Amongst the sea of online content since the final whistle blew on Saturday, this video (in Spanish) seems to have flown under the radar: a joint post match interview for Columbian audiences with Jefferson Lerma and Dani Munoz.
I thought I couldn't really like DM any more... until I saw this. What a humble guy and what a signing!
Translation below.
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Thank you, here we are at the cathedral of football — Wembley — with the Colombians Dani Muñoz and Jefferson Lerma, champions. How are you doing? The player of the match, the fan on the pitch, Dani Muñoz — what a pleasure to greet you. Congratulations, first of all. Please share your feelings and emotions with us. Your families were here on the pitch, you took photos with your kids — how are you feeling?
Dani Muñoz:
Well, first of all, I give all the glory and honour to God. I think it was an exceptional job we did today. Thanks to all these wonderful people — they deserved it more than anyone. We're very happy. The first title in the history of Crystal Palace. I think we came here with a purpose and today it was fulfilled. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank all these people who supported us, who believed in us, our families who were always there, our teammates — we all fought and battled. Those who started, those who came on, those who stayed on the bench — this was a family effort. More than just a team, we're a beautiful family. And I think this is the reward for humble, honest work — day in, day out. I believe God rewards that, and today it showed. I'm truly happy and very content, because we were fighting hard for this. And we didn’t just beat anyone — we beat a giant, Manchester City, a team that’s won everything. So it’s even more satisfying, brings more joy, and feels even better. We’ve taken a step — written our names in the golden book. And now we have to keep working for what's next.
Reporter:
You're going to go down in history. There were so many Colombian flags. Your coach even said there were more Colombian flags than English ones! What does it mean to win this great FA Cup?
Jefferson Lerma:
For us, this started as a dream — and now it's a reality. I think it fills us with pride. And now, Crystal Palace
is Colombia. We have to enjoy this to the fullest. A year ago, we were defeated. Today, God rewarded us. He gave us the chance to leave our name in the history of Palace, and I'm very happy for all of this. Now it's time to enjoy it with our families, which is very important — to take it to another level and thank God for this moment He’s allowed us to enjoy.
Reporter:
Dani, share with us what’s going through your mind. For many years, you were a hardcore fan (barra brava) of Atlético Nacional — supporting your team. And now, you’re a professional player on the pitch, the man of the match, at a stadium like Wembley. What’s going through your head?
Dani Muñoz:
Well first of all, I think this trophy should say "Crystal Palace" because we were all the stars today...
Dani Muñoz (continued):
…If even one piece hadn’t worked, I don’t think we would have achieved such an exceptional performance like the one we had today. This makes me feel happy, joyful, but it goes beyond an award or a plaque. I believe all of us who were part of this deserve it — those who played, those who didn’t. I’m just very happy because, like Lerma said, a year ago I wasn’t even able to…
(
He becomes emotional and trails off.)
Reporter:
There were lots of tears — many tears in the stadium. They were asking players to bring their kids onto the field because families were coming down onto the pitch. Can you share what that moment was like, seeing your family in the stands?
Jefferson Lerma:
That moment was very special. Unfortunately, we couldn’t celebrate with everyone because of the rules, and we had to respect them. Though we did bend them a little — because our families wanted to be part of this historic moment. A moment filled with pride for the families, and for us, full of so many emotions. Now we’ll have time to gather and enjoy, and I want to congratulate every member of this team — the fans, the staff, the coaches — so many people I’d like to name, but it would take too long. This belongs to all of us, and it’s time to enjoy the moment. God has put us here. God has given us everything, and all the glory and honour goes to Him.
Reporter:
Perfect. Jefferson Lerma, it’s a great honour for me to have interviewed you this season. And here we have the FA Cup winners’ medals…
Jefferson Lerma:
It’s a great honour. Thank you so much for the support. Thank you.
Reporter:
Those were the words of the Colombians Dani Muñoz and Jefferson Lerma, here from Wembley — the cathedral of football. A hug from us here in England.
Scotland
cityxtra.co.uk
