NAVAS: REAL MOVE IS A DREAM COME TRUE

Sells endorsee Keylor Navas had a wonderful World Cup and his year has got even better by signing a six-year contract with European champions Real Madrid...

Congratulations on your move to Real Madrid, Keylor, you must be delighted… 
Yes, I’ve very happy and also privileged to have signed for this great club, with its illustrious history and all that it stands for. These are the times that you have to enjoy because they only happen once in your life. It is also a nice time for my family; my wife and daughter have always supported me, through the good times and the bad, and now they are enjoying this new experience too. 

How exciting is it to be joining the current European champions? 
Real Madrid are the best team in the world and I’ve come here eager to get to know my new team-mates then work as hard as I can and take my chances. When you look at this team, we have the ability to win all the competitions we are in. That’s what we have to try and do, each of us doing what we can to make that possible. 

Is it true it was always your dream to play for Real Madrid? 
My mother tells me that when I was a boy, at about the age of eight, I would comment on my own performances, saying things like ‘Here is Keylor Navas, goalkeeper for Real Madrid’. It’s something I always dreamed about and had in my head. That hope and belief never left me and it gave me the strength to move forward with my career. Now I am here it is a dream come true. 

Iker Casillas and Diego Lopez are still at the club, so are you confident of starting as first-choice keeper? 
The foundation of my game is working hard and when you do that, you feel ready to take on any challenge. What I have to do is train hard and be available to the technical staff and when I get my chance be ready for it. 

How excited are you to be playing at the Bernabeu this season? 
I’ve obviously had the opportunity to play at the stadium against Real Madrid, and the thing that I always noticed was the tremendous support that the team received from the fans. I’m looking forward to sampling that as a Real Madrid player this time. The training ground, too, has really impressed me. I had heard it was good but it is fantastic – we have everything we need there. 

What does your signing mean to the people of Costa Rica? 
I’d like to think the people are proud of me. I am very happy to be representing my country at Real Madrid. In Costa Rica there are many fans of Real Madrid so for many it is a historic event for the country. Hopefully I will make a success of my time at the club. 

Looking back at the World Cup, you must be delighted with Costa Rica’s performance? 
Yes, the team did a great job and I am grateful to all my team-mates for that. We accomplished things nobody thought possible because we found ourselves in a really tough group. But we made history by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time and that was very nice. We were very motivated to bring happiness to the people of Costa Rica and we did that. 

You had a great World Cup individually and now you’re at Real Madrid. Can you quite believe what’s happened to you this year? 
I played a full year as first-choice for Levante – which I am grateful to them for – and now I’m at Real Madrid. It is amazing. Now I am here though, I will come with the same mentality that I've had so far in my career and I want to improve and grow as both a player and a person. I want to win many titles here and enjoy this experience with my family.