Ibai Gómez: "You have to train your mind to know that you'll get beaten"

Ibai Gómez, the new manager of Real Zaragoza following the club's relegation to Primera Federación, has unveiled his working philosophy in an interview on the Los Fulanos podcast. The former Athletic Bilbao player stresses the importance of mental training to face difficulties: "You have to train your mind to know that you'll get beaten".

According to Sport, Ibai bases his approach on healthy habits he learned alongside Marcos Llorente at Deportivo Alavés (2016-17). The coach advocates fasting before training, organic food, and eliminating gluten and ultra-processed products. "For footballers, they help reduce injury risk," he says, though he acknowledges injuries can always happen.

He also discusses his time at Andorra, where he was sacked after 15 matches while working with Gerard Piqué. Ibai praises the club president: "He was very close to us and treated us well. He has a sharp mind". The coach believes "elite athletic performance is not health," so he wants to instill these values in his Zaragoza players.