阿亞拉：這很難，而且因?yàn)槲以谕獗疾?，所以更難。但這是我必須要做的，我從中學(xué)到了很多。我認(rèn)為我應(yīng)付得很好，所有的事情都考慮到了。我的大女兒現(xiàn)在20歲了，她和她的母親住在巴拉納。在她成長(zhǎng)過(guò)程中，我們沒(méi)有天天聯(lián)系，但事情就是這樣發(fā)展的。

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FIFA.com：你有一個(gè)20歲的女兒，還有三個(gè)小女兒，你會(huì)把自己描述成一個(gè)溺愛(ài)孩子的父親嗎？

阿亞拉：不，不......說(shuō)實(shí)話，我根本沒(méi)想過(guò)這個(gè)事。只要人們尊重我的孩子們，我就很高興了！

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FIFA.com：你現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)37歲了?；仡欉^(guò)去，哪個(gè)事情對(duì)你來(lái)說(shuō)更難：是踢了20年的頂級(jí)足球還是做了5個(gè)孩子的父親？

阿亞拉：作為一個(gè)父親（笑）！足球是關(guān)于照顧自己和自律的。作為一個(gè)父親，每天都在變化，你一直處于壓力之下，特別是如果你想給他們一個(gè)良好的成長(zhǎng)環(huán)境，確保他們?cè)谡_的價(jià)值觀下成長(zhǎng)。這是最困難的事情。而且我還在學(xué)習(xí)。隨著他們的成長(zhǎng)，我仍在學(xué)習(xí)。

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FIFA.com：你的兒子弗朗西斯科已經(jīng)13歲了。我們是否有可能看到另一個(gè)阿亞拉參加職業(yè)比賽呢？

阿亞拉：他很喜歡足球！他很喜歡。他想讓我?guī)ゾ銟?lè)部試訓(xùn)，但對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)最重要的是讓他在學(xué)校表現(xiàn)良好。足球就像是一種獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)。盡管如此，他是個(gè)好球員，我們會(huì)努力讓他在12月開(kāi)始參加俱樂(lè)部的比賽。他喜歡踢中場(chǎng)。我沒(méi)有去特別鼓勵(lì)他，但在他祖父的幫助下，他自己進(jìn)入了這個(gè)領(lǐng)域，盡管這總是要發(fā)生的，我想，可能是因?yàn)樗麖男【捅蛔闱虬鼑?/p>

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FIFA.com：你在意大利和西班牙都踢過(guò)球。你注意到這兩個(gè)聯(lián)賽之間有什么不同嗎？

阿亞拉：我總是說(shuō)，在意大利踢球幫助我成長(zhǎng)為一名后衛(wèi)。這幾乎就像是在攻讀防守領(lǐng)域的碩士學(xué)位！我非常感謝我的職業(yè)生涯中遇到的所有俱樂(lè)部給我的一切。西班牙足球也許更有刺激性，如果你喜歡這種風(fēng)格的比賽，也許更好看。但我不會(huì)說(shuō)一個(gè)比另一個(gè)好，因?yàn)槲覐膬煞N經(jīng)歷中都學(xué)到了很多。

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FIFA.com：關(guān)于2010年南非世界杯，在國(guó)家隊(duì)呆了12年之后，現(xiàn)在作為觀眾從場(chǎng)邊觀看是什么感覺(jué)？

阿亞拉：這對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)很煎熬。你總是像球員一樣思考，你在比賽前、比賽中和比賽后會(huì)做什么。相反，現(xiàn)在的你必須換位思考，只能期待下一場(chǎng)比賽，并與朋友和家人聚在一起觀看比賽。然而，當(dāng)你和球隊(duì)在一起時(shí)，你完全被切斷了，像是被困在一個(gè)氣泡中，你隔著這層氣泡沒(méi)法真正了解外界發(fā)生了什么。但作為一個(gè)球迷，你就可以看到一切。

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FIFA.com：所以你會(huì)說(shuō)，球員們沒(méi)有意識(shí)到人們是如何看待他們?cè)诩亦l(xiāng)的表現(xiàn)的？

