Success, Humility and Healing w/ Javier “Chicharito” Hernández EP 1435

https://lewishowes.com/mindset - Order a copy of my new book The Greatness Mindset today! Over the course of Javier Hernandez's 16-year career, he has gone from tabloid superstar in his native Mexico, appearing in three World Cups for El Tri, becoming Mexico's all-time leading scorer to date, and playing for the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid to presently, being the face of the best team in the MLS, the Los Angeles Galaxy. Javier is a representation of a new generation of athletes who are using their voice and abilities outside the field to speak about issues that matter, creating opportunities for others, and disrupt the status quo. Javier is much more than an athlete, he is an entrepreneur, a father, philanthropist, and mental health advocate. He is a positive and additive force in the sports, gaming and entertainment industry. In this episode you will learn,The importance of family support when you reach the highest level of success. To have a posture of learning and curiosity even while at the top of your game. To have complete confidence in your abilities. You will learn: Humbleness! The biggest price Chicharito paid to be a champion and see the success he has in his career. For more information go to www.lewishowes.com/1435 Get more from Lewis! Get my New York Times Bestselling book, Make Money Easy! Get The Greatness Mindset audiobook on SpotifyText Lewis AIYouTubeInstagramWebsiteTiktokFacebookX

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Lewis Howes?

  My friend, I am such a big believer that your mindset is everything. It can really dictate if your life has meaning, has value, and you feel fulfilled, or if you feel exhausted, drained, and like you're never going to be enough. Our brand new book, The Greatness Mindset, just hit the New York Times Bestseller back-to-back weeks. And I'm so excited to hear from so many of you who've bought the book, who've read it, and finished it already, and are getting incredible results from the lessons in the book. If you haven't got a copy yet, you'll learn how to build a plan for greatness through powerful exercises and toolkits designed to propel your life forward. This is the book I wish I had when I was 20, struggling, trying to figure out life. 10 years ago, at 30, trying to figure out transitions in my life, and a book I'm glad

• 0:46Lewis Howes?

  I have today for myself. Make sure to get a copy at lewishouse.com/2023mindset to get your copy today. Again, lewishouse.com/2023mindset to get a copy today. Also, the book is on Audible now, so you can get it on audiobook as well. And don't forget to follow the show so you never miss an episode.

• 1:11Speaker 01

  I don't think you get to be a champion. I think you need to become a champion since day one. And prepare, work, give, pay prices, sacrifice, since day one. When people go through those emotions and those situations, they get...

• 1:30Lewis Howes?

  Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week, we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin.

• 1:54Lewis Howes?

  You know, I was talking with Martha, my girlfriend, about you today. And I was like, what do you think people would really want to know about the man about the interview? And she said, well, he is arguably one of the most famous people in our country, and arguably one of the best soccer players that's ever come out of Mexico. And there must be a massive weight, a massive pressure, to handle that success. Because people celebrate you and they cheer for you, but if something doesn't go, if you guys don't win on the national team or in somewhere, then all the weight, the pressure, the criticism comes back on you as well.

• 2:37Lewis Howes?

  So I wanted to welcome you to the show, but also start by asking that question of, how have you learned to strive for a dream of being the best you can be, one of the top players arguably in the history of Mexico, and handle the emotional weight of success and criticism at the same time?

• 2:56Speaker 01

  Wow.

• 2:58Lewis Howes?

  I wanted to give it to you right away.

• 2:59Speaker 01

  No, thank you very much. First of all, thank you very much for having me here. I've been telling you this privately, but I've been following you since a couple of years, and I've been watching this amazing project that you have and then dreaming about it, you know, learning about you guys and your guests and stuff. And then certainly I'm here sharing with you parts of my life, my whole life and the process, you know, that I've been through. And yeah, going with the question about the pressure, I think that's one of the key things, not only with athletes, not only with like people who have jobs that requires a lot of like fame and that kind of situations. I think everyone comes from that pressure, you know,

• 3:40Speaker 01

  sometimes family pressure. You know, in my country, religion, it's a massive subject, you know, then family culture as well. So every time you're trying to feel some expectation about people. In my case, for example, it was the other way around. My family always, always let me be whatever I want to be, right? Because I come from a very sport family, right? The father of my mother was a soccer player professional too. And then my mother get married with my father, that is a soccer professional player too. So I was the third generation of soccer players. And they were the other way around. They always tell me, whatever you want to be, but then... It was in my veins. It was in my veins.

• 4:23Speaker 01

  So, I'm bringing you this because the first time that I experienced like that type of pressure or narrative about those kind of situations was when I was a kid and when I didn't or I couldn't spend that much time with my friends because some parents of my friends start speaking bad about my success in that time or that I was a good player. They always give the credit that, ah, it's because he's the son of that guy.

• 4:52Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 4:53Speaker 01

  Oh, it's because he has some like help because of course their family is famous and stuff like that. Like if I didn't earn nothing, like if everything was given to me.

• 5:02Lewis Howes?

  Wow. That's a big thing to overcome when your father, your grandfather is a famous athlete in the same sport. Then you have a leg up or they gave you an advantage. So how did you overcome that first from, you know, childhood, from a young boy to overcome the narrative and kind of outbeat your father and your grandparents, you know? How did you overcome that?

• 5:22Speaker 01

  With a lot of mental fitness, man. And I didn't realize in that time, my family, my parents, the advantage that I have in that moment, it wasn't that I was playing because of my family, the advantage that I have over there. It was that I learned from so many things that other people can't learn because they don't have those figures in their life, you know? My dad had a career, my grandfather had a career. So they know about the career.

• 5:50Lewis Howes?

  They can teach you the knowledge.

• 5:51Speaker 01

  Exactly, the things that you cannot see, the things that you shouldn't be doing that much, the things that you should invest more time, etc., right? So one of them, it was my family saying, they always teach me, like, let's not avoid or let's not suppress, like, yeah, those things are out of control. We cannot manage them. We are not, we're not gonna play to change their minds. You need to keep going in the road that you want to be. And they always ask me, do you want to play professional soccer player? That was the main goal, right? Professional soccer player. Every single time I was, yes. And they told me, well, these obstacles are the ones that are gonna make you stronger for those things, even when I was a kid. So...

• 6:37Speaker 01

  Being surround amazing people or people that they're in the same vibration as you, it's key, it's key man. And unfortunately, there's people that, for example, there are kids over there that they don't have that probably. They don't have even parents, they don't have brothers, they don't have people around that. So it's very important, I think, to be so humble. We were speaking about this before, so humble that you need to learn. And my family teach me that without teaching me that, right? Because I always was, I trust so much in them because my father, like, I have tangible evidence that my dad told me, "Look, I did this and it worked out. And look, son, I didn't do this, something that I should have have done."

• 7:23Lewis Howes?

  And look what happened.

• 7:24Speaker 01

  And look what happened to me. I could have had a better career if, look, if I didn't do this, if I slept better, if I take care.

• 7:32Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, but I didn't drink alcohol.

• 7:33Speaker 01

  Exactly, stuff like that, situations, right? So that was the first time about depression because I was the son of, the son of, and the grandson of, the grandson of. But something that was very beautiful, inside my house, inside my family, we, we took that in a joking and loving way. Even my grandfather, he did an amazing job of like saying, "Look, man, like, look, man, you cannot speak to me like one V one until you do this." In a very joking way, in a very like, "Son, I love you, I know your, your worth is amazing, but of course you need to, to get there, somewhere that you need to, to get, right?" So yeah, that pressure and that situations, I start a little bit living with that.

• 8:14Speaker 01

  But man, the only way that I learned it was, I think, the bravery of my family and myself to go for it and fall and fail, right? To don't achieve things that I didn't achieve in that time, to feel. The pain of growth. You know, to be in the spot, when you say to people be in the spot, they imagine just a soccer player playing in the stadium, that's the spot, no. The spot is being in those situations where things are not going your way, man. When they tell you, you are not good enough, a lot of managers told me, you are not good enough. Really? A lot of situations, it didn't happen for me. For example, when I was seventeen years old, my teammates of the national team won for the first

• 8:58Speaker 01

  time a World Cup under seventeen. And I was in the list of the twenty, for example, twenty-six players, and just twenty-three go there. So I was just caught in the last minute. No way. And wait about that, Louis, one of the toughest, but so richful moments that I live in this story is... Because that's painful. It is, but wait, no, but wait, what happens next? Because of course, I'm cut out, right? So, and I'm... And then they go and win. Of course, but no, wait, Louis, wait, let me take you to this, because it's gonna get even very, very more interesting. They're doing very good, I'm in Guadalajara, doing my stuff, and trying to, I say like, climb the ladder to get to first division, to professional, like, division, anyway.

• 9:42Speaker 01

  And you are watching on the TV and news that your teammates are doing great, that's great. Then suddenly, the owner of the team that I was, that I was playing that time, invite me and invite another teammate, knowing that we were in the whole process, but we didn't go there. Of the national team. Of the national team, but we were cut out, my other, my other friend was cut out because he got injured, and myself was because the manager just decided another player was better, right? Anyway, they invite us to fly private with our families to watch the final. And wait, you know my response when I was sixteen? I said, no. Oh, man. No, I said, wait, I'm not gonna go. I can't watch this, yeah. I, I watch it by TV, and of course, I can't. And that's why, that's why my family, it's, it's been crucial in my life.

• 10:28Speaker 01

  Because my parents at that time, they couldn't go, because my father was like a manager, he has a team, so he couldn't go. And my mother didn't want to go by herself. So what they decided is like, let your grandparents, the father and the mother, or my mother, go with you. And they convinced me in a very loving way of like, go, it's gonna be a great experience. A great experience. They didn't say it's gonna be fun, they didn't say nothing, they say like, it's gonna be a great experience. I'm not saying that my parents knew what I was gonna feel. But they were like, man, they're inviting you, the owner of the team of you wanna play professionally, and it's a gift, receive it, right?

• 11:04Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 11:04Speaker 01

  Anyway, we go there, it was in Peru, in Lima, not the final.

• 11:09Speaker 01

  You go there, you see your friends before the match, then you go to the match, right? You go to the stadium. We are in the stadium, final, Mexico against Brazil.

• 11:17Lewis Howes?

  Oh my gosh.

• 11:18Speaker 01

  Okay, final. First goal. The score was 3-0, and Mexico won, right? First goal, amazing celebration, excitement, nervousness still.

• 11:29Speaker 01

  The second goal happened, still the same, like we're in the game, we're winning, etc. Louis, the third goal came in, and it was like, 20 minutes to go. When that goal scored, I knew they were gonna be champions, right? I started crying, without knowing about crying, because that was one of the first lessons about these bittersweet feelings, right? Because of course, I feel so much love, appreciation, gratefulness, my friends. Like, best friends are winning. My country is winning. But the bitter situation is like, I could have been them.

• 12:08Lewis Howes?

  Oh man.

• 12:08Speaker 01

  Man. And then, and then I was crying by myself, and I forgot my grandparents were there. It gets to my, to my core still, every time that I speak about this. But my grandmother came, and she was crying as well, looking at me. Celebration of the third goal and everything. And I remember she held my face, and she said, look son, like, like, yeah, look son. Right now, it's not your time.

• 12:37Speaker 01

  But if you trust in me like in the way that I know you do and in us, your time will come. Trust in me, right now it's difficult to believe it. And I, of course, I imagine, it's very difficult to believe it. But now it's when you need to trust the most. And we just held and we cried because that was our moment of like, yeah, we're happy, everything is happening. But it wasn't our time, let's embrace it. It's not like cry, shut up and keep moving, no. It wasn't like learning how to go through emotions, man. Because it was painful.

