In the latest episode of the Endimoniats podcast Iván 'Pichu' Cuéllar joined us to discuss the secrets behind the longeivity of his career, stories from his decades in professional football and the season so far.
Cuellar’s career has not been a smooth journey, having left his native Mérida to be later let go by Real Madrid.
At that time, the director of the youth academy was Vicente del Bosque, and as a professional goalkeeper at Sporting de Gijón, the pair met again years later. The Extremaduran remembers that moment fondly, as del Bosque was concerned about his personal situation and was happy and reassured that things were going well for him.
The goalkeeper also talks about those nerves on his debut with Atlético de Madrid's first team, the turning point that the season he spent at SD Eibar meant for him and how special Sporting de Gijón is, the team that, he assures, has marked him the most.
“We must always keep our feet on the ground and live in the present”, says ‘Pichu’. "I am enjoying a lot and it is a different kind of enjoyment. I have other responsibilities that give more importance to the work I do within the overall performance of the team: to improve my teammate, to spread positively, to warn of diversities...”.
Regarding the team's current season, Cuellar does not hide the “slap in the face” that the start of 2025 has given, although he explains that “this is a long-distance race” in which “you have to maintain strength throughout the race or have a tactic so that in the end you arrive in time”. In this sense, he added the following: “We are in the time to be able to get to some quiet positions and with the option to give us the luxury and privilege of achieving good things and something cool.”