阿亞拉：是的，完全如此。我現(xiàn)在更多地從球迷的角度來(lái)理解事情，以及你如何需要傾聽(tīng)、觀看和感受?chē)?guó)家隊(duì)發(fā)生的一切。你希望攝像機(jī)能讓你感受到事情的一部分。當(dāng)我在國(guó)家隊(duì)的時(shí)候，即使在休息日，我也只想呆在室內(nèi)，而不是被媒體追著到處跑。但作為一名球員，你必須意識(shí)到，你對(duì)媒體說(shuō)的每一件小事都會(huì)對(duì)國(guó)內(nèi)的球迷產(chǎn)生巨大的影響，因?yàn)樵谑澜绫陂g，阿根廷陷入了僵局，所有人都想看球隊(duì)的比賽，欣賞我們的足球運(yùn)動(dòng)員。

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FIFA.com：在這種情況下，你會(huì)以不同的方式處理98年法國(guó)世界杯期間阿根廷人與媒體的問(wèn)題嗎？

是的，完全不同。但我把這歸結(jié)為經(jīng)驗(yàn)。這對(duì)任何人來(lái)說(shuō)都不是好事，發(fā)生這樣的事真的很遺憾。但我們當(dāng)時(shí)已經(jīng)決定了，并堅(jiān)持了下來(lái)。

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FIFA.com：你認(rèn)為阿根廷在南非的表現(xiàn)如何？

阿亞拉：我們都還在思考我們的最后一場(chǎng)比賽（四分之一決賽中被德國(guó)隊(duì)擊?。Ｈ欢?，除了那場(chǎng)比賽之外，阿根廷隊(duì)踢得非常好，而且很有智慧。我不認(rèn)為我們有任何輕松的比賽，我們所打的所有球隊(duì)都是我們必須尊重并需要經(jīng)過(guò)努力才能擊敗的球隊(duì)。我們就是這樣做的，球隊(duì)踢得很有力量，并成功地將自己的比賽風(fēng)格強(qiáng)加給對(duì)手。當(dāng)然，與德國(guó)隊(duì)的比賽是個(gè)例外，我們只是無(wú)法接近他們。

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FIFA.com：關(guān)于國(guó)家隊(duì)新教練的身份已經(jīng)有了很多猜測(cè)。你有什么偏好？

阿亞拉：所有提到的名字肯定都能勝任這個(gè)工作。米格爾[魯索]目前在競(jìng)技，他已經(jīng)做了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的工作了。人們也提到了[卡洛斯]比安奇。最重要的是要考慮我們想要的球隊(duì)類(lèi)型，并且堅(jiān)定不移地堅(jiān)持下去。這就是我們所需要的。

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我喜歡足球，我喜歡踢球，并且喜歡從戰(zhàn)術(shù)的角度思考比賽。但我不認(rèn)為自己可以做教練。我沒(méi)有那么想要做教練。

——羅伯托?阿亞拉

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FIFA.com：你認(rèn)為西班牙應(yīng)該是阿根廷的榜樣嗎？

阿亞拉：你是這么說(shuō)的，但是西班牙能那么踢球是因?yàn)樗麄兊穆?lián)賽中有一支以同樣方式比賽的球隊(duì)——巴塞羅那。由于西班牙國(guó)家隊(duì)中有很多巴塞羅那的球員，這意味著他們可以統(tǒng)一踢法。在阿根廷這里，這很難做到。我們有在世界各地踢球的世界級(jí)球員，但我們并沒(méi)有設(shè)法給國(guó)家隊(duì)一個(gè)統(tǒng)一的意志。我們需要帶著自信去參加比賽，我們要相信我們自己可以擊敗任何球隊(duì)。

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FIFA.com：在2007年的美洲杯上，當(dāng)時(shí)你和梅西一起參加比賽。他是個(gè)什么樣的人？

阿亞拉：他正是你看到的那樣（微笑）。那時(shí)，他還在成長(zhǎng)，但成長(zhǎng)速度已經(jīng)快得嚇人。他很安靜，習(xí)慣保持沉默，但很尊重他人。我想，隨著歲月的流逝，他也會(huì)更加自信。問(wèn)題是，要讓他變得外放是很難的，因?yàn)槟鞘撬奶煨?。每個(gè)人都希望他變得不一樣，但他就是這樣的人，你必須尊重他。

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FIFA.com：你對(duì)你余下的職業(yè)生涯還抱有什么希冀嗎？

阿亞拉：我想先完成我的合同，然后看看我的身體狀況如何，我是否想繼續(xù)踢球，是否有任何機(jī)會(huì)來(lái)到我身邊?，F(xiàn)在，我感覺(jué)很好，我僅僅只是在訓(xùn)練而已，希望將來(lái)有機(jī)會(huì)上場(chǎng)。如果我能夠繼續(xù)這樣，那么我們將來(lái)再看看其他事情。

