Henry, Giggs, Shevchenko, Casillas | Interviews | Sport

Maxim got a mysterious call – would we like to meet four of the best footballers in the world at a top-secret launch for the new Reebok ‘Sprintfit’ boot and have an exclusive chat with them? Well, what do you think we said? Bring on the champions!

THIERRY HENRY

He’s the affable, twinkle-toed, goal-scoring genius with the footballing world at his feet – and it’s guaranteed your girlfriend’s got a thing for him, too. And, despite being famously glum on the pitch, he’s as chirpy as they come in real life…

Hi, Thierry. How often do people ask you to go ‘va va voom’ in an interview?

In an interview? Not a lot, actually. People ask me to do it. Do you want me to do it?

Yes, please.

(Laughing) No, I won’t.

Is your name really ‘Terry Henry’, and do you only put on the accent to impress the ladies?

I used to always say ‘it’s Thierry’, but after a while I just gave up. I’d say ‘I’m Thierry’, and they’d go ‘Terry?’, and I’d say ‘no, Thierry’, and they’d say ‘Terry?’… In the end, I was like, ‘OK, call me whatever you want.’

Celery on the pitch interrupted play during the Chelsea vs Arsenal Carling Cup final. What do they throw in France? Baguettes?

Non, non. We don’t do this kind of thing. English fans are better behaved than a lot of countries, actually. English fans bring some problems abroad because you have a lot of them who aren’t allowed in the stadium. In France sometimes you have fans fighting in the stadium. I don’t remember fans fighting in the stadium in England for a long time.

Do you feel a bit like Theo Walcott’s dad?

Jesus! More like a big brother! He’s a good kid. He’s relaxed, he doesn’t talk too much, he puts his head down and works… He’s a great talent and everybody expects a great deal out of him, but people forget he’s just 18. We need to give him time.

RYAN GIGGS

Former Man U defender Gary Pallister once said, ‘When Ryan runs at players, he gives them twisted blood. They don’t want to be a defender any more.’ It says it all, really, and Giggs has been making top full-backs contemplate retirement for 15 years now. Still going strong at 33, and having just had one of his best seasons ever, it seemed like a good time to talk to the Welshman about his career, his plans for the future and whether he’d ever do a reality show like his old teammate, Lee Sharpe. He might!

You’ve had a good season, but which season was personally your all-time best?

I think probably 1999, when we won the treble. It was such a unique year with so many big games just before the end of the season – Juventus, Arsenal in the semi-final of the FA cup… We had big league games as well.

How do you think Cristiano Ronaldo compares to you when you were his age?

We’re slightly different players – he’s obviously got a few more tricks than I had back then. I more or less relied on my quickness and my balance, whereas he’s got a lot more skills. We both like to dribble and take people on, though. And of course we both love to score goals, so we’re similar in that respect.

You rejected a Beckham-style showbiz life in favour of staying out of the limelight and concentrating on football. Do you ever regret that when you can’t get a restaurant table?

Ha! I’ve never been one for glossy magazine shoots or parties and that. I always just wanted to be a footballer. Sure, I’ve enjoyed myself and gone to celebrity parties, but the older you get, the more boring you get!

If Man United could sign one current Premiership player, who would you want?

Steven Gerrard. He’s a top player. He’s so energetic and he brings so much to the team both as a team player and an individual. Not that it’d ever happen. Not many players come to Man U from Liverpool and vice-versa. I think the last person to do it was Paul Ince, and he had to go via Milan.

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO

Andriy Shevchenko is surprisingly relaxed for one of the world’s most expensive players – until he introduces himself with a painfully firm handshake! He describes himself as ‘a simple man’, but we found him to be a man who is anything but. With all his deep thinking, he reminds us of the great Eric Cantona, although Shevchenko probably won’t be caught philosophising about travelling on the Eurostar. We asked what he really thinks about his first season in the Premiership

Hello Andriy. How has this first season at Chelsea been? There was an idea circulating in the press that you found the whole experience traumatic?

No, not traumatic, that’s not right. Certainly in the first few months I had some difficulties adjusting to the English game, but that was something I was expecting. The point is, you will find difficulty everywhere – the important thing is to stand up and deal with it, to believe in yourself and move forward. Which is what I did.

What was the toughest thing about the move to Chelsea?

Well, it wasn’t one thing in particular. I arrived after the World Cup – after a very tiring and hard season at AC Milan. I was still injured and had no real time to recuperate. People expected an awful lot from me, but because of everything I have just mentioned it was not possible for me to give my all. Those inflated expectations were certainly tough to deal with. But, little by little, I have found my feet.

What is training with John Terry like? He has a reputation for being pretty tough.

I think all of us train hard. As much as possible we want the training to feel like the real thing. As far as John goes, he’s a warrior, a true athlete and gladiator. This is a man with total commitment, a man prepared to sacrifice himself and his own ego for the sake of the team and the sake of the fans.

How is José Mourinho as a manager?

He’s a great manager – that much is self-evident. Wherever he has worked he’s always been successful. He’s also a likeable and cultured guy.

ÍKER CASILLAS

Real Madrid’s Íker Casillas first came to international attention when, at the age of 19, he became the youngest goalkeeper ever to play in the Champions League final (against Valencia in 2000). Now firmly established as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, when not playing football he’s dating some of Spain’s most beautiful women. We tried to hide our jealousy and sat down for a chat with him.

Who was your footballing hero?

Peter Schmeichel. As an 11 year old, I watched the 1992 European Championship that Denmark won, and Schmeichel was fantastic. Everything about him was perfect.

Did you ever save any of Zidane’s penalties in training?

He can hit them hard and really accurately, which makes him lethal from the spot. But I have saved some – and he doesn’t miss too many, so I’m proud of that!

What about saving a David Beckham free kick?

He really hits the ball hard and with tremendous swerve, but I’ve been playing with him for four years now, so I know pretty well more or less where he’s going to put it by reading his body shape and the run-up. But even then it’s still pretty difficult to get to his shots.

Who’s got the hardest shot at Real Madrid?

Roberto Carlos. He’s such a strong man – he can really thump them. He hurt my wrist several times and he once split my finger right open. I still saved the shot, though!

‘Sprintfit’ is the lightest, most comfortable football boot Reebok has ever made. Available from 1 July, RRP £125. Visit www.rbk.com for more information, or call 0800 305 050