This season, Tottenham midfielder Palinha has become the Premier League steals leader. In an interview with the Guardian, the Portuguese discussed topics related to his career and the upcoming North London derby.
About the North London Derby
The atmosphere of a game like this (North London Derby) is always different, especially a showdown between old rivals, you experience these moments in a special way. We need to respond well after the last few games but football changes quickly and I think this will be a perfect test for us.
It feels a bit like when we played Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup at the beginning of the season (when Spurs lost on penalties), they won the league, the Champions League, everything. When you face a team at the top of their game, the pressure is probably more on their side and we know what we can do. Hopefully we can achieve our goal, which is to win, we don't want a draw.
About the total number of my jersey number 6
My grandfather was born on December 6th, and he also left us on the 6th of a certain month. I can’t remember exactly which month it was. He is a man who creates everything with his hands. At our house, he made the goals with his own hands out of fishing nets, doing it to see how happy my brother and cousins and I were because we often played football together.
I don't know if my mother gave me this name because of my grandfather. My father was also named Joao, so of course I named my first son Joao. He is now three years old and my other son Francisco is ten months old. Whenever I achieve something special in my career, I dedicate it to my grandfather and grandmother, both of whom have passed away.
About their future
They should ask the boss or sporting director Paratici or Langer, not me. Of course, this is just like a marriage, both parties need to be willing. I'm really happy to be here and feel the support from the fans, it's really special. We still have time until the end of the season, you know how it is in football.
Regarding the outside comments about my failed career in joining Bayern
My reaction was probably the same as trying to regain the ball when a teammate loses the ball on the pitch. At that moment, it was really difficult for me to accept. But I like to think of it this way: Everything that happens in life happens because it needs to happen. If it doesn't happen, it's because it doesn't need to happen. I stayed focused and after one season, I got another chance.
I need to give myself some validation that the second chance came because of the way I responded. I think I can be a role model for kids in these moments because I was rejected by several clubs before turning professional. What I'm most proud of in my career is that the trajectory has been upwards and that's because of my hard work. I made it to Sporting CP, Fulham, Bayern and Tottenham because of my hard work, not because of other factors that are common in football.