• 13:14Lewis Howes?

  Of course.

• 13:15Speaker 01

  Of course it was painful, right?

• 13:16Lewis Howes?

  You let it out and you process it.

• 13:17Speaker 01

  And then something else, of course, you go to the hotel.

• 13:20Lewis Howes?

  Anger, cry, yeah.

• 13:22Speaker 01

  Yeah, you kind of celebrate with your friends, but you cannot celebrate. It's like when people invite you to a party and you cannot eat the cake and you cannot dance.

• 13:29Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 13:30Speaker 01

  And you are in the party, right?

• 13:33Speaker 01

  So that was the first time exactly that it was a breakthrough in my life about that.

• 13:37Lewis Howes?

  What did you do after that moment? Because it was a letdown, it was a disappointment, it was a sadness, it was a grieving, it was an emotional loss. But there was a win and your friends are, you know, celebrating, they're champions. What did you do mentally and physically after that moment?

• 13:53Speaker 01

  Okay, physically we traveled back to Mexico and then, yeah, I went back to my house and I see my father and my mother for the first time. Of course, it was a, I shared the loss, we shared all the loss. And then I have a very crucial talk with my father specifically. My mother was there and my sister, obviously. But with my father, my father asked me this, he said, "Son, I know what you're feeling, I know it feels like a loss." He's always been very objective and he said,

• 14:24Speaker 01

  "But son, it wasn't a loss." And I was like, and he said, "It wasn't a loss." And I'm gonna explain you why. How many times we talk about you being world champion under seventeen for Mexico? And he was like, "No, we didn't have that talk, we didn't even dream it." And he said, "These situations are extras and a consequence of what you are doing."

• 14:55Speaker 01

  This opportunity couldn't happen if you weren't doing good in your club.

• 15:04Speaker 01

  And your dream, if I'm not mistaken, it's playing for the first division of Chivas. Right? And he said like, "Right." And I was like, "Yeah, right." So this is not gonna affect you that bad. It could help you. And he said, "It could help you to get quicker or better." Or the path could change, you know? But it's... Nothing has changed. And tomorrow you need to go to play for the team that pays your salary, that gives you all the tools for you to develop your talents and try to get to the first division. And I was like, "Wow." And I asked, and I told him, "Yeah, but that's what I'm feeling." What I'm gonna... Yeah, I understand, but like, what I'm feeling, etc." And my dad said, "Look,

• 15:50Speaker 01

  this is gonna make you stronger, and I'm gonna tell you why."

• 15:55Speaker 01

  Unfortunately, in life,

• 15:59Speaker 01

  when people go through those emotions and those situations, they get stronger mentally and emotionally. And it's gonna sound difficult, but I'm not happy, but I'm glad you're living this. Because right now, you are stronger than some of those players. And he was very, very critical in this sense, and I'm gonna say I never said it, but my dad said, "Look, son, I'm believing me." I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that those 23 players get to first division. But I'm sure not even half are gonna get there. Because I know the path, I know how that life is, and I know how everything happens.

• 16:41Lewis Howes?

  It's almost better that you were top 26, but didn't go to get top 23. Because if you would've sat the bench and never played at all, it may have been even a worse feeling, like I'm sitting on the bench...

• 16:51Speaker 01

  Could be, exactly, exactly.

• 16:52Lewis Howes?

  Sitting on the bench, I'm celebrating, but I'm not... Okay, I'm good. But you're not like feeling the pain of the loss, you know, of not... of watching. And being so close, you're like, you're there, okay, maybe you can coast a little bit. But this really drove you, it sounds like. Did you just turn on a switch mentally and physically with your training and your mindset after this? Did you start training harder, or what happened?

• 17:14Speaker 01

  Yeah. Look, something that has happened every single time in my life until today. In that moments, I didn't have the knowledge or experience, right? And I mean, that's why School of Greatness and these projects are made for. It's like going through all of that.

• 17:34Speaker 01

  Release the stress, release a lot of like stuff that you are like carrying it. And it opens up energy. Now I can explain it like that with my experience, but at that time, I didn't know. What I knew was like, if I'm feeling something, look, if you're feeling sad, cry. If you're feeling angry, let it out, don't like with all the respect, but by yourself in a way, shout. And that's it, and you let it out. If you're happy, laugh, enjoy, share, like all of those emotions, my parents kind of teach me in a way. So after that, things start happening, Luis. A part of myself was a release. I was like convinced of like, okay, my party is here, they are right, let's keep working. I keep doing the same and the same and the same.

• 18:16Speaker 01

  And then two years later, I go to the World Cup of under 20s. With the same manager.

• 18:22Lewis Howes?

  No way.

• 18:23Speaker 01

  Same team, even more difficult. Because in the under 20s, for example, in the under 17s, normally there's the limit of the age. And normally everyone goes, but then under 20s in that time, they're one year older than you have the opportunity to go. So it's more difficult to go because there's like two ages of players can go, right? And I go there. And I go to the World Cup, I scored a goal. We didn't, we weren't out of quarterfinals, something like that. We lost against Argentina with Kun Agüero, like amazing players. But then I go there. The resilience that my family and myself show in that time of like going through that emotion. Stay in the path and

• 19:05Speaker 01

  and when it feels, or sometimes in this like path or tunnels that we call, even where you cannot see the light that you can feel, make yourself like believe, faith. Believe that was it, that was it, that was it, that was it. And then I, look, and just to merge a little bit with your first question about the pressure. People don't believe that.

• 19:30Speaker 01

  My family was amazing of never ever make me feel that I've achieved whatever I achieved. Or if I play an amazing game and scored three goals, to make me feel that it was like they always humble me.

• 19:50Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 19:51Speaker 01

  Always. It's not about pressure, but they always humble me. And I always create this process of like, I know every time that I play a match, regardless, we are gonna talk about the things that you can improve, no matter what.

• 20:10Lewis Howes?

  What you could do better.

• 20:11Speaker 01

  So imagine I going out, I can celebrate with my friends, but I know as, as, as soon as I step in the car or in my house or my parents are there, we're gonna like review their match, talk about it, and I, and, and I learn how, how a little bit yeah, battle my ego.

• 20:29Lewis Howes?

  Oh.

• 20:29Speaker 01

  Nah, well, you're seventeen, eighteen World Cups, you can score goals, of course, you don't have those experiences, you feel like you are in the top of the world and you feel like already made everything and stuff, and my family held me that sense of like, aye, aye, aye, aye, always like, which is the goal. And they teach me something without the words, but I think with actions about like

• 20:51Speaker 01

  there's, nothing is gonna be enough. If you win a match, you always want to win another one.

• 20:55Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 20:55Speaker 01

  If you score one, you always want to score one. If you play one World Cup, you want to play more. If you scored one hundred goals, now you want to score two hundred goals.

• 21:02Lewis Howes?

  Sure, sure, sure.

• 21:03Speaker 01

  So, like unconsciously, they teach me that, like always like, hey man, there's always better things to to achieve or to work for, right? So that's, that's how I handle pressure. And then we can keep going on my story because yeah, then imagine, that was a pressure in my family, in my niche, but then of course, when I was twenty-one years old, my life changed completely and then the entire country knew about me and then I was representing the country.

• 21:32Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 21:32Speaker 01

  And it was like, like you, like you explained it in the beginning, right? Sometimes if I don't score goals, it's like I let down my country, literally.

• 21:39Lewis Howes?

  How does that feel? So this was twenty one, you were in the World Cup?

• 21:42Speaker 01

  In the twenty, exactly, in the twenty, yeah, twenty one, twenty two. I, I just become twenty two. But before of that, they transferred me to Manchester United.

• 21:49Lewis Howes?

  Right, before this. So you're playing with Man U.

• 21:51Speaker 01

  I was playing with Chivas.

• 21:52Lewis Howes?

  From Mexico.

• 21:53Speaker 01

  Yes, no, no, even, no. I was playing with Chivas and I was the first player ever that I made the jump from a Mexican team to a triple A European team. Cause normally, in the past, the other Mexican successful players, they always went to a double A teams or one A teams and then they start like going to a better teams. Exactly, I was the first one to make a transfer from Chivas to Manchester United.

• 22:18Lewis Howes?

  That's crazy.

• 22:19Speaker 01

  No one ever like done that, right? So that's why I became so famous in that sense. And then the World Cup happened. Before, like in the middle of the transfer, they transferred me, they bought me. But then I couldn't play with Manchester United until after the World Cup.

• 22:35Lewis Howes?

  So you didn't play a game yet?

• 22:36Speaker 01

  No, no, because I was, I was being part of Chivas. It's like you made the transfer, but you can play three months later, right? Something like that. And after the World Cup.

• 22:44Lewis Howes?

  So this was announced, people knew you were gonna go to Man U, it was like a big deal. And then the World Cup happens and you're twenty two. What happens in that World Cup?

• 22:53Speaker 01

  My change, my life changed completely. First of all, when they announced the Manchester United, when I came back to an airport in Mexico, it's been, until now, I cannot like, yeah. Going back to Mexico or I use a hat and now with the COVID mask, glasses, or things like that, I cannot come back. My life changed when I was twenty one, literally was like, I cannot like, I get used to, okay, let me, how I'm gonna handle it because I cannot go to airports. I know because I don't want to be with the people, it's the other way around, it's about security. I, it's gonna take me two, three hours to be out there, then security or things like that, I know in that time. So then I played the World Cup, the World Cup was fine for me. And then I go, I go to Manchester.

• 23:36Lewis Howes?

  You scored some goals in the World Cup?

• 23:38Speaker 01

  I scored, I scored two goals in the World Cup. The narrative was very good that I should have been playing more, it was very positive, etc. And then I go to Manchester. And when I get to Manchester, I start.

• 23:50Speaker 01

  Like seeing and learning that life is like everyone doesn't see the life that you see, right? Why, I'm gonna explain to you. Because in my eyes, in my feelings and in my brains, I don't understand still people when there's one guy being in the top of the top of the top. And regardless if you like him or not, that you feel proud that a Mexican is there. I don't understand. I I have I don't, Louis, and it's not in my core. Like if I see another guy doing great, I never feel threatened or less or whatever. It's the other way around. It's like, I want to learn. It's like, oh, what he's doing that, he's making him great.

• 24:35Speaker 01

  And it's like he's or she's in their own path, let me learn. So that was when I was realizing like, man, I know things probably cannot go in the most successful way in the beginning, right? Because I need to get used to it. I need to play more. I didn't play as much in the first six months. But I was reading and seeing people speaking like, yeah, look, he doesn't deserve to be this Mexican people. And things like, yeah, he will never.

• 24:59Lewis Howes?

  People bringing you down.

• 25:00Speaker 01

  He will never play there. And honestly, I was speaking with my family and it was like, how?

• 25:06Lewis Howes?

  Why is this happening? They weren't celebrating you.

• 25:08Speaker 01

  Exactly. And those supposed to be the people that I would love to feel the the lifting up, the support of like, no matter what, like we we support you, you will play like, like be more positive in that sense, right? So I start learning of like, oh, this thing of like, nothing's gonna be enough and everyone has their own their own opinion. And you need to deal with that.

• 25:32Lewis Howes?

  Did they want you to be successful on the Mexican national team but not leave? Is that part of it?

• 25:37Speaker 01

  No, the thing is.

• 25:38Lewis Howes?

  Be successful and help the country, but then if you go somewhere else, it's you're too good for us?

