During the summer transfer window, Baltika signed a newcomer. Before moving to Russia, Chilean striker Angelo Henriques managed to shine in the main European club tournaments: the Champions League and the Europa League, train under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson and even play against Lionel Messi.
Henriques spoke about his European career, his move to Baltika and his future in Russia in an exclusive interview with Championship.
“Baltika fans are driving us forward, the support is great!”
—His transfer surprised many. Explain what he was guided by when accepting the offer from the RPL newcomer club. — The RPL is an interesting league. I wanted to try myself here when I was still in Poland. I feel that in Russia there is a serious championship. Although the teams do not participate in European competitions, the level of play here is good. I felt motivated to come here.
— Do you consider the RPL as a springboard to return to the top 5 leagues? – Yes, that would be good. I think it’s possible. But now I’m focused on doing well in Russia. Everything is great here!
— Did you have offers from other leagues? – Yes. But, after weighing everything, Baltika’s offer seemed the best and most interesting to me.
—And what are your first impressions of RPL? — I am already convinced that this is a competitive championship. There are many good football clubs and players here. In addition to large stadiums. I enjoy my stay here. We are not doing very well in the championship, but we are doing very well in the Russian Cup. The team has a great atmosphere. The fans drive us forward, the support in our stadium is fantastic!
— But in the RPL Baltika only has three points in seven games. Disappointed with the result? – Yes, I feel like we didn’t get enough points. In some games we were unlucky, in others something got in the way. But we are close to improving our results.
Baltic fans
Photo: FC Báltika
—What is the team’s goal for the season? – Win as many matches as possible. It will be great to play in front of our fans. In addition, there are many home games ahead. We will do everything possible to win and show our best qualities.
—What about personal goals? — The objectives are to play as a starter, score as many goals as possible, stay healthy, avoid injuries if possible. Last season he scored seven goals; I will try to improve this figure.
— What does Baltika need to improve to avoid relegation from the RPL?“I think we can stay.” Of course, we need to improve both in defense and attack. We need to focus on moments without the ball and improve our execution. This is especially important in matches with giants, because they will not feel sorry for us and will do everything to punish us for a mistake. You have to be 100% focused, aggressive and efficient.
“Ignashevich asked about Mark González”
—What do you think of working with Sergei Ignashevich? —The training is very intense and that is good. Even if we get a little tired, this will help us develop in the future. Every team needs a strong leader. Ignashevich belonged to this category as a player and also became a coach.
— Strict coach? – Yes, indeed, he is strict, as a good coach should be. He makes sure we stay focused and do everything that is asked of us.
— Do you know that he is a CSKA legend? — Yes, he talked about his career at CSKA. He also asked me about Mark González, who he played with together.
Sergei Ignashevich
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
“The RPL is still one of the best leagues in Europe today”
—How would you assess the level of RPL? — Before this whole political situation, the RPL was considered the sixth league in the world. Unfortunately, recently some players left the championship and this is understandable. But the level of the championship remained high. The RPL remains one of the best leagues today.
—Did any team surprise you? — All the big Russian clubs have interesting players. Like I said, they don’t forgive mistakes. I already played against Dynamo, Spartak, Lokomotiv, Zenit. These teams are really strong, their class is approximately the same. I was impressed by his level of play.
—Do you know that Zenit was proclaimed champion five times in a row? – Yes. But perhaps this year the competition in the championship will intensify, more teams will fight for the title. It’s too early to say who will be the champion this time.
—You score your first goal in Russia against Spartak. Did you feel that it was a special club, with many fans, an incredible atmosphere, a huge stadium? – Yes, I know this club, its history. But the atmosphere was not very good because the stadium, unfortunately, was not full. However, he still felt like he had scored against one of the biggest Russian clubs. I am proud to have managed to distinguish myself. It’s a shame we didn’t win, so it’s not that important whether I scored or not.
—What do you think of the Fan ID system? Many fans and players do not like this innovation. — I recently arrived in Russia and I don’t know the full story. I heard that many people are against the fan passport. Perhaps this is important for the country to maintain security.
—Is there something similar in Croatia or in other leagues? — No, but each country has its own rules, its own security measures in stadiums.
“The media write that it is dangerous in Russia, but it is not true”
— Do you like Kaliningrad? — Yes, I enjoy life in this city. I like everything! At least the weather here is good in summer. I feel comfortable. I haven’t moved my family to Russia yet, but I’m sure I’ll have a great time. There are many places in the city you can go.
—Have your favorites appeared? “And I haven’t had time to see it all yet.” After the move there were many things to solve: finding housing, filling out the necessary documents to work in Russia, opening a bank account, etc.
Angel Enriquez
Photo: FC Báltika
— Of the cities you have seen, is Kaliningrad the most beautiful? “Once again, I haven’t seen much.” When we travel around the country, our route goes something like this: hotel – stadium – airport. So far I would say that Kaliningrad is the most beautiful city.
—What surprised you the most about Russia? “I like the passion that people have for football. Wherever you go, people love this sport. Both children and the elderly. I like the stadiums, they are beautiful. This is one of the things that caught my attention the most. I was also surprised that all the people were friendly. From the outside, Russians seem cold, but in reality it is quite the opposite! They greeted me very kindly.
— Another stereotype: it is dangerous to live in Russia now. Do you agree? – I don’t believe it. Social networks often spread fake news. I don’t know about other places, but I didn’t have any problems here. I feel comfortable and safe.
—What did you hear about Russia before joining the Baltic? — I spoke with some players who played here before. They said the same thing as me. The media write that it is dangerous in Russia, but it is not true. I didn’t see any problems with the transition.
