Q: After a month and a half here, what do Betis mean to you?
A: Betis are a great club, I'm fine and very happy here.
Q: Did you expect such a loving welcome?
A: No, I did not expect this kind of reception. It’s been spectacular how the fans welcomed me and I'm happy with how I am being treated at the club.
Q: You had offers from Belgium, Holland and even Rayo Vallecano in Spain. Why did you choose Betis?
A: I found out that Betis wanted me two or three weeks before coming. Eduardo Macia and the coach asked Chelsea if a loan was possible, they asked me and I said yes, I knew the Spanish league would be good for me.
Q: It seems that you didn’t hesitate a single second...
A: I knew that Betis was a great club, I saw them play in the Champions League against Anderlecht when I was young.
Q: You know people are already dreaming that you continue your loan here next season...
A: Yes, yes, I know (laughs). Everyone tells me every week "Charly, stay here," but the most important thing right now for me and the team is the next match. We are in a very good position in the league, we have to keep going and when the season ends, we'll see.
Q: Have Chelsea called you in recent weeks to discuss the future?
A: They have called to tell me they have seen my games, that I’m playing well and to keep it that way. We have not talked about anything else.
Q: If they decided to keep you on loan, do Betis have the priority?
A: The most important thing right now is to play and then we'll see, but I'm very happy here, everyone knows. When the season ends we’ll have time to talk.
Q: What has most surprised you in this club?
A: The fans are great, fantastic, very good.
Q: How is the relationship with your teammates?
A: I have a good relationship with the whole team, they’re very good and friendly. I have interacted more with the youngsters, as Dani and Fabian, with the French, as Alfred, and Van der Vaart. I also get along with Joaquin, who gives me lots of advice.
Q: What advice has he given you?
A: A player like Joaquin, 34 years now, was in the same situation as me 15 years ago and he knows how to handle pressure, how to play and he also has a very similar style to mine. He has a lot of experience on when to run, when to play more with the ball... He tells me to enjoy myself.
Q: How do you handle the pressure that always surrounds this club?
A: I really don’t have a lot of pressure here. I just play football without pressure.
Q: Do you think that Betis will stay up?
A: In football it’s important to fight until the end, but I think if we win a couple more games we’ll continue in the first division next year. We’re now in a good position. But it’s better if we win enough to be seventh or eighth.
Q: From distance, how do you see Chelsea?
A: Right now I’m not concerned how Chelsea is doing, my priority is to play my best for Betis. If Chelsea play well, the better.
Q: You debuted in the first team with Mourinho last summer. How do you remember it?
A: Mourinho is a great coach, he needs to win every game. Working with him and start my career with someone of his stature is a great experience for a young player like me. It’s important to have his mindset and attitude to win. He advised me very well when I trained with him.
Q: Do you feel more comfortable in La Liga or in the Premier League?
A: I couldn’t say, but I know that in La Liga there are many players with great technique and it’s where the best players in the world are. The teams are very competitive, there’s good football. La Liga is my favorite, the best in the world.
Q: Are you dreaming of a call from the national team?
A: I haven’t spoken to the coach lately, but he was watching my game against Espanyol and I know that he’s interested in me. If I get called one day it will be very good for me; and if not, there will be time, I don’t obsess about that.
Q: The coach of Zambia, the country for which your father played, have said they would like to have you. Do you see you playing with Belgium or Zambia?
A: I don’t know, I lived in Belgium and England, never in Zambia, although it is the country of my parents. At this point I don’t think about that decision.
Q: Is it true that you rejected an offer from Barcelona in 2012 because Chelsea also offered to sign your two brothers?
A: Yes, I did. At that time, for my family it was very important that we all went together to the same club, stick together. Barcelona is one of the two or three best clubs in the world, but it was very important that my family could be with me at Chelsea. I am very happy here and my family too.
Q: You even visited La Masia before taking the decision. How do you remember it?
A: It was awesome, a great experience that motivated me to keep working and be able to play sometime in place like that. I was introduced to Pep Guardiola and the visit was very good.
Q: You were also a couple of months ago, just before arriving at Betis, watching a game at the Bernabeu. Who do you like more, Real Madrid or Barcelona?
A: I can’t choose right now, but if any of those wanted me, it would be a dream for me. They are two of the best clubs in the world.
Q: Who is your favorite player in La Liga?
A: My favorite player in La Liga is me. I like the way I play. I really liked Cristiano Ronaldo back at Manchester United when I was young and now at Real Madrid. He was an idol for me. But now I’m doing my own thing and enjoying myself. If you ask me who is my idol in La Liga right now I would say I am.
Q: But apart from you, do you watch other players to try to improve your game?
A: Yes, of course. I look at players who enjoy themselves on the pitch, like Neymar and Messi. I can identify myself with players like them.
Q: Three years before you were born, your father was saved from a terrible plane crash that killed the entire selection of Zambia. How curious is fate, right?
A: Yes, it was something tragic, dramatic, although my family, in a way, was very lucky. It saddens me to think about my father’s teammates and their families, but fortunately my father couln’t go with the national team and that's why I'm here today.
Q: Now that's a miracle...
A: Yes, he couldn’t go for a knee injury.
Q: Have you ever spoken to your father about that?
A: When I was young, my father and the people I was with in Anderlecht told me the story, but I don’t longer think about it. When I was younger yes, of course.
Q: Are you afraid to fly on airplanes?
A: No, no fear.
http://www.marca.com/futbol/betis/2016/03/19/56ed2125e2704e17558b458d.html