• 25:41Speaker 01

  The thing was that the like. I believe that the thing was that a lot of people. I think there's a lot of people that they don't feel so secure and so happy with their lives that they use. Because they are not happy with their lives and they are not eh peace. Of course, they feel and they see lagness, so they want to see that in in front of me. So imagine a Mexican, twenty-two years old, playing Manchester United. And the only thing that they could be seeing is like, he's sitting on the bench. That's the only thing that we're talking about. Oh wow. In the beginning, right? Sure. He cannot play. And things like that, so they, instead of of seeing the the glass half full, they were seeing the glass half empty.

• 26:20Speaker 01

  But not because it was half empty, it's because now we realize that people, when people speak about you, they're speaking more about themselves. Than yourself, right? So but that, but it was very, it was very, yeah, it was difficult, man, because at twenty-two years old. You don't know how to handle this stuff. Everyone is speaking about you in that moment, because of course eh you are in Manchester United. There's a lot of people that they want you to be good and be successful and make the country proud and etcetera. But then the narrative, a lot of other, like the media and all kinds of stuff, start learning that the narrative, if I go against him, for example. We're gonna create the narrative of the, I hate him or I love him.

• 27:02Speaker 01

  And in my country, because of the soap operas, people love that. People love to see a hero or a villain, they love extremes. So that narrative for some media, what they say, okay, let's, let's just, for example, in a in a sport program, there are four people. Two needs to go in favor of Chicharito, two goes to against. Just a battle. We have a ma- an amazing battle, we create ratings and everything goes up. So that conversation starts to polarize in my country. And I understand, I said, now, in my experience right now, for example, Louis, I can say, like, that's something that in my country I would love to change. Because there are people that probably you don't like what they do or how they do things.

• 27:46Speaker 01

  But that doesn't mean that they're doing the things wrong.

• 27:51Speaker 01

  If you don't like something, it doesn't mean that they have a bad taste. Or it's not great.

• 27:58Speaker 01

  You can be. Like you cannot like something that is great and it's fine. For example, if you give me, for example, a real example. Beatles or Queen, a music. Queen hundred percent. And the Beatle people are gonna be, the Beatles are gonna be like. And I understand and I can admire and say. Amazing music, it's not for me. But I'm not gonna be saying nah, they're terrible, nah, look then. You see the difference, so that narrative with sports man. I mean, Marta as well knows that as well, right? She's as well, one of the most famous actresses in her country. It's like, why, why like discredit people just because?

• 28:43Speaker 01

  Probably you don't like it, it's fine to don't like, don't like me. But that doesn't take the fact that in the, in the, in the story of my life, I'm in Manchester, man. I'm the first and so far, the only Mexican player that I, that have been playing in the Manchester United history. And I'm the only Mexican player that have won, won Premier League and I won two. And I'm, and I'm the only Mexican. This is something very, that I feel very proud and we can talk about it. I'm the only Mexican player that was a Sir Alex Ferguson player. The only one in history because he's retired.

• 29:18Lewis Howes?

  No Mexican ever played for him before.

• 29:19Speaker 01

  For him.

• 29:20Lewis Howes?

  You were the first one?

• 29:21Speaker 01

  First and last.

• 29:22Lewis Howes?

  Come on.

• 29:23Speaker 01

  Sir Alex Ferguson, that for me is the best of the whole history of managers, you know, and coaches. So imagine that. Wow, Luis.

• 29:33Lewis Howes?

  What was, what was the, the biggest lesson that he taught you?

• 29:37Speaker 01

  Oof.

• 29:37Lewis Howes?

  That manager.

• 29:37Speaker 01

  Oof. We, first, I'm gonna tell you the most important one that, that was without words.

• 29:47Speaker 01

  In my, imagine in my twenty-two years of life in Mexico.

• 29:53Speaker 01

  Not any manager or coach treat my family like Sir Alex Ferguson did. Wow, really? Brother, we are right. The Mexican family? Like, like managers, and I'm not criticizing them. What I'm saying is the way that Sir Alex Ferguson welcomed my family. Wow. Well, myself, obviously, but my family. Learning their names of my sister, my father and my mother. Invite us to a, to a lunch, but not a lunch. And he even said when he came to the lunch, in the first lunch that we, because I met him before, but then my family met and he invited us. He even said, we're not going to speak about football. We're going to speak about yourself and yours.

• 30:38Speaker 01

  Explain to me, I want to know about you. Wow. Sir Alex Ferguson, man, coming from Mexico, Sir Alex Ferguson. He's like a legend of God, yeah. Doing that, like, making yourself like you're human, like, of course, he's good at what he does, but he's still a human, like us. In some areas, of course, he's greater than, than another people, but we're still, we're still humans, man, we're still human, we're still people. So that lesson. And then, the other one that I'm going to take with me forever, because it's, it's not even a lesson, but it's something that, it brought me so much peace and as well a show,

• 31:21Speaker 01

  like, he showed us well that, that humbleness he was. He said to me, when he retires, he brought me into his office to speak with me, you know? And I thought he was like, okay, I don't know what he's going to say. He's going to retire and the next season. It was like he retired like three, three months before the end of the season. So he was like, I thought he was speaking with the, with the players to say goodbye, etc. Right, right. So he invited me and I went to his office and we started talking. And he said like, small talk and everything and appreciated, back and forth. And then in the end, he said, look, and I want to finish this meeting, something that I want to tell you. There's been only in my whole career, four players.

• 32:01Speaker 01

  That I regret, I didn't give them more time in my time because you deserve it. And I took the decisions that I took already, I'm not regretting them. Because I thought it was the best for the team, always. But those four players, he mentioned the other three, you are in that category. Four players, that I would have loved to give you more time because you deserve it. And because of the way that you are, in the way that you work, and the love that you have for this club. And I want to say that I'm sorry that you didn't get that time. Imagine Luis.

• 32:33Lewis Howes?

  How old were you now?

• 32:34Speaker 01

  In that time, I was twenty-six.

• 32:37Lewis Howes?

  Wow, so four years.

• 32:39Speaker 01

  Twenty, no, twenty-five.

• 32:40Lewis Howes?

  Three years into the year, wow.

• 32:43Speaker 01

  Those lessons, man. And then, of course, the way that he treats, the way that he managed humans. He knew if Luis needs probably a little bit of like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna ignore you. You don't need to talk, there's others that they need to have a battle or something like that. There are others that you need to a little bit be more, more hard on them. But he knew how to manage twenty-five, but for that, he needs to know people. And, and focus on people, not only in the sport, of course, he knew about the sport. But how I'm gonna take, he knew that the most important part, a part of tactics and the sport is how I'm gonna take the best out of my players.

• 33:25Speaker 01

  And that's why he stayed for twenty-six or twenty-eight years being the manager. Changing players and changing coaching stuff too through that time and keep winning.

• 33:39Lewis Howes?

  Wow, it's crazy.

• 33:39Speaker 01

  Keep winning, it's insane, it's insane.

• 33:42Lewis Howes?

  I'm curious, when you scored your first goal with Man U, after being in Mexico the whole time, transferring from Mexico right to Man U, what, did you believe that you were meant to be there with those players and in that league? Did you feel like, I'm just as good as everyone here, I deserve to be here? Or did you doubt yourself? And how did that first goal feel?

• 34:09Speaker 01

  Look, Luis, eh, right now, I can be completely sure that in that time when I was a kid, because I said I was a kid because I was twenty, like mentally and emotionally, I was twenty-two. I was already becoming a man. But I mean, like emotionally and mentally, I'm learning a lot about emotions. My, a lot of stuff, it was.

• 34:31Speaker 01

  I don't want to look bad, at least.

• 34:33Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, don't mess up.

• 34:35Speaker 01

  Right, the don't mess up, at least. But right now, I learn and it comes now from a different place, obviously. But in that time was like, don't mess it up, right? So that, that don't mess it up helped me to be aware of, of how I'm not gonna mess it up. If you don't know what's messing it up with what,

• 34:57Lewis Howes?

  Right, right.

• 34:57Speaker 01

  you need to be very aware. So that gave me an advantage of like be more aware about my teammates, about what they do, what I have to do, what probably I shouldn't be doing. And then in the field, I'm a constant observer of what other people are doing great. And if it goes with me, I want to learn it. If it doesn't go with me, that type of, of decisions, I, I don't take it, since I was a kid, because of my family. So that's why I was like, I don't, I don't want to, to like, look bad, first of all. And then that goal came in Wembley. Uh, that it was even a funny one because I, I, the ball was a little behind. I slept, I shoot, but then the ball goes, I shoot it, but the ball goes to my face.

• 35:42Lewis Howes?

  And then it goes in.

• 35:43Speaker 01

  It was a peculiar goal.

• 35:45Lewis Howes?

  Hey, it went in though, it's like, go.

• 35:47Speaker 01

  It even makes, like, they impact more people because it was funny.

• 35:51Lewis Howes?

  Right, it wasn't like a clean strike.

• 35:52Speaker 01

  It's the one of the transfers. First goal in Wembley, playing a competition. He scores, they won, and how he scores, right?

• 35:59Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 36:00Speaker 01

  Crazy. So after that goal, eh, yeah, I was like, yeah, I meant to be here. And then something of like, I can, of course I can, I can. And something as well that I always been thriving, it's, I can and I will. That's something that, yeah, my father, and my family and myself always speak about it, even with, with the love languages and the way that you speak with yourself. It's like, it's different that you can, but you can speak and say, I will. It's more brave to say, I will. And then if you didn't make it, be humble enough to say, I didn't make it.

• 36:36Lewis Howes?

  Didn't make it, yeah.

• 36:36Speaker 01

  It's fine.

• 36:37Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 36:37Speaker 01

  It's fine.

• 36:38Lewis Howes?

  Yeah. So, this is amazing. I love hearing the mindset and the story behind this. And you mentioned early on that your family always kept humility within you, right? They focused on celebrate you, but also talk about what you can do to get better. When did you feel the most humbled in your career and also personally in your life?

• 37:00Lewis Howes?

  Was there a game, or a season, or an experience, or something in your career that truly humbled you? And in your life, when did you feel the most humbled?

• 37:10Speaker 01

  I'm gonna take back the story way more, because I'm gonna explain you this type of humbleness that a lot of people don't know, because I think most people are used to when you speak about humbleness, that there's like a success, so you don't levitate, right? So you take down. For me, it was the other way around, always. It's not, I never, even though, I don't want to say never, of course we'll have moments that you feel a little bit hyped and different, obviously, we are humans. But my humbleness always was about self-confidence, it was the other way around.

• 37:46Lewis Howes?

  Did you have self-confidence?

• 37:47Speaker 01

  I didn't have that much, that was, that's why, that's why the humbleness, because in my opinion, humbleness is not only about feel, don't feel more, as well as don't feel less. And in my life, it's not being about feeling more, ever, it's the other way around, don't feel less. That's the humbleness, that was the lesson that I'm gonna tell you right now, those moments of my life, that it was incredible.

• 38:12Speaker 01

  The story about the World Cup and everything, then, of course, I got my debut, and in my debut, I scored a goal, right? And it was amazing, but then, but then, since I got my debut, we went champions in that time, everything. But since my debut, just to put like a time lapse, two years, Lewis, were one of the toughest two years in my life, because then after that, I didn't play as much as I want. I had so many difficult and unpleasant, unpleasant experiences about not being, for example, telling you, you're not gonna come even in the bench, you need to travel now in a bus, six hours with the second-team division, but from one day to another, back, like, stuff.

• 38:50Lewis Howes?

  With me and you?

• 38:51Speaker 01

  No, no, no, no, with Chivas still.

• 38:53Lewis Howes?

  Oh, got you, got you.

• 38:53Speaker 01

  This is before everything, before everything. This is even after the World Cup of the under-20s in Mexico. So, but the humble part comes here, again. I was with my mother at that time, my father was traveling because of the managing work, right? So, one time...

