Always smiling and full of humor, Ez Abde once again made headlines during a press conference ahead of Real Betis’s match against Lyon. The Moroccan international, known for his charming personality as much as for his talent on the ball, shared a moment of genuine camaraderie with his coach, Manuel Pellegrini.
From the start of the conference, Abde awaited the first question with a broad smile, while the Chilean coach calmly answered journalists. And when his turn came, the Moroccan quickly lightened the mood. “The reason I stayed? The coach told me to stay, so I stayed, plain and simple,” he said, glancing at his coach. Pellegrini, laughing, immediately replied: “I don’t know if I did the right thing!”
Laughter erupted in the room. Throughout the exchange, Abde alternated between sincerity and humor. When asked about his conversation with Jagoba Arrasate, his former coach, he calmly explained: “I understand he might have been angry; these things happen in football. I have a very good relationship with him; he just told me it annoyed him, but it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
Regarding internal competition with Rodrigo Riquelme, the former Barcelona player also displayed a lot of clarity: “I see him at every training session; he has a lot of quality. We need to keep a cool head: I wasn’t that bad before, and I’m not that good now. Riquelme will bring us a lot.”
Smiling, he then answered a question about Antony’s role in the team: “He brings us a lot; he also frees me up in the game. Thanks to him, we have options on both sides.” And when asked what Betis needs to do to aim for a title, he kept the tone light: “We need to work every day and do what the coach tells us.” To which Pellegrini replied, laughing: “I say it, but sometimes they don’t do it!”
Before leaving the room, Abde exchanged a few more jokes with his coach and gave a playful wink to the journalists present. A moment of friendliness that reflects the Moroccan: natural, funny, and always true to himself.
