World Cup: César Azpilicueta on Yamal, Deschamps & Tuchel

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1:06Discover the V-Series lineup at cadillac.com. The Football Daily at the FIFA World Cup 2026 with Steve Crossman. Listen on BBC Sounds. Hello there, welcome to the Football Daily. On this episode, I'll be speaking to the former Chelsea and Spain captain César asked Pillaqueta about playing with a young Laminya Mal, about his time at Chelsea with Rhys James and Thomas Tuchel and his early years at Marseille working under Didier Deschamps.

1:39Let's just jump in on your World Cup experience so far then. I mean, you've only just retired. You're transitioning pretty quickly into the media world. Yeah, pretty quick, but I think the chance was worth it too. to comment in such an amazing World Cup. What is it like analysing some of the players who until very recently you played with? Yeah, teammates that now I'm watching and I'm analysing. It's true that it's a different point of view, but as a player I was already curious. I like to do a lot of video analysis and obviously it's different to talk through it on TV, on the radio, but I try my best.

2:25Did you ever offer players much feedback yourself then, certainly in the back end of your career, especially to young players? Yes, I tried. I'm always someone who tries to help. Of course, when you are younger, you try to learn from more experienced players, but as soon as you develop and you get more experience, you try to pass it on to the young players. I think it's quite natural on my side and even more when you get towards the end of your career and maybe you need to play more with the positioning and you have a bit less of the legs. you need to also help the young players to use more the brain and less the body because as soon as you understand a bit more football, that helps you a lot in terms of understanding and making the right decisions.

3:19Who did that for you then when you were a kid coming through? Who was it either at club or international level that was having that kind of impact? When I arrived to Osasuna in the first team, I had already one coach, Martin Montreal, who was in the reserve team. He was someone we experienced. And then as players, we had Cesar Kuchawa, Pachi Pugnal, Ricardo, the goalkeeper from Man United that was playing at Osasuna at the time. They were like, I don't know, 15, 20 years older than me and I was a kid. I was still in the school. Pandiani, I had so many experienced players in that dressing room that they helped me how it was to play at the top level.

4:10Pandiani, El Rifle. El Rifle, right. The centre forward. Weren't you a striker when you were starting out as well? How did you end up at right back? It's funny because when I was a kid, I used to play striker. Well, I was signed for the Sassuna Academy when I was 12 as a striker. I scored a lot of goals. And then I started moving to the right wingers when I was 15, 16. Even in the national team, I played a European championship under 19. And I was a right winger and I was playing number eight. And I made my debut with the Sassuna right winger. and then in my first year in first division with 18 years old, the coach at the time, Thiganda, wanted me to play right back.

4:59It was not the case that we had injuries or something happened and I had to play there because of that. His vision was moving forward and I could progress more as a right back. El Riefler came to play in England at one point. I think he played for Birmingham, didn't he? Yeah, yeah, he played for Birmingham. In the Premier League. So, I mean, this is such an English-centric question, so I apologize. But I think sometimes we tend to think that everybody at some point wants to come to the Premier League. Did you know then that it was a league that would interest you? Because obviously you didn't just come here.

5:35You played here for so long. I didn't expect. When you're a kid, I didn't even think about playing professional. I was just a kid enjoying football. and then when you get into an academy of a professional club, yes, you know, every step you take forward, you start going with the national team, you play for the first team and then you get the interest from clubs abroad. So the agent keeps telling you, you know, scouting is coming and then I made the move to Marseille when I was nearly 21, which was a big move for me, discovering the Champions League going there just French champions in that year and of course once you you know you touch the Champions League football even we played against Chelsea we went to Stamford Bridge this is where you want to go and yeah I ended up there nearly two years later I think people may have forgotten that your manager then at Marseille was Didier Deschamps yeah which is crazy to think that so Deshaun left Marseille at the same time as you that same summer he is still in the same job that he left for back then that is crazy he's still there he's still there because he left at the same time I was there for pre-season our first games but he left at the end of the of that season he took over the national team and still there and going strong I mean they didn't he did pretty well and still he has a very very strong team this World Cup so who knows.

7:14And it's quite well timed conversation because obviously he's about to bring his time at France to an end. What was he like back then at Marseille? He was a coach that wanted everything to have a reason behind it. I mean in terms of football he didn't want to try crazy stuff. He was very very simple, very effective. He was a winner. You could see he wanted to win. We were in Marseille, of course. We were fighting. PSG was coming a bit better with better players. In the two years I was there, Montpellier won the league, Olivier was there. And the other one was Lille with the Nasser. So I have the relationship with some of them that then they became teammates at Chelsea.