• 39:16Speaker 01

  I'm supposed to travel with the first team. And in that moment, when you knew, for example, it was the locker room. You know, you are twenty to thirty players in the locker room. First division locker room, okay. But then, one day before every match, if in your place you have a piece of paper, it means you are called up for the game. You are involved, you are in the squad for that game. If you don't have the sheet, you need to go and ask the second assistant, "What's gonna happen with me? Do you want me to, like, train tomorrow? Or you go and play with the other team? Or you have the soft or whatever, right? Okay." So that one is like, I saw my sheet over there. So in those moments, it was like tiny victories for me. Of course, it's like the step of the ladder. You know, you need to be involved in the club.

• 40:00Speaker 01

  Then if you come in, make an impact, and then, of course. Okay, then the next day, I come with my bag and everything. And then I was changing, and they told me, "Hey, the manager needs to speak with you." And okay, I go. So I go, and I was even thrilled over, "Oh, he's gonna speak with me, probably. Something will change." The other way around, he told me, "Look, Javier, we did a mistake. My assistant," I said, "whatever. You shouldn't supposed to have this sheet. And so, and the thing is, you need to go to your house. The problem is, the second team already traveled, so you're not gonna play that weekend. So tomorrow, I want you to come and train by yourself with the fitness coach over there, obviously. But yeah, right now, we don't need you to train here, so if you wanted to go home, like, go home."

• 40:47Speaker 01

  In that time, it was like, wow, okay. And the humble part comes here. Because then my mother picked me up, we have chats and stuff, and we were in the laundry room in my house, because I remember. And the humbleness, that I felt the most humble, was, again, my mother told me, "Son, I've been talking with your father. I've been talking with a lot of people about, like..." Because, of course, we can have doubts that if you are not good enough, we want to see it. Because as well, that's like, that could be a gift for you too, you know, to be in time to pivot, you know?

• 41:22Speaker 01

  With all the objectiveness, you are good enough. Your parent, like your father, sorry, will tell you.

• 41:30Lewis Howes?

  Right, if he doesn't think you're good enough.

• 41:32Speaker 01

  I will tell you, I've seen so much games, I'll tell you. So do that.

• 41:38Speaker 01

  And now I want you, son. From now on, he said, I'm over, and she said, from now on, no expectations. I don't know what you need to do, what you have to do, I'm gonna be here to help you.

• 41:53Speaker 01

  Play for the love of the game, don't forget the love of the game. Don't keep trying to achieve. Love the game.

• 42:01Speaker 01

  Love the game, go back and train. Like if you're already playing for division, if you're the key player of that team, play like that, train like that. Feel like that, I don't know how, it's difficult. And again, you need to trust, son, in things that, things that we cannot see, things that are not tangible, you need to keep trusting. And she asked me again, you want to be a soccer player, like a professional soccer player right now? And I was like, of course, yes, mom, of course, right? So you need to do that. So the whole of this, kind of like she telling me,

• 42:29Speaker 01

  find self-confidence in these moments. Because when you score goals, it's nice, it's better, it's easier. But in those moments, where you are again going through pain, through those ideas that you need to break, because of course your ego is telling you, you are not worth enough, you deserve this, blah, blah, blah, etcetera, stop. So that moment was a breakthrough, because that moment start slowly, slowly, putting in practice what my mom told me, right? And it's like, do it for the passion and love, go and enjoy it. Don't enjoy, they tell you, you're going to the bench. Oh, like don't get the out, don't give the power to the outcome.

• 43:10Speaker 01

  Give the power of the love of the game and giving everything, son. You know deep inside, if you are retraining, give everything or not.

• 43:20Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 43:21Speaker 01

  Things can come your way or not, but if you keep giving everything. You are, like she said, she always said this, you are investing, you are investing. If you give everything, no matter the outcome, you can have bad trainings or good trainings, but you keep giving everything, and she said it in this way, if you keep giving your heart, putting your heart into every training, you are investing. And that was one of the most humble moments, Louis, because I could, I, I felt, I swear, I felt, I don't even know how I did it, because I was, I trust so much in, in my family, in them, and they were like a mirror for me that I had to trust to myself, the things start just, start like working out, working out, I start playing more, I start playing more, I start playing,

• 44:03Speaker 01

  and then the story that we, that we already know, so that was the moment.

• 44:07Lewis Howes?

  Wow, man.

• 44:07Speaker 01

  In that laundry room, I, it's gonna stick forever in my life, because it was, it was the other way around, that's why I told you, of the humbleness, it wasn't that I scored three goals and my mother tried to, hey, come on, come on, hey, let's see, put your feet in the ground, and stuff like that.

• 44:19Lewis Howes?

  When you were failing, she was building you up.

• 44:21Speaker 01

  Yes, and I think, thankfully, I've been failing so much, and I didn't avoid the failing, the, the, the failing and the feelings.

• 44:38Lewis Howes?

  The feelings.

• 44:39Speaker 01

  The feelings that come with the failing, the, like, the consequences of that were that I was able to grow, and then to live the experiences that I had.

• 44:47Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, because you felt the pain, you felt the sadness, and then it, it made you focused and continue to have a good attitude, and the world makes room for passionate people. If you show up passionate with your heart to something every day of practice, it becomes undeniable how valuable you are to a situation, or a team, or a relationship.

• 45:04Speaker 01

  Yep.

• 45:05Lewis Howes?

  So if you just show up with passion and a good attitude, if you've got the talent, people recognize it.

• 45:11Speaker 01

  For sure.

• 45:11Lewis Howes?

  You'll have an opportunity.

• 45:12Speaker 01

  For sure, for sure, and I was, yeah, I was, I'm still, you know, you saw me the other day, it's, I'm so passionate for this sport.

• 45:21Lewis Howes?

  You are passionate.

• 45:22Speaker 01

  I love it, I love it.

• 45:23Lewis Howes?

  That's good, man. Yeah, it's fun, man.

• 45:25Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 45:26Lewis Howes?

  I'm curious, um, speaking about just soccer with Mexico, what is one thing you wish?

• 45:36Lewis Howes?

  The country of Mexico really knew about you. Because they know about all the goals you scored and the World Cups and the Premier League Championships and your father and grandfather, they know that Chicharito, but what do you wish they knew about Javier?

• 45:51Speaker 01

  Look, Luis, I'm a believer, and I think you too, about that everything happens for a reason, and they need it to happen in that way, right, in our paths. But as well, I will say, like, in the past, five years, let's say, more or less, five to six years, they are knowing parts of Javier that I didn't show in the past. Not because I was hiding them, it was because I was believing to some of the noise of telling me how I should behave, that I'm still, but what people don't know is I'm still behaving in that way, but I am a human being.

• 46:34Speaker 01

  I'm starting embracing Javier. So if Javier as a human make a mistake in something, he's a human. If Javier or Chicharito don't score a goal, his value is still the same as a human being. In the business, of course, he's probably doing good or not good, consequences will happen, but I am still a human being. The worth of a human being doesn't count how much goals I score, how much money I earn, or how many photographs I could say, or how many autographs I can sign. That's not the value of a human being, right? So that's something that I'm doing now. So, to answer your question, could it be like showing, be more authentic and more vulnerable earlier, probably?

• 47:18Speaker 01

  And yeah, I think that will be it, but I'm doing it now, right?

• 47:23Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, you're doing it now, yeah, sure.

• 47:25Speaker 01

  So yeah, I'm trying to keep it up, you know?

• 47:27Lewis Howes?

  That's given. What do you wish the Mexican people knew about you that they don't know? You talked about, you know, you're a human being, and yes, you know, your worth is not determined by how successful and how many goals you have and these things. And your being more authentic and opening up in general, but what is it you wish they really knew about you?

• 47:54Speaker 01

  I'm gonna say it again, please, because I don't think people...

• 48:01Speaker 01

  Whatever I can say, whatever I can do, whatever mistake I did, whatever accomplishment I did, whatever interview, whatever word, whatever action, whatever it is, it never, ever, ever, and I could say I never that, even though I'm not perfect and I did it like I said when I was a kid, but I never felt that I have more value, more value or less value than another human being, brother. I swear on my kids' life, ever. If I did the mistakes, it's because I did the mistakes, I'm a human being. If I achieve stuff, I achieve stuff because it's not that I'm better, I'm doing different things, I'm in a good way to achieve that.

• 48:46Speaker 01

  But that achievement doesn't make me go into bed and say, "Oh, I'm better than Lewis," or "I'm better than..." Because the only... I don't know how to call it, but, let's see, the only person in the world that I wanna beat is my ego.

• 49:08Lewis Howes?

  Hmm, really?

• 49:09Speaker 01

  Of course, my ego is telling me, ego is the challenge, I believe, ego is something that I learned. The ego is like a, is like your rival in a very cool way. So every night I'm trying, like, say, I give everything, I put my heart on it, and I think, "We have a good battle ego," in a good way, when it's very positive. And some others, you know, those days that are very frustrating them, and then you're probably like, "Okay, you won, no, just today, not tomorrow." So things like that, so that's something that I will love, them to believe in the core, that the...

• 49:45Speaker 01

  I love to share, you know me, Louis, from one month ago. I love to share and my sharedness doesn't come with being, how you say, pretentious? Or because I want to share it. It's so much love to tell the people that I love. I experienced this, like, and if you learn from it, I feel even like, like, share my path. And whatever, whatever, any, like, whoever wants to take even a small piece or nothing. My sharing with the most love, it's, it's something that makes me, like, makes me feel so much peace. So much peace.

• 50:27Speaker 01

  Because for me, it's like, oh, I learned something, I want to share it. And if that new skill, that experience, like, the fun and the joy that I experienced, I want people to experience. So the only way that I want, I want to share it. So sometimes with this passion, as you can see, right? I can understand when people can misunderstand that could, could look like a little bit present to us or a little bit like, oh, showing off. I can understand, but I swear it doesn't come from there. It comes from a pure love of like, like, let me share you, you know, like, I came to school of greatness, man. It's like I want to share it with my guys, not to, you know, not to make the, it's the other way around, it's like.

• 51:10Speaker 01

  Because as well, something that we talk about of, of, of, of air is, and you know this, oh. I'm a believer that if I can, anyone can, in that sense. I don't, I don't believe that I have something different, or I'm special than anyone. The only thing is I learned to be brave. And I think bravery, every one of us can be brave. I don't think there's no, unless, of course, we know that there are people that probably they're diagnosed with some situations, you know, that stuff. But if, if you are completely healthy in that sense, we all can be brave.

• 51:51Speaker 01

  Brave is not a quality that I have special, no, it's something that I'm doing, that I hope a lot of people could do. The bravery of feel the pain.

• 52:01Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, man.

• 52:02Speaker 01

  Feel the pain.

• 52:03Lewis Howes?

  Now, I'm curious about, um.

• 52:07Lewis Howes?

  The difference between the mindset of a champion and someone who never wins a championship. You've been a champion many times. You've played against champions where you weren't the champion. You didn't win, but you played against other champions. You've won championships. But you have a mindset of a champion. What is the difference that you've seen of all the other champions out there and those that never win a championship? Or just never get the opportunity to because their mindset's not there? What's the difference between that?

• 52:40Speaker 01

  Wow, very interesting subject, Louis, because I think...

• 52:49Lewis Howes?

  Is it?

• 52:49Speaker 01

  No, no, because I'm trying to put it in these ways more tangible in a way, like more of a process, because I agree with you. The thing is, look, I think if you, first of all, in my point of view, because that's what I live, is the passion about it. Honestly, if it doesn't make you feel scared while you are dreaming, in my point of view, you could do it good enough.

