focus on the team. I have to carry on working to give my best to the side. That was my motivation.”
Conan’s arrival at Cádiz on loan from Rosario Central is the first time he has played abroad in his career. “Argentinean football is more physical, here there is a lot more contact between players,” he said comparing the two leagues. “It’s more aggressive in one-on-one situations. Here the football is more technical because there is a higher skill level in Europe. Having VAR also makes a big difference.”
“My greatest strength in is my legs,” the keeper said when analysing his game. “There are matches when you can come out and play in the air, based on the decisions you make and what the game throws up at different moments. Argentinean football made me mature a lot. As the months and the games go by, I’ll start to feel even better if I’m selected because nobody has a guaranteed place.”
Lastly, Conan said he had settled quickly in Cádiz: “I’m getting to know people who are helping me to fit in and they are showing me what Cádiz means. I’ve only been here a short while but I’ve been able to get the know it a little. Everything I have seen has been very beautiful, very relaxed. I’ve seen kids playing football in the town square at 10pm and that doesn’t happen in Argentina. It’s peaceful here. I have two young daughters and being able to walk along the street with the peace of mind that nothing is going to happen to us makes it much easier to adapt to daily life. We’re very happy here, in what we call the first world.”
