Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published Friday, 06 March 2026, 12:07 / Updated Friday, 06 March 2026 12:08
Ionut Radu is announced as the official this evening, at Celticin the return from La Liga with real madrid. His team also won at “Bernabeu”, in the round, with 2-0.
Celta have the chance of another favorable result in the duel with Real tonight, given the massive personnel problems facing the colossus from Madrid. Nevertheless, in an interview given to the daily newspaper AS, Ionuț Radu preferred to be cautious in his statements and asked his teammates to remain “down to earth“.
Ionuț Radu believes that the hard work is just beginning for Celta this season
He believes that “the hard work starts now. We are close to achieving our first goal, which is to stay high in the table, and after that, this team will have no limits, as long as each one of us does our job. We have to take things step by step. We have to improve every day in training, and that's how the positive results will come.”
When I arrived at Celta, during the first training session, I thought: “This is not possible”. They don't train like that in Italy. What is the difference? The quality.
The speed of the passes is typical of Spain. Celta also has a unique feature, that the young players have known each other for a long time. Academy graduates have a great connection on the pitch and that helps them develop better
When pressed by the reporter, Radu referred to what Spain's multiple champions mean to the world football landscape: “Finally, it's always Real Madrid and it's an important match. Of course, we have to take advantage of their weaknesses and play our game to get three crucial points. It will be difficult. Every game is different, and this one is sure to be a lot of fun.”
Ionuț Radu: “The final in Istanbul is everyone's forbidden dream”
The goalkeeper of Celta and the Romanian national team also spoke about next Thursday's duel with Lyon in the Europa League “round of 16”, as well as about the dream of reaching the final in Istanbul. “Lyon is a different team now. When I was in France, at Auxerre, they were going through a very difficult season. We will play match by match and the first match is against Real Madrid.
The final in Istanbul? “Of course, we can say that it is everyone's forbidden dream, a page of history that we can write. Again, we have done some very positive things so far, but we have to keep our feet on the ground. The hard work begins now, and for that we need every player in the squad to be on the same wavelength. Everyone here is important and we must be aware of our strengths”, said the Romanian goalkeeper.
Ionuț Radu: “I don't know if I am among the leaders of the locker room. It's just my personality”
The AS reporter also wanted to know if Radu is now one of the leaders of the dressing room at Celta, but the tricolor's answer was a diplomatic one: “I don't know, it's just my personality. I like to be part of a group with everyone, with the team and with the fans. We have to enjoy life a little. In football, everyone always talks about pressure, but playing is a pleasure. Still, it's a game, a very important one, but still a game.”
The story of the state in the hands, after the victories, also told in an exclusive interview granted to Gazeta Sporturilur at the beginning of the year, was also of interest to AS. Ionuț Radu took it back: “This way of celebrating appeared in Ibiza, I was with my friends, on a boat. While sailing, I tried a thousand times and a photo finally came out right. After that, I thought it would be a good idea to do it with Celta if we won. But I like to do many things. I am versatile. I also play the piano“.
