The midfielder evaluated his professional journey: 'I'm 26 years old but I've been in football for a long time, more than what I could've imagined. Being in one of my best moments form-wise and being at this club makes me feel fortunate and proud. I value every moment at this club and in life in general. I'd like to thank my family and my friends, they are part of me and my journey. Football is my life. It's all I think about 24/7, and when results aren't good the days are bad. You enjoy it when they are going well, but you're always thinking about the next match. I live, breathe and sleep football, but these days the most important thing is to look after yourself and be healthy so there is as little suffering as possible.
'I live for football, but the most important thing now is to look after yourself and be healthy'
Being demanding drives Óliver: 'I base life on my ambition, and I'm very ambitious. I'm not sure where I'll get to, but I wake up every morning wanting to be the best and compete with my teammates. I want to be the best I can be and I want to enjoy the journey. In football, you can go from feeling on top of the world to being at rock bottom in three days, you have to be very strong.'
The midfielder admits the group must live with the high standards they have created for themselves: 'This is normal in football. We are training well and are more united than ever. The results could have been different in some games, just like last year when we won a lot of games. We weren't challengers for the league then and we aren't hopeless now. We will keep working and we'll get back up when we need to. That's the secret to success. We are familiar with the coach's philosophy, we understand each other well. It's hard when things don't go as you'd like but you always have to try and look for positives. The connection we have unites us when bad moments do come, and it helps us break out of that rut and get back on track.'
'We only need to look at the coach to know what he wants, that connection unites all of us'
This is Óliver's second season at Nervión: 'When you come to somewhere new there is a period of adaptation. From a very early point I felt well adapted as I was welcomed so warmly by the club. I'm a more mature footballer with more experience tactically. I'm competitive and I'm slowly but surely becoming more important in the team. I would love to play every game and that's what I work towards, but there are many good players here. That all inspires us to be better and benefits the group.'
The Spanish midfielder spoke about the ambitious goals that drive him: 'Looking back, I'm not sure where I thought I would end up, just as I'm not sure now. Football is tough and there are a lot of factors you can't control. My mentality was always to be the captain of the national team. Everyone has that dream and we all work with that motivation. But on the path many things can happen and sometimes things don't work out. At 26 years old, having played for Spain at all the youth levels, I would love to play for the senior team as a Sevilla FC player, but I can't look back on the past. My moment is now, I am where I want to be and that's the most important.'
'I am a lot more mature as a footballer and understand tactics better'
To finish, Óliver spoke about the bittersweet joy of winning the Europa League: 'When you win trophies you feel great and even more so if you have been a key part in the success. I didn't get the chance to play much in the last games, I tried to help the team as I could but I think I can help them a lot more on the pitch. I value every chance I get and I'm sure I will get more opportunities.'
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