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FIFA.com：你曾經(jīng)說(shuō)過(guò)，你不認(rèn)為自己可以成為教練?，F(xiàn)在仍然是這樣想的嗎？

是的，當(dāng)然了。做教練是一個(gè)非常困難的工作，我只是覺(jué)得它不適合我。我喜歡足球，我喜歡踢球，并且喜歡從戰(zhàn)術(shù)的角度思考比賽。但我不認(rèn)為自己可以做教練。我沒(méi)有那么想要做教練。無(wú)論如何，我未來(lái)有足夠的時(shí)間來(lái)考慮這個(gè)問(wèn)題。目前，我所知道的是，我想以某種身份在足球領(lǐng)域工作。我很希望能夠把我所有的經(jīng)驗(yàn)以某種方式加以利用。

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原英文稿如下：

Ayala: I just love football
(FIFA.com) Monday 23 August 2010
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Roberto Ayala needs no introduction. The elegant centre-back went to three FIFA World Cups? with Argentina, played for some of Europe's top clubs for 15 years, and captained his country to gold at the Men's Olympic Football Tournament Athens 2004.

However, the man who now plies his trade back in his homeland with Racing Club has a much more personal story to tell; one which goes beyond his glittering achievements in the game. It is a story that starts in his hometown, Entre Rios, where he started out in the local league playing alongside his father. It is also a story of individual challenges, as the man who was to go on to star for the likes of AC Milan and Valencia, and became a father at the tender age of 16.

In an exclusive interview with FIFA.com, the man known as El Raton (The Mouse) spoke frankly about his career, family life and views on South America's latest crop of talented youngsters. Also on the agenda was his country’s South Africa 2010 campaign and his plans for the future.

FIFA.com: Roberto, you have just come back to Argentinian football after 15 years in Europe. Have things changed much?
Roberto Ayala: There have been some big changes, in the country as a whole and also in football. It's hard to say whether they’re for better or for worse, but things do change and you have to adapt as you go along. As far as my football is concerned, I didn’t hit the ground running, shall we say. I hadn't trained for a while, and more preparation would have helped me. But I've got over that, and the most important thing is that Racing avoided the relegation play-offs in the last campaign.

Has the style of play changed much?
It has. Games are a lot quicker now. Apart from two or three teams who try to play the ball out from the back, most teams get it forward quickly, try to win possession from there, and build their attacks that way.

It seems as if Argentinian players always take a little bit longer than Brazilians to come back and play in their own country. Would you agree?
It could depend on circumstances. I'm not saying that this isn't the case with Argentinian players, but I think that Brazilians generally need to be in their own country more than we do. Don't take that the wrong way - personally I've always loved Argentinian football and I've always wanted to be where my heart is. But I think that often we stay longer in Europe because the clubs over there know that they're on to a good thing. Generally, Argentinian players give you a lot, and the more the clubs can get out of us, the better for them. Some players even get the chance to stay with clubs once they've finished playing, and they settle over there.

Playing in Italy helped me develop as a defender. It was almost like doing a Master's degree in defending!
——Roberto Ayala

Talking of changes in the game, do you think young players nowadays are very different to previous generations?
It's not the same, of course. Nowadays, young players will join in with the banter with older players, something that would have been unthinkable even a short time ago. Before, when you started training with the first team, you kept yourself to yourself. That's not the case now, although they are still respectful. The youngsters at Racing are hard-working and respectful, but when you spend so much time together, things can crop up. Without going into detail, there were a few issues in my first month at the club, but the young players have always respected me.

Do you think young players are as committed as they once were to their careers?
It's a difficult situation for them. They want to go to Europe straightaway without paying their dues here. They should play more games here, which would be beneficial for them and for the clubs. It's important not to miss out on that stage of your development as a player.

You must be very aware of the challenges facing young footballers, seeing as you became a father at the age of 16. What was it like coping with that responsibility at such a young age?
It was hard, and more so because I was away. But that's what I had to do and I learned a lot. I think I coped pretty well, all things considered. My daughter is 20 now and she lives in Parana with her mother. We didn't have that day-to-day contact when she was growing up, but things just turned out that way.

With one 20-year-old daughter, and three younger ones, would you describe yourself as a protective father?
No, no... to be honest, I don't even think about it. As long as people respect them, I'm happy!