8:10But he was someone who wanted to win the Champions League. We progressed, we went once to the last 16. Another year we went to the quarterfinals against Bayern Munich. So it was someone who was very demanding in a club with a huge pressure like Marseille. I got the call from him to sign there and he spoke a bit of Spanish. I could speak French so you know he wanted me to to go there and help the team grow and progress because they were already French champions but in the Champions League they were always just a bit short and he wanted my signing to help the team moving forward. So I'm always really interested in how those sort of legendary players almost wear their experience, like a coat, if you know what I mean, and what they do with it.

9:03Because, I mean, you played under Frank Lampard and Diego Simeone and Didier Deschamps and many others. So with Deschamps, how good was he at using the parts of him that made him a legend without presumably sort of overdoing it, which could be quite easy to do when you've been as good a player as he was? He was a very good player. He was World Cup champion. He won the Champions League with Marseille as well and many, many trophies in Italy as well. He had an unbelievable career. But I think that shaped him in the way of his mentality on the will to win, on the demanding side of the players. And we have to understand now that I'm starting a new life outside football.

9:55Then you have to understand, try to also learn and improve every day on how we can pass the experience back to football. And I think Didier was someone who did really well. How many years already? It's like 14 years ago. with the national team is crazy. Every tournament, I think he has been improving and even they won the World Cup in Russia. So it's amazing to see him performing and seeing the result that he's getting with the national team. What was his biggest impact on you, do you think? Biggest impact? I would say I discovered with him the top level. was coming from Osasuna, which, you know, we had our own resources.

10:50So we were fighting, relegation, and yeah, I played over 100 games in first division, but we, you know, even a draw away from home was a great result. And then moving to Marseille was completely different. You know, a draw was not allowed. Home away, you could feel the pressure. And the first two, three months, I struggled a lot because the football was different. I was a young lad, they paid six million for me, which nobody knew me there in France. Who is this guy? I was a bit skinny. My football was a bit different. So he helped me even sometimes, you know, he put me on the bench and, you know, he was talking to me.

11:34And at the moment I felt like, you know, I was not happy. But then I learned with him that he was trying to protect me and just to develop and not rushing me in the hard way. So I really appreciate his work and the way he helped me to discover a club that under pressure, like Marseille, coming from winning the title and then playing Champions League. We won two Cups, we won two Super Cups. So we did pretty well in terms of trophies. And he was a big part of my development. I think that's really interesting what you said about the role of the protector. Because when you're a national team manager, by association, you will deal with big, big stars at the top of their game.

12:26But you will always have not just young players, but young stars. Because if they weren't young stars, they wouldn't be in the national team. so is that a big part of him that ability to protect because we don't talk about that do we we talk about tactics we talk about winning we don't talk about the role of a manager as a as a protector it's a different role in a national team because you pick your squad and then you can maybe play more around players and situations in a team you have the players we start in the transfer market you can make changes but this you know we know it's not easy you change the whole squad but he you know when you see in 14 years the the amount of players they were already playing the national team some of them they played over 100 games and then he has been in the transition of bringing new players young players and and this is it's not an easy job to do and i felt it myself with him the way he was protecting and and you know of course I was not playing at the best level maybe I thought I was playing even better but he was always from a different point of view and when you see it back all this kind of calls he was making then you understand why he was doing it and at the end I was getting better and I think that's why he was doing it Speaking of young stars you'll be absolutely astonished to hear that I'd like to ask you next about Lamin-Yumal.

14:03Yeah. He entertained us. Oh, my goodness. Smiling our face. And that's such a big deal, isn't it? Again, that's something we don't talk about enough. Players that just make you smile. And that's what he does, isn't it? Since he got the first ball, you could see he was ready for it. Yeah. I loved him not only the way he was taking defenders yesterday but the ambition to score goals in the far post which sometimes the wingers we don't see often and this is a skill that if he is still a team so he will keep improving and he will keep adding skills to his games but also the way he was pressing forward one action just before half time He was making a sprint, recovering from a corner kick to recover the ball and put it away.

