José Manuel Pinto, once one of the most colorful goalkeepers in Spanish football, surprised many with a candid admission about his lack of interest in watching the sport.
“Watch a football match? Never,”
Pinto said bluntly. “I never liked it, even as a child. It always bored me. I couldn’t say that in the locker room, just like I couldn’t talk about the music I was making.”
Despite a life spent on the pitch, the 49-year-old confessed on Josep Pedrerol’s podcast El cafelito that he has never been fond of sitting down to watch games.
The revelation left Pedrerol stunned, especially when he pressed Pinto on whether he follows Barcelona’s rising star, Lamine Yamal.
“So you don’t know how he plays?” the host asked. Pinto’s reply was equally direct: “Not really, no.” Pedrerol responded with disbelief: “Are you kidding?”
Pinto explained that his young son Nathan keeps him somewhat updated, often showing him highlights. “I won’t say I’ve seen nothing, but just clips,” he admitted.
Best remembered for his years at FC Barcelona under Pep Guardiola and earlier spells at Celta de Vigo, the Andalusian has now turned his focus to music production and fitness training.
Since retiring, Pinto has built a career outside football. He won a Latin Grammy in 2016 for Best Flamenco Album and created the P13FIT training method, which blends jump rope routines with choreography.
Pinto once won the Zamora Trophy for the best goalkeeper in La Liga and helped Celta win the UEFA Intertoto Cup. He was a backup goalkeeper for Guardiola’s all conquering Barcelona side, notably winning La Liga three times and the UEFA Champions League twice. He also won the Copa del Rey twice, both times as a starter.
