"I Prepare Match Commentaries as if it Were the Final"

Thirty-two of the best teams from the six continental confederations, including Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid, will compete this June in the United States for victory in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, whose inaugural edition has generated great anticipation. Journalist Manu Carreño (Valladolid, 55 years old) narrates the tournament's most prominent matches, accompanied by two international football legends, Fernando Morientes and Bernd Schuster. Mediaset will broadcast the best match of the day on Telecinco or Cuatro.

–Do you take special care of your voice?

–No. I've never done anything special. Maybe I should start now. Occasionally, you get tournaments like this, a bit more demanding. Like a European Championship or a World Cup, where you mix matches and commentary with TV and radio programs at night. Yes, you notice more wear on your voice.

–Have you ever lost your voice during a broadcast?

–No. It's never happened to me. Let's hope it stays that way.

–Do you study a lot to commentate on the matches? Some teams are unfamiliar in Spain.

–It always happens to us. In World Cups, in European Championships... What do you know about the Egyptian national team? You always have to prepare, look at the teams, the opponents, the players who have left or arrived. That's always the case. In the Europa League, when Atlético de Madrid reached the final, or Sevilla faced Juventus, it was very easy. But until they reached the final, you had to deal with the Swedish team from some round. That always happens. You have to prepare for each match as if it were the final.

–How many hours do you dedicate to studying?

–I don't calculate it by hours. You feed yourself, you nourish yourself with information every day. It's not like one day you say, today I'll write a thesis on Inter Miami or Porto. You always rely on some joker. You always call one of the most knowledgeable people I have, and we always have acquaintances.

–It's going to be a first test for Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid.

–For most coaches, it's a tournament that builds on what they've done during the season. Xabi Alonso approaches it almost like his preseason. He'll have to test things during the tournament, he'll have to try Dean Huijsen; Alexander-Arnold; see how all this fits with Vinicius and Mbappé, whether they play three up front or two and reinforce the midfield a bit more, which seems likely, but he'll have to test all this during the Club World Cup. It's not easy, but Xabi Alonso is used to challenges.

–The schedule is tight again for the players, who already complained at the start of the season.

–Yes, in fact, I think this Club World Cup might be more important for some executives than for some players. It's true that the opportunity to win this tournament for the first time is very appealing for a player, but for the executives, I understand it's something they convey to their players to take seriously. There's a lot of money at stake, many millions, and it's very important for the executives as well. And for the fans, because we've already talked about how attractive it is, but it's also a new tournament.

–How do you think people will receive it?

–We'll see. There are Real Madrid and Atlético fans all over the world. And this year they said there wouldn't be any sports. Please! We would have been bored. We are delighted at Mediaset to have this Club World Cup.

–With this event, Mediaset regains a major football tournament, which in recent years had been lost to TVE. Do you think public television has an advantage when acquiring major sports rights?

–At Mediaset, we don't interfere in anyone's business. It reaches as far as it understands its numbers and accounts can go. Obviously, there are offers with which Mediaset cannot compete because we look for profitability. In the end, this is a private company, and the numbers must add up. If someone is lucky enough to have much more financial support to reach where we can't, then congratulations. But obviously, Mediaset focuses more on the economic viability of the company and not squandering millions senselessly, perhaps, in the face of a much higher offer.