Istra 1961 Coach Reveals Why He Left Journalism to Devote Himself to Football
Istra 1961 coach shares his work philosophy, discusses the young squad, and previews the regional derby at Rujevica.
Istra 1961 coach shares his work philosophy, discusses the young squad, and previews the regional derby at Rujevica.
Istra 1961 have three SHNL rounds behind them, and the young team from Pula has already delighted fans with their performances. Ahead of Sunday's derby against Rijeka at Rujevica, coach Cabello gave an extensive interview to Novi list, discussing his career, work philosophy, and ambitions.
The 52-year-old coach, born in Valencia, revealed that his path to the coaching bench was anything but straightforward. As a boy, he started at a local club, but injuries forced him to focus solely on coaching at the age of 23. Interestingly, he first studied journalism but soon switched to sports sciences.
"Initially, I went into journalism. When I started my studies, I still wanted to stay involved in football. I loved listening to match broadcasts on the radio and reading newspapers when they covered games. That's why I started studying journalism, but once I began working as a coach, I realized I needed something else, so I switched to sports sciences to gain deeper knowledge of football," Cabello said.
He emphasized that family is extremely important to him. He and his wife agreed that she and their son would follow him wherever his coaching career takes him. His son is currently in elementary school and adapting to new environments.
When Alaves presented him with the opportunity to become the coach of Istra 1961's young team, Cabello didn't hesitate. He stressed that players' ages don't matter to him-only their level and desire to improve.
"The point is to build a team that has that hunger for improvement. Hungry to grow, to become better. I'm on the same side as the players; I have that hunger for improvement, I'm ambitious, I want to grow, keep learning, and progress," he said.
He added that his responsibility as a coach isn't determined by whether a player is 21 or 32, but by getting the maximum out of each individual.
Cabello expressed great respect for Croatian football, noting that the national team has achieved excellent results over the past ten years. "This is a very demanding league. There are no easy matches," he said.
Regarding the derby with Rijeka, he is aware of the opponent's quality-they also compete in the Conference League-and the importance of the match for the fans.
"It's a derby, and we'll try to be competitive, to be as good as we can. We'll try to make it a tough match for the opponent. We're currently in a good position in the standings, but the league is very challenging, and positions change every week," Cabello added.
"We want to be competitive. That's the main goal, and it drives me to want us to achieve the highest possible finish," Cabello concluded, sending a message to fans to enjoy the ride.
