Jesus Medina: I want to leave my mark on PFC CSKA history

— Jesus, we are talking to you right after your first match for PFC CSKA, in which you scored a goal. Has someone already congratulated you?
— First of all, I would like to greet our dear fans and everyone who watches us from Moscow. I want to say that my debut was successful. I scored a goal and gave an assist. My teammates congratulated me, as well as my parents who watched this match.

— We don't know much about Paraguay. Tell us about your childhood and family.
— I spent my childhood in the world of football, as I had older brothers who played constantly. At first, we played in our yards, we practiced all the time. Therefore, every year I absorbed football. Then, when I grew up, I went to Olympia, and then to Libertad.

— So, you had no choice who to become?
— Yes, from an early age my parents introduced me to the world of football. I always went to the sports center where my brothers performed. I watched them and trained. My family has a close relationship to sports and football, so I had no other choice.

— What did your parents do?
— My mom was a teacher, and my dad worked in the municipality, he was also the president of the sports school where I took my first steps in football. That's why I became a player, thanks to my family.

— So, no one was surprised when you made your debut for Libertad at the age of 15?
— As I said, my life is closely connected with football thanks to my parents. I followed in my older brother footsteps, who was also a professional and played for Libertad. And after that I started playing at this level. Perhaps it did not surprise anyone, and if it did, it was only because of age. A debut at the age of 15 is a big surprise, but if a young boy shows enough necessary qualities, then why not make such a debut? I am grateful for the support of my brother and parents, and it was only thanks to their guardianship that I followed in these footsteps.

— You are a technical football player, but is there a player you looked up to?
— Yes, I always try to watch and copy the style of the players, which is similar to mine. I watch players who have similar game characteristics with mine. I like Di Maria, David Silva and Messi. Messi is the best player in the history of football. I try to follow their performances, actions with the ball, and then reflect it in my game.

— We have already found out that you love mate. How else do you spend your free time?
— Yes, I drink mate very often — it's a hot drink, but also in Paraguay there is terere — it's a cold mate. If the morning starts with mate, then later in the evening, in hot weather, we drink terere, it is very refreshing. I also like to play PlayStation, as well as walking in the park with my girlfriend and friends.

— Let's talk about MLS. Your coach in New York was Patrick Vieira…
— It was a great honor for me to work with such a coach, because he did a lot for my transfer to New York City. I worked with him for six months and his style was close to me. He loved pressing and controlling the ball. I liked his aggressive football. He is a very good coach, a great coach. I was happy with this experience.

— You played in the same club with David Villa and against Zlatan. There is a stereotype that such players go to this league to finish playing ...
— I would not say that they finished playing there. On the contrary, they raised the level of MLS. This league is developing every year. David Villa became the best player and scorer in the first season, and in the second season he also scored about 15 goals. He's a great player and a hard worker. He showed these qualities in trainings as well. I also played against Zlatan, and he also had great stats. Therefore, they both only developed MLS by their presence.

— The league has lost a lot when you left...
— Now let's see how it will develop further (smiles).

— Please tell me about New York. What surprised you there?
— This is a great city, and I am very glad that I lived there for 4 years. It is a powerful and dynamic city with a lot of tourists. The life is there. Everyone is always in a hurry and late somewhere, there is also a lot of entertainment there. Sometimes it's bad for the players, because we need to recover a lot, relax and think about the profession, but in this rhythm it's almost impossible. I loved walking there and drinking coffee in Central Park. Also, during these 4 years in New York, I learned a lot for myself and made friends. It was a great life experience.

— You said that you took the subway to go to trainings in New York. Is it regular there?
— Actually, no, our training base was outside the city, and we went there by car. But it was more convenient to move around Manhattan by subway, since there are always huge traffic jams, there is no other way.

— It is said that the subway in New York is dangerous. Is it true?
— Nothing like this happened to me, every time I took the subway, everything was fine. Of course, things may have happened in other parts of the city, as it happens in all other cities, but everything was fine with me.

— So, you're ready for Moscow traffic.
— Yes, when I came to Moscow, I was lucky enough to get to know the city. I noticed that the cities are very similar in terms of traffic flow. In New York, you can go somewhere, get stuck in traffic and not know when it will end.

— Did you consult with someone when moving to Russia? Maybe with former teammate Maxi Morales, who performed here?
— Maxi is a very good friend of mine who played in Russia but didn't stay long. Nevertheless, he told me a lot of good things about Moscow, that the cities are similar, and I shouldn't have any problem in Russia. He prepared me very well and answered all my questions.

— How do you like our stadium after the American arenas?
— It made a huge impression on me. It is a beautiful, new and modern stadium. There are many similar arenas in New York. It seems to me that if our stadium is completely full, the atmosphere will be simply unreal. I would like to start playing there soon and leave my mark on PFC CSKA history.

— You spent two weeks with PFC CSKA. Is there something that seemed unusual to you?
— Football is the same everywhere. There is no mystery about it. The only thing that causes difficulties is the Russian language. Of course, I speak a little English, but most communicate in Russian here. Otherwise, I like everything, I try to get to know my partners, coaches, staff… I try to do my best not to feel disconnected from the team.

— It seems that you and Yusuf have already fit in the team well...
— I want to fit in sooner and meet the expectations placed on me, because many people wanted my transfer and trusted in me. I have very good impressions of the team, everyone is very kind and open. Even though there are a lot of young players here, I would like to mention a mixture of experience and youth. Because such players as Igor Akinfeev, Alan Dzagoev are real legends with a lot of experience who accepted me well. I am very happy about it.