15:00So I think those kind of things that tells me a lot, not only what we can see on the ball, the way he dribbles, the way he takes his defender, but also his whole game around is developing and still he has a way to go. so September the 8th 2023 Georgia won Spain seven and Laminimal on the same day becomes Spain's youngest player and youngest goal scorer and you're in that squad what was he like in his first training session well I don't remember much you know the thing I remember I was you I was sitting there I was looking at him I said he was not even born when I was making my debut I'd be like I'd be told you know like maybe maybe it's time to retire but yeah you know what impressed me was like the way he was like the confidence he had he was there he was with respect but he wanted the ball he was and it's hard you know when we were younger, you know, you were a bit shy, different, you know, and he was with the confidence to be the national team, not only to be there just like a gift of what he was doing in the club, but already like taking the place of a star and starter for the national team.

16:36And we could see that in the Euros two years ago, We can see it now in the national team, in his club. So that's really impressive. Were you surprised by how good he was immediately? I mean, obviously you knew the name because he's in the full national team squad by this point. But was there anything that surprised you about him that first time when you're seeing him up close? The way he dribbles. and I think that's a skill that he has that he can go right left and very quick. When you see his game, he doesn't do always the same. So as a defender, it's very hard to predict. When I watch sometimes the defenders, they give a bit of space towards the side and he takes the touch straight to his right and then he's very quick and his technique is very good.

17:35So I could see already when he was with the national team, his quality on the ball was really good. Your national team career was what, 12 years long? Something like that? A bit less. A bit less. I made my debut in 2013 and I played my last game in Qatar in the World Cup. So in that long international career that you had, you'll have seen lots and lots of talented young players. and the same applies in your whole club career. You will also have seen young and talented players not be able to reach the levels that maybe people thought they would. So just mentally, psychologically, what have you seen over the years that it takes for these kids to turn this mega talent into a mega career?

18:27I think it's development and improvement because what it takes you to the top level, from there you have to keep growing and improving and be humble and work hard because I've seen many talents and then when... Football is about the present, about what you do today and then you have to keep developing, improving, making mistakes, which is part of the development and from there you keep growing. I think it's a part where sometimes as a footballer when you reach the top level you are a bit, well, I made it, but that's not enough because a lot of people make it, but then there's just a few who make it even farther and that's how I see the development of a player.

19:22Even now more because they make their debuts at 16, 15, 16. We've seen every time it's earlier and earlier and that brings you to a football life longer because now we have people over 40 who are still playing. So there's no player who starts in one way and then they end their career with the same way. And even the biggest players, you know, Messi, Cristiano, we have seen, they have been changing a little bit their roles, always getting something new. And that's why they keep going and going and they keep performing at the highest level. How would you defend him? If you were playing against him, what would you do to try and win that battle?

20:09The easiest answer, I would say, make your ground quick.

20:16That's easy, but with him, I think it's hard to, you know, when I've seen him defend as a goal, strong against him, he has the physical ability to cope with it. So it's more about the team, trying getting help from the midfield, from the winger. And of course, you prefer him to go on his right and get the cross rather than coming inside and curl it or the way he's facing the box and shooting. So I would say, you know, the closest you can be from him, the better it is for you as a defender. If you give him space and then he gets the speed, then it becomes more difficult. Did you have to play against him in training then or was he on the other side?

21:10No, he was on the other side. And even when I was with Atletico, I played on the right and he was on his right as well. so we didn't thank goodness right still they have decent players on their side yeah

21:30hello I'm Alistair Bruce Ball and I'll be commentating on the World Cup for the BBC this summer there's a commentator favourite World Cup moment France 4 Argentina 3 in Russia 2018 amazing goal from Benjamin Pavard in that game on the half volley. Tab out for the right. Unbelievable. Unbelievable goal. What makes the World Cup such a special tournament? It's its exotic nature. I think particularly as a kid, it just seemed to happen in far off lands that you'd only ever dreamt about or heard about. The People World Cup 2026. Listen on BBC Sounds.

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23:11The football day at the People World Cup 2026. With Steve Crossman. Listen on BBC Sounds. I wanted to ask you about someone who actually played your position because obviously England's starting right back is Rhys James who was coming through when you were playing right back for Chelsea. I mean, really easy question probably to start with. Just how highly do you rate him? What makes him special, do you think? Yeah, I rate him really high. I think he's a top player. I knew him when he was coming through the junk teams. He was starting with the first team. We played in the same position, but when he was starting with the first team, I was playing a bit more on the left when we were playing four at the back.

23:59Then we played a lot. He was playing right wing back. I was playing right centre back. So we had a lot of communication. I always try to help him in his development. We are kind of different players, but he took over the competency when I left. So I really rate him. He's a top player, top guy. And I keep looking at him and seeing his development, because now he's even playing in midfield. He's doing amazing and has top qualities. It doesn't surprise me to see him at this level playing with England. He deserves and makes me really happy. What do you remember about him in his early days? Because again, we're talking about someone who was so young when he came into that first-team environment.