You're 37 now. Looking back, which would you say is more difficult: playing top-level football for 20 years or being a father to five children?
Being a father (laughs)! Football is about looking after yourself and being disciplined. Being a father changes every day and you're constantly under pressure, especially if you want to give them a good upbringing and make sure that they grow up with the right values. That's the hardest thing. And I'm still learning. As they grow up, I'm still learning.

Your son Francisco is 13. Are we likely to see another Ayala making his way in the game?
He's mad about football! He loves it. He wants me to take him for trials at a club, but the most important thing for me is for him to do well at school. Football is like a reward. Saying that, he's a good player and we will try to get him started with a club in December. He likes to play in midfield. I didn't really encourage him but he got into it himself with the help of his grandfather, although it was always going to happen, I suppose, because he grew up surrounded by football.

You played in both Italy and Spain. What differences did you notice between the two leagues?
I always say that playing in Italy helped me develop as a defender. It was almost like doing a Master's degree in defending! I'm very grateful to all of my clubs for what they gave me in my career. Spanish football is perhaps a bit more expansive, perhaps better to watch if you like that style of play. But I wouldn't say one is better than the other because I've learned a lot from both experiences.

As regards South Africa 2010, what was it like watching from the sidelines after 12 years in the national team?
It was very hard. You're always thinking like a player, what you would be doing before, during and after the games. Instead, you have to think differently, just look forward to the next game and getting together to watch it with friends and family. When you're with the team, you're completely cut off, in a little bubble and you don't really get to know what's going on elsewhere. As a fan, you get to see everything.

So would you say that the players don't realise how people see their performances back home?
Yes, totally. I understand things much more from a fan's point of view now, and how you need to listen and watch and feel everything that is going on with the national team. You want the cameras to make you feel part of things. When I was with the national team, even on days off, I just wanted to stay indoors and not be chased everywhere by the press. But as a player you have to realise that every little thing you say to the press can have huge repercussions for fans back home because during World Cups, Argentina comes to a standstill and all anybody wants to do is see the team play and admire our footballers.

In that context, would you have handled differently the problems that the Argentinians had with the press during France 98?
Yes, completely. But I put that down to experience. It wasn't good for anybody and it was a real pity that it happened. But we took a decision and stuck to it.

How do you think Argentina did in South Africa?
We are all still thinking about our final game (the quarter-final defeat by Germany). Apart from that fixture, however, Argentina played very well and with a lot of intelligence. I don't think we had any easy games and all of the teams we played were sides that we had to respect and then try to defeat. We did just that and the team played with authority and managed to impose its style of play on the opposition. Of course, the Germany game was the exception and we just couldn't get close to them.

There has been a lot of speculation about the identity of the new coach. Who is your favourite?
All of the names mentioned could definitely do the job. Miguel [Russo] is at Racing at the moment, and he has been doing a good job for a long time now. People have also mentioned [Carlos] Bianchi. The most important thing is to think about the type of team we want and stick to that through thick and thin. That's what we need.

I love football, I love playing and thinking about a game from a tactical point of view. But I don't see myself coaching. I haven't been bitten by the bug.
——Roberto Ayala

Do you think Spain should be the model for Argentina?
You say that, but then Spain play the way they do because they have a team in their league who play in the same way: Barcelona. And because there are a lot of Barcelona players in the national team, that means that they can. Here it's harder. We've got world-class players who play all over the world and we don't quite manage to give the national team an identity. We need to go into games with the confidence that we can beat any team we come up against.

You were part of the same squad as Lionel Messi in the Copa America 2007. What kind of person is he?
He is exactly how you see him from the outside (smiles). Back then, he was still growing up, albeit at a frightening rate. He's quiet, keeps himself to himself, respectful. I suppose that as the years go by he's gaining in confidence. The thing is, it's difficult because that's his nature. Everybody wants him to be someone different, but that's how he is and you have to respect that.

And what are your hopes for the rest of your career?
I want to see out my contract, and then see how I am physically, whether I want to carry on playing and whether any opportunities come my way. Right now, I feel fine and I'm just training and hoping for the chance to play. If I can continue to do that, then we’ll see about the rest.

You once said that you didn't see yourself as a coach. Is that still the case?
Yes, of course. It's a very difficult job and I just don't think it's for me. I love football, I love playing and thinking about a game from a tactical point of view. But I don't see myself coaching. I haven't been bitten by the bug. In any case, there is plenty of time to think about that in the future. What I do know is that I want to work in football in some capacity. I would love to be able to put all of my experience to use in some way.