• 53:17Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 53:17Speaker 01

  But to get champion, to be a champion, because it's good, because the passion and the love, you know what love is. Love sometimes, and most of the times, sorry, is not only love. Love is accept some stuff, let go some other. You know, feel unpleasant moments. So I think after the passion, it's if you deeply, deeply enough with your consciousness and your inside work, don't feel that it's tough emotionally, it's tough mentally, and it's tough physically. Have you maintained that?

• 54:03Speaker 01

  That's the thing, the road to the championship, I think, it shouldn't be pleasant.

• 54:08Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 54:09Speaker 01

  It shouldn't be fulfill, you shouldn't find the joy. But it's not pleasant, it shouldn't be suffering either, don't get me wrong, it's not about suffering. Don't go to those extremes. But it should be hard, most of the time. Hard even of like, I want to go and have a dinner and, and this fear of missing out, you know? That kind of stuff, probably don't having the, some relationships with people because they can drag you down. Or at least they're not letting you space for energy to just shine. Because you are not available, because of course it's very demanding, man. It is.

• 54:51Lewis Howes?

  So we're one champion.

• 54:52Speaker 01

  It is, I always said it, that I, I gave my youth and like my adolescence, my puberty and a lot of things to the sport. Like I didn't leave them, I didn't go to too much parties when I was twenty, twenty-one. I didn't know how to engage women because I didn't have the practice, right? I didn't, I didn't have social skills because I was so.

• 55:19Lewis Howes?

  Focused, yeah.

• 55:20Speaker 01

  Man, yeah, so I think, in my opinion, that could be a difference, it's the process, man, it's a process. And, don't get me wrong, and I learned this from, from, from Canelo Alvarez, that I talked with him the other day. And he, and I think he was right, I never look at it. Apart of all of that, if you are not completely critique with yourself. And you don't, and if you don't see talent and you're objective with yourself, you don't see talent, don't expect greatness.

• 55:50Lewis Howes?

  Right, right.

• 55:51Speaker 01

  Talent is a part of it, even if it's a small amount, but you need to have talent for some.

• 55:54Lewis Howes?

  You have some talent, yeah, yeah.

• 55:55Speaker 01

  Some, as well, apart of all that structure, as well, you need to have the talent to be a champion.

• 56:02Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 56:02Speaker 01

  So.

• 56:03Lewis Howes?

  Love that.

• 56:03Speaker 01

  I think that's it, and I want, I want to keep mentioning it because that's a word that is like a mantra for me and that's something that I want to say, and be brave, man.

• 56:11Lewis Howes?

  Be brave, yeah.

• 56:12Speaker 01

  And the bravery, people think it's just the bravery to try to live the good experiences, no? Be brave to be in the stage, right? Be brave to do, yes, that bravery I'm talking about. The other bravery is like, ooh, heal yourself.

• 56:25Speaker 01

  That requires bravery. Embrace uncertainty.

• 56:30Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 56:31Speaker 01

  It requires a lot of bravery. Miss people, love people in ways that probably are not the ways that you want. Like, they're not here. Like, my grandfather is not here. How I'm loving and I feel love to him, the relationship that I have with a person that is not in this world, in this like simulation. How like be brave with those small battles daily?

• 56:55Speaker 01

  I don't think you, I don't think you get to be a champion. I think you need to become a champion since day one. And be, and, and prepare, work, give, pay prices, sacrifice, since day one.

• 57:12Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 57:12Speaker 01

  Just to put it like that, not since one, but like since day one, like.

• 57:15Lewis Howes?

  What's, what's the biggest price you've paid to becoming a champion?

• 57:22Speaker 01

  Oof, sorry.

• 57:24Lewis Howes?

  It's all good, man.

• 57:36Speaker 01

  I did a tattoo here with my sister. That is just, of course, is just with my sister, but it requires the biggest price. It says, no matter where, with her hand script. It's, don't be like, don't spend that much time with the people that I love.

• 57:57Lewis Howes?

  Don't spend, that you didn't spend that much time?

• 57:59Speaker 01

  Yeah, I cannot spend that much time with people I love because,

• 58:05Speaker 01

  because a part of my passion, my purpose.

• 58:11Speaker 01

  Eh, yeah, since I was, for example, since I moved when I was twenty-one, twenty-two years old, it was eh, my grandparents, I didn't spend that much time with my grandparents, even though they travel and stuff. I didn't spend in that time, for example, with relationships, with friendships. Friendships like went away because, yeah, time, we don't spend time, you don't procure them, even love relationships, so they, and don't get me wrong, it wasn't because, more of because I don't want to be alone, it's not even like that, solitude, and even now, more than ever, I embrace it. But it's, it's a price to pay, obviously, that you feel, you, of course, you want to be with the people that you love. And now, I.

• 58:52Speaker 01

  I broke up like this because regardless that it's not something that I decide and I didn't like I didn't want to be like this, it just happened for different things that I'm not gonna enter in that very small details. I'm not spending that much time that I would love to with my kids right now. It's getting there, it's getting better and I will spend that time. But, and I'm not saying that I'm choosing championship because of my brother than my kids, it's not that way. But, because even how everything happens right now, it's

• 59:28Speaker 01

  I'm choosing my growth, be a champion. Feel a little bit of pain, missing them. But I know that far away and when they grow,

• 59:41Speaker 01

  this fulfillment, that's something that I want them to learn about their father. I want them, because what I want from them, I'm, it's, I want them to be the best version of themselves. They want to learn, to grow, to feel all that love. And the only thing that I want is I'm gonna love them forever, but I want them to be competent and efficient. So, they can enjoy this life because it's their own life.

• 1:00:09Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:00:09Speaker 01

  So, and I want them to feel this energy of their father, a better version of himself. And right now, look all of this, you know, and technology is gonna help in that sense. But this is one of the prices that I'm paying right now to become even a champion this season, you know, not being that close with them, even though they're gonna come in four weeks, they're gonna stay here and I wanna spend time with them. Because I don't want them to be mistaken that it's not coming this of like I choose my career, my kids, it's not like that. It's the other way around. I did everything so my kids could be closer and things out of my control.

• 1:00:46Lewis Howes?

  Sure, sure, sure.

• 1:00:47Speaker 01

  That I want to speak about it, it's like, it happened and again.

• 1:00:53Speaker 01

  I've been more brave

• 1:00:56Speaker 01

  to

• 1:00:58Speaker 01

  accept some consequences and leave this type of stuff to grow.

• 1:01:03Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:01:03Speaker 01

  And like I told you, to experience all of this, to be stronger with the purpose that deep enough, I believe that my kids are gonna be proud of the father that they have. Know about the success and achievement.

• 1:01:17Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 1:01:18Speaker 01

  About the fulfillment, that that energy, that frequency that I want to maintain every day, so I can transfer that to them.

• 1:01:26Lewis Howes?

  This is a really interesting concept because

• 1:01:30Lewis Howes?

  I'm assuming people watching or listening might have a judgment here.

• 1:01:34Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:01:34Lewis Howes?

  But for me, there's this idea of creating fulfillment within your life's purpose and being a champion of your life. Whether that's being a champion on the soccer field or not is choosing to be having the most fulfilled version of your life. To me, that's a champion as well, even if you don't win the championship.

• 1:01:57Lewis Howes?

  And you're in an interesting situation because your kids are in another country right now. And I'm assuming that there are some people that might criticize you and say, well, you're playing soccer, a game that you've already succeeded so well at. Why not just be in the same country as your kids right at this time, for the six months or this year, whatever it is. But what I'm, what I love hearing you say is you're choosing to have a full, rich life. And there is a sacrifice to that, you know, right now because of the situation.

• 1:02:25Speaker 01

  It's just right now.

• 1:02:26Lewis Howes?

  The logistics of the situation. But it's not the rest of your life.

• 1:02:29Speaker 01

  Exactly. It's just right now. And I did I did everything for them to stay here.

• 1:02:37Lewis Howes?

  In L.A.

• 1:02:38Speaker 01

  I did everything.

• 1:02:39Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:02:39Speaker 01

  So I can, of course, have both. And I don't I don't think it's a bad life living in L.A. and growing over here. But there were situations that I cannot talk about it, that it, they were out of my control. But I did everything. Everything economically, everything in a way of like, I want to, I want them to stay close. And I think we both can be here and be have a successful and fulfillment life, not successful, fulfillment life and our kids as well, right? But it didn't happen. So at that time, when it didn't happen.

• 1:03:15Lewis Howes?

  How do you make the decision then to stick with your career about this joy and this love that you have for one thing and not have both together? How do you make that decision personally?

• 1:03:31Speaker 01

  Look.

• 1:03:32Lewis Howes?

  Because I think it's a tough situation.

• 1:03:33Speaker 01

  It's a very tough, because I'm gonna explain you, I'm gonna tell you like this. It's, first of all, I compromise with an organization that is like a galaxy. I give my word, first of all.

• 1:03:51Speaker 01

  Secondly, I did the best as I could. I did everything that I knew at that time, that I didn't knew. And I act very nice and very loving. And it didn't happen, the outcome. And if you can see it, something that I take it and I interpret it like this, the stories that I've been telling you, if you see it, it's about patience, right?

• 1:04:18Lewis Howes?

  Trust, bravery, man.

• 1:04:22Speaker 01

  I think, no, it's not that I think, I know.

• 1:04:32Speaker 01

  My kids and I, we're gonna have an amazing relationship. We're gonna heal whatever we both need to heal ourselves.

• 1:04:39Speaker 01

  And I'm gonna be one of the best influences, like we are very positive influence for them because they will notice, they will feel, and they will learn about fulfillment.

• 1:04:55Speaker 01

  From me, and it's taken me this, because like you said, the champion is like that. My championship is not only the lifting the trophy, lifting the trophy is the consequence of all of this.

• 1:05:04Lewis Howes?

  Of the fulfillment, of living your purpose, of living your passion, of like going after what you want as well.

• 1:05:09Speaker 01

  Heal whatever I need to heal, enjoy whatever I need to enjoy, experience whatever I need to experience, but I know.

• 1:05:21Speaker 01

  Look, it's like this, and it's not even a complaint, it's just an example because it happened. There were moments with my father. Even though they're still together, my parents, I didn't see him that much because of his job. So it's just about the perspective, I think that life wants to put sometimes, right? They're gonna come, like, everything is gonna be figured out. The message here, I hope, is not stay just in the easiness of judge. Things that you can judge, if you can understand, if you can see it and feel it here.

• 1:05:56Speaker 01

  That, those decisions.

• 1:06:01Speaker 01

  That, we're talking about my decision about my kids, but in every aspect of anyone's life, in every different concept.

• 1:06:12Speaker 01

  That's when the universe is telling you, do you really? You're attracting everything. What if this is the prize that you need to play more attraction? And how I realized that, about the gut feeling and about... That is not the pleasant one. The most pleasant one was, of course, being touching my kids every single morning and every single day, day and every single night. Decision needed to be made by both of us because we needed to split and then things happen and then we are like we are right now. And instead of staying as a victim and complain, be bitter.

• 1:06:51Speaker 01

  I love them, I decide to love. I have another tattoo here that says in Spanish, "Love is my superpower."

• 1:06:57Lewis Howes?

  Oh, that's beautiful. How do you say that?

• 1:06:59Speaker 01

  Amar es mi superpoder.

• 1:07:01Lewis Howes?

  Oh, that's cool.

• 1:07:02Speaker 01

  So...

• 1:07:03Lewis Howes?

  It's beautiful, man.

• 1:07:04Speaker 01

  I choose to love, man.

• 1:07:06Lewis Howes?

