You’re the first Georgian player to represent Liverpool. How proud are you of that fact and what will it mean to all the people back home?
Of course I am very proud to be the first Georgian player for Liverpool, and I know how much this means for my family and [for] Georgian people as well.
What was the reaction like back in Georgia when this deal was announced last summer?
I will never forget this day – when I signed a contract with Liverpool. It was amazing in Georgia. So many messages I received and everyone was so happy and excited.
Can you tell us about your journey towards becoming a Liverpool player? Coming up through Georgian football and then moving to Spain as a 20-year-old…
My journey started in Georgia, on the small pitches there. I played in [the] first league [for] three years and step by step I became part of the national team. At 20, I had the opportunity to go to Spain, and there I started my totally new life with [a] new language, new culture, new people. The first year was really tough for me.
I read when you went to Valencia you couldn’t speak any Spanish and then four years later you’re a really important player there. How much did you develop there?
Valencia played a really huge role in my life, because I didn’t speak Spanish, I didn’t speak English and, as I told you, my first year there was really tough. But then I quickly understood that if I wanted to play, I had to learn, I had to adapt and I had to work on myself every single day. Now I’m here in the biggest club in Premier League history.
Your goalkeeping coach at Valencia, Jose Manuel Ochotorena, actually worked at Liverpool in the past. Did he tell you anything about what to expect here?
Yes, of course. Ochotorena is an amazing person and an amazing coach. Actually, he was one of the first who I talked [to] about Liverpool’s offer and he directly told me, ‘Just sign the contract’, because he knows how big [a] club Liverpool is, and I just want to tell him thank you. Thank you for everything and see you soon, Ochotorena.
I’m sure you want to keep on developing as a goalkeeper and that’s why you’ve joined Liverpool, to take the next step in your career…
Of course. When I was a child I always watched some videos on YouTube of goalkeepers, and I remember some Liverpool goalkeepers as well. I remember Jerzy Dudek and then Pepe Reina and now Alisson Becker. Liverpool has a big goalkeeper legacy and I want to try to write my own chapter in this goalkeepers’ legacy.