— Who exactly did you consult with? —With Víctor Méndez, Marcos Guilherme, Moro also helped. Nikola and I played together for Dinamo Zagreb. He rated his experience in Russia as very good and did not have any problems. He liked both the city and the club.
Kaliningrad
Photo: RIA Novosti
“I hope the Russian winter is like the Polish one”
— Do you know that in winter it is very cold in Russia? – Of course, haha. This is one of those things you ask before you move. If in Kaliningrad the situation in this regard is normal, then in other cities it will be colder! But I have already lived in countries with cold climates. For example, in Poland. I hope the Russian winter will be similar to the Polish one. For me a slight frost is better than heat.
— Are you planning to move your family to Kaliningrad? —My girlfriend will come as soon as she receives the visa. And in the future, maybe my parents will visit me.
— Are you interested in Russian culture? – Certainly! Every time I go to a new country, I try to learn its language and know its history. I would like to go to Moscow or Saint Petersburg, they are very beautiful cities.
— The Russian language is very difficult! – I know, especially the alphabet. It’s completely different! But I lived in Croatia, Poland and some of his words are similar to yours. I already know some words in Russian, but I still need to study a lot to understand the speech.
— Do you plan to stay in Russia for a long time? – Why not? I am interested here. At RPL you can grow and develop. It would be good if Russian clubs returned to European competitions.
How was the last day of the transfer market?
Zenit bought the Russian and CSKA was left without a defender. Transfer deadline at RPL
“Rooney and Van Persie calmly communicated with the young people”
— Tell us about your time at Manchester United. – It was a long time ago. After six months in the reserve team, I was loaned to Wigan. Upon my return, I did the preseason with the Manchester first team and went on loan again, this time to Zaragoza. That’s all. His career at Manchester United was short. I spent most of my time with the under-21 team. He only occasionally trained with the base. It’s definitely a great experience. Playing with world football legends is unforgettable. Unfortunately, this was a short-lived period. I wished it would last longer.
—Are you proud to have been in such a big club? – Certainly! I still think getting there at 18 is an achievement. I’m proud, even though I couldn’t play anymore.
– Why couldn’t you take advantage of the opportunity? – Different reasons. I was young and there wasn’t much space in the first team. I wanted to play, so I was loaned out. When there are so many important players on a team, it is very difficult to break through.
Alex Ferguson
Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
—How do you remember Ferguson? “Absolutely everyone respects this person.” When she entered the locker room, everyone immediately fell silent. He required everyone to give 100% in any match.
—What is your best memory of Manchester? — Main team preseason match, in which I scored against AIK. Although it was just a friendly match. I will remember this all my life.
—You shared a dressing room with Rooney and van Persie. What were they like? — In Chile I only saw them on television. And here they are: they live in front of me! Incredible. It was a pleasure to learn from teachers like that. But in life they turned out to be good people. Despite their fame, they calmly communicated with young people.
Shared locker room with Rooney and van Persie
Photo: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
“I came on as a substitute and we beat Messi’s team.”
—The best player you came across on the field? – Messi! I went into extra time in the 2015 Copa América final. Full stadium, incredible atmosphere, playing against one of the best teams in the world: a great experience. It’s good that we also managed to win.
“Messi and his partners cried then. – Yes, they have a great team. But ours was not worse. Beating Argentina is a great achievement.
—Are you communicating with anyone from England? — Sometimes we correspond with Fabio and Rafael, I maintain good relations with them. In addition to Andrés Pereira. Once I wrote to Ander Herrera, we followed each other. In England I communicated well with de Gea, Chicharito, Antonio Valencia, in general, with all Spanish speakers.
— Is there a level gap between the Premier League and the RPL? — At the moment, the RPL is not as strong as before. It’s hard to compare, but the difference probably isn’t that big. However, the Premier League is fundamentally one of the best leagues in the world.
Lionel Messi
Photo: Raúl Sifuentes/LatinContent via Getty Images
“I would like to return to the Champions League”
—What do you remember from the Croatian time? — Dinamo Zagreb gave me the opportunity to participate in the Champions League and the Europa League. Unforgettable time! I spent my best year there. We scored many goals, won the title and stood out in the Europa League. This club will forever remain in my heart.
—Do you miss those times? — Of course I would like to return to the Champions League. I am not entirely satisfied with my performance in this tournament. It could have been better.
—Who impressed the most in the Champions League? – Guardiola’s Bayern. It was incredibly difficult with them. Lewandowski, Müller, Neuer: solid stars! And as far as the team is concerned, Bayern in those years was very strong. And Arsenal had Ozil, Alexis Sánchez. We also managed to play against Juventus, Sevilla and Olympiacos.
— Toughest defender you played against? — Once in the Europa League I ran into Van Dijk. It was incredibly difficult with him. Now he is showing his class.
— Is the RPL stronger than the Croatian championship? – I think so. Furthermore, there are fewer clubs in the Croatian league. Rijeka, Hajduk, Dinamo Zagreb and Osijek usually compete for the title. Russia has more teams, stadiums and generally better infrastructure.
Who else moved to Kaliningrad this summer?
Newcomers to Baltika: wow! One gave money to RPL, Ferguson bought the other from Manchester United
— In the Chilean team you played with Vidal, Sánchez, Bravo. Who is the most charismatic? — All great guys, it’s hard to choose just one. The team contains different personalities. It’s a pleasure to watch them play. They never give up and set a great example for young people, showing that Chilean kids are capable of playing at the highest level.
— Is it possible to receive a call to the Russian national team? Are you watching the RPL in Chile? – Yes, of course, they’re watching. During this break, Víctor Méndez was called up to the national team. If he scores goals, maybe they’ll invite me too. They need a scoring forward.