  That's good.

• 1:07:06Speaker 01

  I choose to love and I choose the hard way that it's love. People think that love is nice and it feels easy, yes. It's like, that's why I, that's why I love love in that way. Because of course, and you are a pioneer about this, right? It's like, speaking about yourself in a very good way, healing your past.

• 1:07:26Speaker 01

  Accept yourself, know yourself with your shadow, right? With your things that are not incredible and you need to, you need to master yourself, right?

• 1:07:37Speaker 01

  And that's, I think, when love comes about, when it's not pleasant, but it's richful. It's joyful, joy. It's not happy, it's joy. It's like, oh, I know, I know that sometimes I do this. Oh, I know sometimes I can do, you know?

• 1:07:54Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 1:07:55Speaker 01

  But then, it's not only about learning, it's about that you master yourself, so you can control yourself. It's about power. But that's self-power.

• 1:08:05Speaker 01

  So that's why sometimes we are so inclined to take the decisions about the safetyness. And safetyness, people think safetyness is being, yes. And that's why the vulnerability is like a paradox, right? Because when you are vulnerable, you feel exposed that anyone could hurt you. Right now, thankfully, because of the times in our lives, to be vulnerable is telling you, man, doing this with you, crying and speaking about my kids, I'm doing. That's vulnerability. But then, don't take me wrong, you saw, you see me play. I could be a beast inside as well, I know. But that's the thing, we all are like that. It's how you master, and then you are responsible of it, right? So anyway, used to finish like that is,

• 1:08:48Speaker 01

  these two humans changed my life, Nala and Noah. You know Noah and Nala, my kids, I have the tattoos of them here.

• 1:08:55Lewis Howes?

  That's beautiful.

• 1:08:55Speaker 01

  And this, I hope people can see about this that,

• 1:09:01Speaker 01

  be a champion of your life requires a lot of bravery, a lot of decision-making, a lot of love, a lot of acceptance, a lot of vulnerability,

• 1:09:19Speaker 01

  and a lot of like embracing uncertainty, being certain.

• 1:09:25Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, oh man. The lessons your mom taught you, for sure, and your grandmother.

• 1:09:29Speaker 01

  Exactly.

• 1:09:30Lewis Howes?

  I'm curious about this topic of relationships, because I don't know, I know one other soccer player. I don't really know much about football, soccer. I played it growing up, but then I really didn't follow much, right? But I know it's massive around the world. I know it's, people are crazy. People are obsessive about the sport. I understand in Europe, it's like, that's all people watch. It's a matter of life and death and families. It's like the craziest thing, right?

• 1:09:56Lewis Howes?

  And from my observation, again, I follow a few players online.

• 1:10:02Lewis Howes?

  But it seems like there are some soccer players, footballers, who have great relationships. I see Messi with his wife and his kids and Ronaldo and a few players that I watch, right? And then it seems like other soccer players have horrible relationships. Now, relationships are challenging in general.

• 1:10:18Speaker 01

  Of course.

• 1:10:20Lewis Howes?

  It's hard for regular people, let alone people at the top of a, you know, a professional sport.

• 1:10:26Lewis Howes?

  Why do you think, do you think it's easier or harder to be in a healthy, quality relationship? When you are a driven man at the top of a sport? What's your thoughts on that? Easier or harder? Because I see Messi and Ronaldo, it seems like, it seems like they have a-

• 1:10:44Speaker 01

  It's an amazing subject, man.

• 1:10:45Lewis Howes?

  It seems like they have good relationships, but who knows? Behind the scenes, I have no idea. People can post something on social media. But you saw these guys every day, you know, for the last fifteen, twenty years. You've seen guys in multiple leagues all around the world. Some of them have great relationships, others don't. What, what is it take for a great athlete to also have a great relationship?

• 1:11:05Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 1:11:09Speaker 01

  I'm gonna, look, I think-

• 1:11:12Lewis Howes?

  And you don't have to say names of people, but just your experience.

• 1:11:14Speaker 01

  No, no, no, I don't need it, no, man, I don't need it. It's not that we're around, no, I don't need it, it's not even, no, no, no. I think, look.

• 1:11:22Speaker 01

  And like you said it, relationships are hard.

• 1:11:25Lewis Howes?

  Hard for average people.

• 1:11:26Speaker 01

  And we can, yeah, and you brought, and you brought a subject about like partnerships and like, and like that type, but even with the friendships and stuff, like relationships are key because imagine if it's difficult to know yourself, accept yourself, master yourself, and then find someone that is in the same time lapse, time lapses that are in your life, that you can have coincidences in time that I call it, you know, to, to walk together and stuff like that. It's very difficult, but, look, man, I think- Something that people don't realize, and I'm gonna speak about athletes in general. I don't know in USA because of the sports and because the system that they have that you can have college, have different like environments, you know, when you are young.

• 1:12:09Speaker 01

  Ninety-five, no, even ninety-eight percent of soccer players around the world comes from, from nothing, man. From even poverty, from eh, not even like, like, I'm gonna speak about my father. My father, like, my father was poor. One generation before me. Sometimes he, he, he needed to work, uh, when he was ten years old, to try to get some sense of, of, of, of a peso, to try to eat something, man. So I think it's just a matter of like, of course, of course, like, knowledge. Yeah. Knowledge, you know, you always try to do the best that you can, well, you know.

• 1:12:54Speaker 01

  How do you know exactly? That's why they have the word bravery, because when you are as brave, as brave as you are, normally you put yourself in, in situations or experiences and they're gonna give you knowledge. Yeah. Knowledge, right? So, I think nowadays, that's why I believe so much in, in, in you and these people that are being like pioneers, because, and I want to speak about it, it's like,

• 1:13:22Speaker 01

  sometimes people say, just man up. And I understand, there are moments that you need to man up. But if I show you vulnerability, it's not weakness, man. Because I'm showing you vulnerability. I'm not telling you that that vulnerability is controlling me, that's the difference. Like, what, what I'm feeling. I can show you that I'm sad, I can cry, that's not controlling me. I'm feeling it, that's one thing. And I show, I'm sharing it, that I'm human. So I think it's just a... I think relationships with soccer players, it comes about the backgrounds, man, it's difficult. Coming from my country, for example, even though that I wasn't in a rich family, because I wasn't, I was completely middle-class. Because my dad, even though he had a very good career, money-wise, it wasn't a brilliant career neither.

• 1:14:07Speaker 01

  Even though that he played constant, and in the teams that he played, etc., I was from a middle-class. So it's just about that. I mean, like I spoke, religious is very involved over there. The ways of the social, like, groups and culture that is in my country brings you like a lot of stereotypes, a lot of how you need to behave or not, exactly, a lot of machismo. But then as well, the other way around, as well, there are women that they just are, it's very, there are women that they're just looking to the surface as well.

• 1:14:40Lewis Howes?

  Right, that's true.

• 1:14:41Speaker 01

  Well, it's, man, to relationships, I always said it, to relationships, to breakup, even though that you can tell me that someone did something, both need to have responsibility.

• 1:14:51Lewis Howes?

  That's true.

• 1:14:52Speaker 01

  Both, man, to a project, a relationship project, if it doesn't work, both. You did your stuff, or you didn't do your stuff. You did your stuff, or you didn't do your stuff. You allow stuff to happen, you allow stuff to happen. Be responsible, be accountable, man. Accountability, because that's the other thing, the other way around, speaking. Like, normally, like you said it, what people hear, see, there's way more context about a lot of stuff. And the situation for a relationship is as much accountability we can have. Even in the breakups, could be in a more loving ways.

• 1:15:28Speaker 01

  Because we are used to, speaking of my country, about the fifty.

• 1:15:31Lewis Howes?

  The drama, the fighting, the...

• 1:15:32Speaker 01

  The soap opera, always. And, don't get me wrong, men do a lot of mistakes. And women do a lot of mistakes. We both want to learn about relationships, we both learn about relationships. And, for that, you need to know yourself, because you need to be completely honest. But that's the other thing, that I believe, that people are not brave enough, I'm gonna tell you as well. Brave enough to have communication, brave enough to say what you want, brave enough to accept that there are things that, you cannot have the perfect situations, that probably in a project that, okay, these things couldn't happen right now, because these other things are happening, you know, agreements, love, but...

• 1:16:09Speaker 01

  That's why I believe that you need to work in yourself. I believe when people don't agree about this, you be you work on yourself and you share it.

• 1:16:18Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, that's true.

• 1:16:19Speaker 01

  You share it.

• 1:16:20Lewis Howes?

  I'm curious, who of all the teammates that you've had, or all the people you've played against and you're aware of,

• 1:16:27Speaker 01

  Yeah, yeah.

• 1:16:28Lewis Howes?

  Which footballer, in your mind, had the best family? Like, the best relationships, the kids, like, they they they showed and it seemed like they had the best family relationships with their partner and their kids. That you're like, wow, they're really, you know, this is amazing, it's beautiful.

• 1:16:46Speaker 01

  A lot of people with, a lot, even even myself with my family, for example, the relationship that I still have, like, I think we all, and a lot of players, did, because I believe as well in something that is

• 1:17:00Speaker 01

  that is the gray areas, right? We're we're very teach of, we have some like guidelines about how relationships should be and and of course, and most of the people like to follow that guidelines and it worked for them, but there are others that they don't, or the small gray areas, they want to add something that is not common, or they want to take something out that is not common.

• 1:17:22Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 1:17:22Speaker 01

  So that's why I said that relationships are, and that's a beautiful, that's a beautiful, that's a beautiful part of relationships, and they're two human beings who try to get along.

• 1:17:30Lewis Howes?

  Trying to figure it out.

• 1:17:32Speaker 01

  Right, try to figure it out.

• 1:17:33Lewis Howes?

  Figure it out, man.

• 1:17:34Speaker 01

  Whatever you want to figure it out, if you want to get married, kids, not company, whatever it is. So that's why it's so beautiful.

• 1:17:41Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, it is.

• 1:17:42Speaker 01

  Because realistically, I think that the narrative should be like, learn from anyone, see whatever you want to see, take whatever you want to take, and don't take whatever you want to take.

• 1:17:53Lewis Howes?

  Yes.

• 1:17:54Speaker 01

  There's no better or worse relationships. You know why? Because we will never gonna know, like, I will never gonna know what relationship it is, or myself, even though that I can explain it to you, because you need to live it and feel it, and then, like, always happens, one person has one perspective, the other person has another perspective.

• 1:18:11Lewis Howes?

  Yes.

• 1:18:12Speaker 01

  And they're both right and true.

• 1:18:14Lewis Howes?

  It's true, from their perspective.

• 1:18:15Speaker 01

  Right, perspectives are, yeah, exactly, so a lot of people have a very good relationships with families, with kids, with partners, a lot, a lot, yeah.

• 1:18:24Lewis Howes?

  I'm gonna ask you some football questions.

• 1:18:28Lewis Howes?

  Best team you ever played for?

• 1:18:34Speaker 01

  Oh my god.

• 1:18:35Lewis Howes?

  You played a lot of great teams.

• 1:18:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, I'll say, I'll say, no, yeah, the teams, it's Manchester United and Real Madrid.

• 1:18:42Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:18:42Speaker 01

  I mean, there's no other team above them.

• 1:18:45Lewis Howes?

  Best game you ever had? That year, in your mind, it was your best game?

• 1:18:50Speaker 01

  Ooh.

• 1:18:51Lewis Howes?

  Maybe you didn't score the most goals, maybe you, but it was, ah, this was my best game I've ever played.

• 1:18:58Speaker 01

  Look, from one to 10, I'll say I played like a, like, like, and then, like qualification, right?