24:52He was young, but he was already very strong. Very good quality on the ball. you could see he was a top player that he was someone who was not there just to be in the squad the same when Mason Mount arrived you could see from them that they were not just a squad players Frank Lampard was the manager at the time he gave them a lot of confidence and Riz really the first game he played he scored a goal he gave assists so you could see he was ready for the first team and since then he kept building his momentum and the important player that he is for club and country. Do you think it helps him? It must help him, I guess, to have Thomas Tuchel as his England manager, having been his Chelsea manager and your Chelsea manager.

25:44Yeah, Thomas is a top coach and of course the ones we were with him at Chelsea and now it's only Rhys and Trev who also gave him the chance to play for the first team at Chelsea there with him in the national team and I'm sure they are really happy to have him as the manager. I think Thomas Tuchel is probably an interesting person to chat about in the last few minutes given we sort of started with Didier Deschamps who was the legendary player becoming a coach. Thomas Tuchel is obviously completely different and almost a newer breed, less new now, but certainly when he was coming through, you know, we hadn't had many like Thomas Tuchel, Jurgen Klopp, Julian Nagelsmann has come through, these kind of people, obviously.

26:34But what was that like as, because he'd already been Paris Saint-Germain manager. So do you think the fact that he had already worked with the biggest names on the planet made it quite easy or easier for him to come into that Chelsea dressing room? It's a question for him. how he felt from a different dressing room. But I can say that when he came, he was really happy to be there with us. We were like, I don't know, eight, nine in the Premier League. We were playing last 16 against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. So maybe at the time was the target to get into Champions League for next season.

27:14But it was very clear. He wanted to create a team, a strong team that, you know, He wanted to win the Champions League and he wanted to, of course, qualify for the Champions League through the Premier League. And since he came the day before a game, he changed the shape because he was not the system he was playing in PSG. And he changed with us and it worked really well. what stood out to you about his coaching abilities when he walked through the door or let's say in the first few weeks or first couple of months he was he had very clear ideas which is not easy when you arrive new to a place so he already did the job of trying to work out how he can improve the team.

28:06So this is the system he from him he changed from PSG and then he was he was someone very engaging. He was someone who communicated a lot very close to the players, to the staff. The results also helped a lot because we started really well so we kept building that trust, that confidence with his meetings, with the team selection. You know the atmosphere around was a really positive one and everybody was doing the best we could and by creating that special momentum four months later we were a Champions League winner so that's not that's not easy to do. Champions League winners and you're wearing the captain's armband so what does he want from a captain?

28:54You know he he wanted me you know to just to be myself to try to to help the team on and off the pitch, I felt straight away his confidence, his belief in me because, you know, when a new manager arrives, I didn't know him. So, you know, it's always what can you expect from a new manager? And he showed me straight away his confidence and belief on me as a captain, as a player. And I just try to, you know, when you are in that situation you try to push the more you can to help the team and to achieve the goals as a club. So we've talked a lot about coaches. You're only just retired. I was fascinated reading what you've been up to.

29:47Business qualifications at top American schools, esports, teams. Do you know what you're going to do next or not? Next I will I will commend the game.

30:02No, no joke. I don't know. I don't know. To be fair, I try to prepare myself through my career because I felt we had some spare time in hotels traveling. So I did, as you mentioned, some courses. I just finished a PFA, a sport electorship course as well, which they offer through the PFA, two years. so that's also lessons for for life for yourself you know it doesn't mean that I will be either a businessman because I went to the course or a sport director straight away but just everything that you can learn that helps you a lot and I don't know I will try to enjoy the summer and then I will see but you know I will miss I will miss the daily life of a football club, the dressing room, training, competing.

30:57But, you know, I tried to prepare myself last couple of years because I knew at some point it had to happen. And the obvious question to finish with to a recently retired athlete in 2026, how much paddle are you playing? I will start now. You will, won't you? You all love it. It's the new golf, isn't it? Yeah, I'm more into golf, but it's true that last season I didn't play much and now I will have more time to train. I love competing, so I'm sure I will get into some sport because that's the way I am and I need that dose of competition as well. Ideal paddle partner? Oof, I need to find one. I don't know if I play right or left.

31:49I don't know. you played right you played right most of your career maybe stick to that I don't know it depends on the manager I can't play left Cesar it's been lovely talking to you thank you so much for chatting to us have a great World Cup with the BBC it's brilliant to have you thank you thank you have a good time