Luis Óscar “Lucho” González is a big name in world football, having played 44 games for Argentina, including the 2006 World Cup and two Copa America tournaments. A versatile midfielder who is able to play in different positions, but mainly in the centre, he is well known for his fierce shots, passing skills and hardworking style. Known as El Comandante (the commander) due to his leadership skills, he has settled well into the Al Rayyan team after playing for top clubs in Europe such as Porto and Marseille. In this interview with www.qsl.com.qa, Gonzalez speaks about his experiences in Qatar and gives his insights into what the team needs to improve

Q: How do you evaluate you experience with Rayyan so far and are you happy to be here?
A: “Yes I am very happy to be here in Al Rayyan, especially such a great club who has had many past and present great players. The only thing the club is missing is a better position in the standings.
Q: How is the atmosphere in the club and with your fellow players?
A: I have a very good relationship with the club and my teammates, since my arrival here I have been welcomed in a very good way and this helped me to provide the good performances on the pitch.
Q: How quickly have you adapted with the team and the league?
A: I adapted quickly since the atmosphere is very positive.
Q: What do you think about the Qatar Stars League?
A: Unfortunately many people outside Qatar think that the league is not as competitive as other leagues but the truth from my experiences is exactly the opposite. It’s very strong and a tough competition and the battle for points every week is very fierce. What is good is that in the QSL many teams have a similar level.
Q: What is the reason why Rayyan have struggled so much this season, what is missing?
A: According to me, I think the luck, the luck is certainly missing, and I noticed this in many games. I have looked at our players and I see they have a good level, especially in attack but because of poor luck we haven’t translated the many opportunities into goals. When you’re not lucky in sport then it is very difficult to succeed.
I don’t think Rayyan is missing much, we have good players throughout all the team, we just need to get used to each other and I think next season if we stay up we will play very well.
Q: Do you think that Rayyan are in a position to truly defend the Emir Cup this season?
A: Really at the moment we are not thinking about anything else apart from QSL survival and the game against our big rivals Al Arabi. After the league, we will think about such things.
Q: What are your preparations for the upcoming matches?
A: We are doing well in every training session and we are focusing on the victory because it’s nonsense to focus on anything else.
Q: You are a famous name in the football scene. What are your main achievements?
A: My main achievement is the gold medal for Argentina in the Olympics in Athens in 2004. In club football I have a good record winning the French league with Marseille in 2010, and when I was with Porto I won the league every season I was there.
Q: Far away from football what are your hobbies?
A: Honestly I don’t have many hobbies far away from football but I like to play tennis sometimes.
Q: How are you spending your free time here in Doha?
A: I am spending most of my time with my family.
Q: What is the story behind the tattoo with the number 3, could you please tell us?
A: When I was first playing for Porto I got the number 8 and then when I moved to the French League I got the number 3, after that I came back to Porto and they gave me the honor of giving me the number 3. In Porto this number is reserved for special players and is the most famous number at the club. That’s why I like this number very much.