• 1:19:03Lewis Howes?

  Sure.

• 1:19:04Speaker 01

  Number nine, like, I, because I don't believe in the 10th.

• 1:19:06Lewis Howes?

  Sure, but your best.

• 1:19:07Speaker 01

  You say nine, it was like the best, but as well, there's the, the, the meaning of that game. The one that I played with Real Madrid and I scored the winning goal on quarterfinals to the Champions League, to go through to semifinals of Champions League. Because a part of how I played and a part of that I scored the winning goal and we win and we get through, the meaning, it's...

• 1:19:31Speaker 01

  There's nothing above those experiences, the only thing is you need to maintain it, right? It's just, like, that's the, the best of the best of the best of the best of the best of the best, right? I had World Cups, but I haven't played in a, in playoffs World Cups, right? I scored a, a goal in the round of 16s, but we didn't get through, you know, against Argentina. So this one, the meaning was...

• 1:19:52Lewis Howes?

  The Champions League.

• 1:19:52Speaker 01

  It's like the dream, that's literally the dream.

• 1:19:55Lewis Howes?

  The biggest, yeah, the biggest championship.

• 1:19:56Speaker 01

  And I scored goals with Manchester United that, that gave me as well, like, eh, eh, titles for the Premier League as well. But there are leagues, this one with the Champions League and Spain, how the story was that I came, that I shouldn't play that much, I was on loan, did he has the capacity or not to do? Spain, they do it like that, and then I started, played the whole 90 minutes, and I, I was subbed in the last minute, then I scored the goal, then we win, and we won, so that was the game, yeah.

• 1:20:26Lewis Howes?

  Who, what's the best performance of someone else you've ever played on a team with or against? Another player?

• 1:20:34Speaker 01

  No, I'll, no, I'm gonna say, yeah, I, it's very difficult, but yes, it comes easy, easy. I'll say a team, it was the team, for me, it's one of the greatest team ever built, and it was the, the final that I lost in the Champions League against Barcelona. That team, with Messi, but the players that they were, I think they... Of the 11 they play, I'll say the 11 of them, they were like in, almost in the peak of their career.

• 1:20:57Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 1:20:58Speaker 01

  The 11 of them.

• 1:20:59Lewis Howes?

  Real Madrid?

• 1:20:59Speaker 01

  No, Barcelona, I was with Manchester United.

• 1:21:01Lewis Howes?

  Manchester United.

• 1:21:02Speaker 01

  We lost the final in London, 2011.

• 1:21:06Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 1:21:06Speaker 01

  In Wembley, 3-1, we lost.

• 1:21:10Lewis Howes?

  What's the best individual performance you've ever witnessed?

• 1:21:13Speaker 01

  Like playing, no? Against or with?

• 1:21:15Lewis Howes?

  With and against.

• 1:21:20Lewis Howes?

  That you were just like, this is unbelievable what this person's doing.

• 1:21:24Speaker 01

  Wow.

• 1:21:25Lewis Howes?

  They were just on another level.

• 1:21:26Speaker 01

  That's good, I'm thinking, I feel very humble because there's a lot, I'm thinking about a lot, I'm just trying to choose one, choose one. I'll say that, look, I'm gonna mention players, I don't really, I'm gonna explain. There was, there were a couple of games that Wayne Rooney, I played with him, and the way that he played the game, like, he was like a, like a master of like, all around in his position, that you can see, scoring goals, making the team play well, assisting, defending, like a very well around Wayne Rooney. Then, I played, I, thankfully, with Cristiano Ronaldo, I saw, I saw plenty, but there was one in, that we played against Sevilla, and he did a hat-trick. It was like, out of nowhere, just boom, goal, and then boom, goal, and then boom, goal, it was like,

• 1:22:12Speaker 01

  like, wow, like, if he has magic powers to know where the ball is gonna come every single time, he just scored three amazing goals, you know, with the talent. And the other one was Messi. Messi against us in that final, that I mentioned to you, those three players, that was the three players that I witnessed, that I was like,

• 1:22:29Speaker 01

  wow.

• 1:22:30Lewis Howes?

  What is the biggest lesson you learned from each one of those players? Whether they're, whether personally, or watching them, or playing against them? One lesson from each one of those players?

• 1:22:39Speaker 01

  With Cristiano Ronaldo personally, that...

• 1:22:43Speaker 01

  That everything that is being said, I think it's it's been underestimated. Because, for example, this comparison about Messi, that of course he's a professional, hardworking, but he has more talent than Cristiano. No, the talent of Cristiano, so imagine that how much value he needs to be. If you have a guy who, suppose, because he has, supposedly, he doesn't have that much talent, he's doing the same things as a talented guy. That's not a superpower.

• 1:23:11Lewis Howes?

  Right.

• 1:23:12Speaker 01

  Right? Imagine, if you are right, because he has, so that about him, the professionalism, the hard work.

• 1:23:18Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:23:19Speaker 01

  And the self-confidence, man.

• 1:23:21Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 1:23:22Speaker 01

  The self-confidence, I've never felt something like him.

• 1:23:26Lewis Howes?

  His presence.

• 1:23:28Speaker 01

  The presence, the belief that he has in himself, it's out of this planet. The way Ronnie, it's, it's like he played his whole career, like he was playing the streets of Liverpool, he's from Liverpool. Like with that easiness, like with that freedom, even from everything, like don't believe in no one, just believe in himself, playing. He has a, he was very, he's talented, but he was a very clever hero as well, way more than people think. So that, and then I think Messi, I didn't play with him, I played every single time against him, and it's just like, yeah. His left foot and the talent that he has, it's just like, yeah, it's artistic in a way, right?

• 1:24:11Speaker 01

  It's just like, wow, I play against him and you want to stop him and there's no way sometimes. But he was in his peak, there wasn't a way to stop him.

• 1:24:18Lewis Howes?

  Really?

• 1:24:19Speaker 01

  It was impossible, obviously.

• 1:24:20Lewis Howes?

  But you were never defending, right?

• 1:24:21Speaker 01

  No, no, no, we crossed, but not so many.

• 1:24:23Lewis Howes?

  You just watch him?

• 1:24:24Speaker 01

  Exactly, watch him, like, yeah, exactly.

• 1:24:26Lewis Howes?

  Wow.

• 1:24:26Speaker 01

  And with Cristiano, and with Wayne, apart of watching them, because I play against them in national teams, I play with them, actually.

• 1:24:32Lewis Howes?

  Right, right, that's cool. Must be fun when you're up, yeah.

• 1:24:34Speaker 01

  Amazing.

• 1:24:35Lewis Howes?

  You're getting passes, but that's amazing. What is your biggest fear moving forward? Biggest fear and doubt that you face?

• 1:24:43Speaker 01

  Eh...

• 1:24:46Speaker 01

  The fear that I feel constantly, it's like, kind of not, like not being present and conscious, conscious, being conscious about myself. Like, I believe, yeah, I believe that...

• 1:25:05Speaker 01

  Yeah, we, I would say we, because I believe in that body, I am or we are. We are not the, the voice that is here, we are the observer of the voice. So that's the conscious, when you realize you're listening to the voice, it's like you are that. You are, that's you, that's you, right? So the fear that sometimes, like, like, I don't want to, I don't, I, I call it, like, I don't want to fall asleep in my conscious, I'm being in this automatic, automatic, but like sabotage mode. Because you can be in automatic when you have great habits, when you are loving, you are, when you are present, you don't need to think. You are in auto mode when you're completely present and feeling everything, but it's in a positive way. So I call it, don't fall asleep in this like sabotage mode.

• 1:25:45Lewis Howes?

  Right, wow, that's what you're afraid of. That's what you're afraid of, falling asleep.

• 1:25:50Speaker 01

  Yes, yes, in that sense, yes.

• 1:25:52Lewis Howes?

  This is powerful, man.

• 1:25:53Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:25:54Lewis Howes?

  I'm inspired, what's, uh, I've got a few final questions for you.

• 1:25:58Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah, go for it, Dave.

• 1:25:59Lewis Howes?

  What is, um.

• 1:26:00Speaker 01

  Have all the time of the world.

• 1:26:01Lewis Howes?

  What is, what is the thing you're most proud of that most people aren't aware of?

• 1:26:08Lewis Howes?

  They're aware of all the championships, but what's the thing maybe people would think that, you know, you're not proud of, that you're really proud of?

• 1:26:15Speaker 01

  Uh, three words. Yeah, three words. Uh.

• 1:26:24Speaker 01

  Bravery.

• 1:26:29Speaker 01

  Generous.

• 1:26:32Speaker 01

  Yeah, well, yeah, I was gonna say, and, and, and like.

• 1:26:37Speaker 01

  Yeah, like humble.

• 1:26:38Lewis Howes?

  Humble, yeah.

• 1:26:39Speaker 01

  Humble.

• 1:26:39Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:26:40Speaker 01

  Yeah, I, I. I don't, people that have met me, and it's very difficult to speak about this, because I, I don't want to like. Like, but you know what I mean, it's difficult to say these things, because I believe that when you are saying you are not being like that, and speaking about humbleness. But when you truly, truly, truly know me, it's like, there's no evil inside me, man. And I, I've had so plenty mistakes that I've done, but never.

• 1:27:09Speaker 01

  With evilness, or I want to hurt someone, or I want to make someone's life difficult. Even though I know how to compete in my sport, like you need to take advantage of someone, and I can see like weak spots in the sport to take advantage, and I'm very sensitive and I can see humans never ever have like, I wake up and I want to make, I want to make someone feel like, no, shows that I'm human and I did mistakes, right? So those three words, I think, like describe me in a way, and people don't, because of fame, because my sport, and my job, and the media, and etcetera. It's just those, yeah, three words. How brave I am, how humble I am, and how generous I am.

• 1:27:49Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, it's beautiful, man. Well, I gotta acknowledge you, Javi, for, we've, we've hung out a few times now. It's been, what, a month or two since I've got to know you?

• 1:27:56Speaker 01

  Yeah, thankfully.

• 1:27:57Lewis Howes?

  We've hung out, I don't know, five times now?

• 1:27:59Speaker 01

  Five times.

• 1:27:59Lewis Howes?

  Something like that. I've seen a couple of your games. You've been to my home, you know, we've hung out outside of the studio, and it's, it's been beautiful getting to know you, getting to know your heart. And I want to acknowledge you for showing up fully for yourself, even under challenging circumstances. You know, I met you when you were injured. I, I know what it's like being injured at a point in sport, it's not fun. But showing up, doing the work, recovering, you know, following a healthy routine, you've done that. Showing up the best way you can for your club, showing up the best way you can for yourself, for your family, for your kids, even though they're not here. I acknowledge you for showing up with a positive light, even under challenges and breakdowns and stuff you're going through, man. It's beautiful to watch you show up with passion, with love,

• 1:28:45Lewis Howes?

  and positivity.

• 1:28:46Speaker 01

  I appreciate it.

• 1:28:46Lewis Howes?

  So I acknowledge you, man, and uh, and I'm excited for our friendship and hanging out more, and hopefully we can...

• 1:28:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, likewise, man. You are a pioneer about this, and not only about myself, about millions of, of people, you know, about this.

• 1:29:00Speaker 01

  Self-work that we all have to, to, not have to do, but literally, I use, I never use those words. But yeah, we have to do, we want to, to just enjoy better this life. You know, to have a better, better experiences, you know, and just feel better, man. So I appreciate what you're saying because likewise, I admire you. I've been so grateful to be here in, in this project. But a part of that is just start to knowing you as well and be how, how authentic you are over here and same outside. As you know, people sometimes think, yeah, like us as well, you can see me in a way. And then you don't know how real-time people are. But I, I honestly, I'm grateful that you are so authentic and what you preach, you are.

