“His sobriety caught my attention in the last minutes when everyone is nervous”

Bono currently plays for Sevilla and has managed to outdo himself in recent years. Five years ago he had to leave Zaragoza to seek continuity at Girona FC, a club where his career took a 180 degree turn in the Spanish League with promotion and his debut in the First Division.

At Girona I work under Pablo Machín, who spoke with El Comercio about the current situation of goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in Qatar 2022

—Has the level that Bono has been showing in the World Cup surprised you?

Not really, because I think that he has done the same thing in the World Cup that he has been doing lately in his club, Sevilla. I had it in Girona and for us it was important. He helped him grow and improve on the deficit he had, which was maintaining concentration during the 90 minutes. He is now also a goalkeeper who, apart from having good foot control, is very calm and knows how to read the game much better.

—What other qualities of the Moroccan goalkeeper stand out?

When we signed him, he was on loan to Zaragoza, he belonged to Atlético de Madrid. When we faced him he gave a sense of tranquility, of security. Now his sobriety caught my attention in the last few minutes, when everyone is nervous and he was able to control the area perfectly. He improved enormously in his footwork and as I told you, in his concentration during the 90 minutes. For us he was important and he improved playing European competitions with Sevilla.

—And how is the Bonus from the human side?

At first he was not a player who had a very hierarchical communication with the group. His personality is that of a calm person, a bit shy. He had a hard time communicating. That was one of the things that he always talked about with him because he had to command the defense. I think that in that he has improved a lot and now he is a goalkeeper with a hierarchy and that everyone respects him. He is an excellent person, very humble, who never forgets his origins and in a situation like this he deserves the best.

—Were you able to talk to him during the World Cup?

Of course I still have a relationship with him. I didn’t want to call him directly, but we did exchange WhatsApp messages, especially to wish him luck at first and now to congratulate him, wishing him all the best because I think he is a player who sincerely deserves it.

—Before France you can touch glory again…

With the position he has, a game can be decisive and he has innate qualities, as in penalties. There he is an enormously decisive player, very intuitive. Now that he faces France he sure is going to have a lot of work.

—Is it his maximum level or can we see more of him?

I believe that all players until the end of their career continue to learn. Exactly the same as everyone in life we ​​are evolving, in football too, small details are always improved and when you get more mature you lose some qualities that have to do with the physical aspect, but you gain others with the mental or reading aspect of parties. Therefore, Bono is in an excellent moment, but he has the capacity to improve because normally the goalkeeper position is a position in which his career can be extended and surely he has many years left to enjoy this sport and for us to see it.