• 1:29:43Speaker 01

  Right? That's a, that's a beautiful thing. I appreciate that a lot.

• 1:29:46Lewis Howes?

  Appreciate you, man. How can we best support and serve you? You know, you're playing with the Galaxy right now, come to a game, uh, follow you on social media. Um, where do you like to spend the most time on social media and how can we support you?

• 1:29:59Speaker 01

  Look, right now, I thankfully, I like made a structure and I, I'm working with a, with a community, like manager, like company, that they're helping me a lot. Normally, I spend more time in my Instagram, you know, sharing stuff. But then, something that I want to, to speak more about, it's my, my, my, my streaming life, kind of. Because apart of the streaming, of course, I'm, as I stream on Twitch, I play video games. I start a project where I'm gonna inviting people in a way just to talk and my, my intention.

• 1:30:31Lewis Howes?

  On your Twitch?

• 1:30:32Speaker 01

  On my Twitch. My intention of that, like, like I told you of air, my intention about that, and I said it with my first guest, that it was Canelo Alvarez. It's mostly, of course, I want to invite Mexican people, you know, eh, but it's to probably create a narrative, like a very positive narrative that, for example, my eyes have never seen. That it's like.

• 1:30:58Speaker 01

  People who have gone through a lot and they put the name of Mexico on the top and they lived amazing and extraordinary experiences, you know. Chat, hang out and empower themselves, that it's like that we get happy of the success of someone else.

• 1:31:17Lewis Howes?

  Yes.

• 1:31:17Speaker 01

  Because I think we lack of that in my country. We lack of feeling happy that someone that you don't even know is doing great, but generally happy. I don't feel threatened, don't feel insecure, don't feel reflected or projected about your insecurities of them. Like, ah, you know, just trying to find the negative or find the lack of something, right? So that's what I'm trying to do and I'm just saying in that way because the message, not only because I'm doing it, I don't care if I do it, whoever needs to do it, is like I have a culture, get used to it, of having, yeah, more fun and happiness with the success of someone else or the happiness of someone else, right?

• 1:31:54Lewis Howes?

  Sure, sure.

• 1:31:55Speaker 01

  So yeah, those are the ones and then TikTok. I don't use TikTok personally that much because what we do is like normally, whatever it comes on my streams, I have an amazing editor that put the videos of, but I love the content. You can see very profound content too. You can see very funny content, even laughing about myself and then video games and then this project that is called El Olimpo. I think in English it's called, what, Olympus?

• 1:32:19Lewis Howes?

  Olympus. What's your Twitch account?

• 1:32:22Speaker 01

  My Twitch account is CH14.

• 1:32:24Lewis Howes?

  Got you. Same with Instagram, right?

• 1:32:25Speaker 01

  And Instagram is CH14 underscore.

• 1:32:27Lewis Howes?

  Got it, yeah. We'll link it up for sure.

• 1:32:29Speaker 01

  Yeah, link it up, yeah, link it up.

• 1:32:30Lewis Howes?

  I love that, man. We'll make sure to link all that stuff up. If you guys are in L A, go to a game or if you're

• 1:32:35Speaker 01

  Oh, yeah, I'm in L A Galaxy, of course, obviously.

• 1:32:37Lewis Howes?

  If you're in, or if you're in the country and you're traveling to a game, then make sure to watch.

• 1:32:40Speaker 01

  You like soccer?

• 1:32:41Lewis Howes?

  It's it, man.

• 1:32:42Speaker 01

  Or you are curious about soccer because you know

• 1:32:44Lewis Howes?

  Check it out.

• 1:32:45Speaker 01

  How much is growing up in this

• 1:32:46Lewis Howes?

  It's blowing up, man.

• 1:32:47Speaker 01

  Is blowing up in this country because, yeah, I mean, it's the most followed sport in the world, so why not, you essentially be following it, you know, so.

• 1:32:55Lewis Howes?

  What's the popularity of the U S compared to football, basketball, baseball, hockey?

• 1:33:00Speaker 01

  I think it's getting, yeah, I think it's number five or getting very close to hockey, very close. It's growing a lot.

• 1:33:06Lewis Howes?

  It's great. And there's more clubs like

• 1:33:08Speaker 01

  Every year. Now, this year, San Luis.

• 1:33:11Lewis Howes?

  Like Austin, St. Louis is starting?

• 1:33:12Speaker 01

  No, this year is, and they're doing amazingly, yeah.

• 1:33:15Lewis Howes?

  Because Austin was a couple of years ago, L A F C was another one, it's like

• 1:33:18Speaker 01

  L A F, the most recent were Austin, Charlotte, L A F C is one of them. You mentioned Austin too.

• 1:33:26Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah. Charlotte's a new one, yeah, that's great.

• 1:33:28Speaker 01

  Yes, no, no, and every year, like, I think every year one new like franchise come.

• 1:33:33Lewis Howes?

  That's amazing.

• 1:33:33Speaker 01

  So it's expanding, yeah.

• 1:33:34Lewis Howes?

  It's blowing up, man.

• 1:33:35Speaker 01

  It's amazing, man, yeah.

• 1:33:36Lewis Howes?

  It's blowing up, man. Well, I'm excited for you for the rest of the season. I'm gonna have to watch another game or two.

• 1:33:41Lewis Howes?

  This is a question I ask everyone at the end called the three truths. So hypothetical scenario, imagine it's your last day on earth, many years away. You live as long as you want to live. Okay. Accomplish all the dreams you want to accomplish. The beautiful family, everything happens. But you have to take all of your wisdom and content and highlight clips of videos with you. No one has access to your content anymore. It's all gone.

• 1:34:04Speaker 01

  Okay.

• 1:34:04Lewis Howes?

  All your Twitch streams, all your Instagram, gone. But you get to leave behind three lessons to the world. And this is all we have to remember you by. These three truths.

• 1:34:14Speaker 01

  Oof.

• 1:34:15Lewis Howes?

  What would be those three truths for you?

• 1:34:18Speaker 01

  Oof, oof, oof, oof. Okay, the three, the three.

• 1:34:22Lewis Howes?

  ¿Cómo se dice "three truths"?

• 1:34:23Speaker 01

  Tres verdades.

• 1:34:24Lewis Howes?

  Tres verdades.

• 1:34:25Speaker 01

  Verdades. First truth will be...

• 1:34:32Speaker 01

  Yeah, even in that scenario, it's like, be brave. You just have one life. Be brave, for sure.

• 1:34:40Speaker 01

  Be authentic. I believe in that too. Be authentic. And people, and I want to do just a small context about that because people think that be authentic means sometimes to stand out in different ways, or feel better than other ones, or do different things. When you are trying to do something different, you are not being authentic. Because authenticity needs to get out.

• 1:35:03Lewis Howes?

  Be yourself, be you.

• 1:35:04Speaker 01

  Exactly, and if sometimes that authenticity looks similar as other ones, it's fine.

• 1:35:09Lewis Howes?

  Yeah, that's true.

• 1:35:10Speaker 01

  Your touch. So when you're trying to do different things, you're not being authentic.

• 1:35:14Lewis Howes?

  Right, right, right.

• 1:35:15Speaker 01

  You're, you're just trying to stand out for, for not like, I think, pure reasons. Ah, oof, and the third one, it's...

• 1:35:27Speaker 01

  Never stop learning.

• 1:35:30Speaker 01

  For sure. In every sense, mentally, like emotionally, like never stop learning. Even when you feel that you're mastering something, you keep learning. Even at least consistency, you need to learn how to.

• 1:35:46Lewis Howes?

  Absolutely, man.

• 1:35:47Speaker 01

  Learning, lesson, learning, learning.

• 1:35:49Lewis Howes?

  Uh, two final questions for you. One is gonna be, what is your definition of greatness? We'll start with that one.

• 1:35:56Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 1:35:57Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:35:57Speaker 01

  Oh.

• 1:36:00Speaker 01

  I love it. I think when, when you, when you start,

• 1:36:08Speaker 01

  yeah, I always say start because,

• 1:36:12Speaker 01

  because I think we all have a point when you start doing that, but then, then it's infinite, right? It's never gonna stop because there's no place to arrive. So when I say, when you start loving yourself, accepting yourself, and make, and like growing, making yourself grow, like growth.

• 1:36:30Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:36:30Speaker 01

  That's, that's my definition of greatness because then, then,

• 1:36:37Speaker 01

  I've been listening these things from you, from different people, women, and everyone who experienced like extraordinary things.

• 1:36:48Speaker 01

  It's like seeing the things the other way around. Then the outcomes are a consequence of that.

• 1:36:53Lewis Howes?

  Yeah.

• 1:36:54Speaker 01

  Of this.

• 1:36:55Lewis Howes?

  It's it, man.

• 1:36:55Speaker 01

  Yeah.

• 1:36:56Lewis Howes?

  Love yourself, accept yourself, and growth.

• 1:37:00Lewis Howes?

  If you could leave a final motivational message to everyone in the world who speaks Spanish,

• 1:37:08Lewis Howes?

  in Espanol, what would you say?

• 1:37:10Speaker 01

  You want me to say in Spanish?

• 1:37:12Lewis Howes?

  In Espanol. Yeah, just a message in, in Spanish that will inspire anyone listening in Spanish. Anything you wanna share. Any motivational message

• 1:37:23Lewis Howes?

  about believing in themselves, about loving themselves.

• 1:37:26Speaker 01

  Lo voy a decir, sí, no, es, es, mira.

• 1:37:32Speaker 01

  Que nuestra cultura, primeramente como mexicanos, está en chingona y también en toda Latinoamérica,

• 1:37:39Speaker 01

  que lo único que nos está... o uno de los mayores obstáculos para que podamos crecer como cultura general somos nosotros mismos. Es el vivir en una mentalidad de víctima. Entonces es... si asumes la responsabilidad de tu vida, pero también de tu realidad, y te empieces a amar y aceptar, y que eres capaz, donde lo tienes que encontrar dentro, capaz de crear esa vida que mereces poco a poco. Ese es el mensaje que yo les quisiera decir. Y que desde lo más profundo de mi corazón, no hay palabras para que ojalá me puedan creer, pero ojalá con que una persona de verdad crea.

• 1:38:25Speaker 01

  Que creo en ellos y que de verdad siento que cualquier persona que esté escuchando eso puede, puede. Que no será fácil y no será placentero. Será doloroso y será muy complicado, pero que vale la pena. Que creo en ellos y que espero que ellos crean en ellos mismos.

• 1:38:43Lewis Howes?

  Sí se puede.

• 1:38:44Speaker 01

  Sí se puede. Claro que sí, hermano, sí se puede.

• 1:38:46Lewis Howes?

  Gracias.

• 1:38:47Speaker 01

  A ti, gracias.

• 1:38:49Lewis Howes?

  I hope today's episode inspired you on your journey towards greatness. Make sure to check out the show notes in the description for a rundown of today's show with all the important links. And if you want weekly exclusive bonus episodes with me as well as ad-free listening experience, make sure to subscribe to our Greatness Plus channel on Apple Podcasts. If you enjoyed this, please share it with a friend over on social media or text a friend. Leave us a review over on Apple Podcasts and let me know what you learned over on our social media channels @LuisHowes. I really love hearing the feedback from you and it helps us continue to make the show better. And if you want more inspiration from our world-class guests and content to learn how to improve the quality of your life,

• 1:39:30Lewis Howes?

  then make sure to sign up for the Greatness newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox over at greatness.com/newsletter. And if no one has told you today, I want to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And now it's time to go out there and do something great.