ETFinance, Real Madrid basketball's new sponsor

ETFinance, the online investment platform, announced their official partnership with Real Madrid's Basketball Club on Wednesday in an agreement that will last three years. The sponsorship deal was officially announced at Real Madrid's facilities in Valdebebas.

Borja Vilar defined ETFinance as "a platform for investors from those just starting out to the highly experienced. For the beginners, we have all types of tool to help you learn how to invest and understand the market. And for the experienced investor, we have tools for analysis. For us, it is highly important to provide the type of tools that help everyone focus on their financial well-being. It is a way to give people the power to control their own money. In addition, we have mobile and desktop applications and hundreds of assets that you can invest in."

For Vilar Martos, this partnership with Real Madrid "represents all of the values we have in common with Real Madrid at a global level. They are one of the best teams in the world and this is the kind of position that we aspire to. We can't be the sixth man for Real Madrid because that is the fans but we are the seventh. This type of synergy is what we are looking for along with the power to develop both individually and together."

The ETFinance Regional Manager of Spain explained the objective of the agreement: "Picking Real Madrid is a natural fit because no other team is as inspiring. We want to promote the values that we have as a company and of everyone that works here. Real Madrid is perfect, not just for their global reach but because of their togetherness and the whole club family that they represent." He also ruled out, for now, expanding the sponsorship into other sections of the club: "We want to focus on basketball and we have worked so hard that we have had little time to think of anything else. For now, we are very happy, proud and a little nervous for the game against Barcelona."

During the event, they had a round-table discussion chaired by the sports commentator, Lalo Alzueta, with Rudy Fernández and Sergio Llull along with the coach, Pablo Laso, who spoke about the current form of the club and revealed some keys to their sporting success.

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PABLO LASO

How do you feel ahead of the Barcelona game in EuroLeague?

Good, they are always special games. It's normal that they talk more about this game than a normal league or EuroLeague game. We are facing a massive rival, who have good players, which means we have to arrive into the game in good form if we want to win. I am calm because we have trained well. I'm confident that we can play well tomorrow.

Does the pressure change when you play at home?

You have pressure every day. We have won most often at home and so the pressure is to win away from home and to keep it going. All of our opponents are tough and, yes, at home it's obligatory to win for the fans. For us, to play at home is always motivating.

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How do you assess your time at Madrid and the future?

I am so grateful that everyone pushes in order for the team to reach the maximum level. I am not thinking about what has happened and I am not thinking about what will happen. I put a lot of value into the day to day, in training well, and preparing for games. I have no one big goal, I am always setting little goals. Time adds value to these situations of personal growth with your players and so that the team remains competitive.

How do you see the growth of the academy?

The first is to think about the team. Doncic is having a great season in the NBA but I remember a video of him playing in Slovenia. It's a team job because these players don't arrive good and then play well at Real Madrid. It's the work of a lot of people behind the scenes that work in order for these players to shine in the first team the same as they do in the academy.

What are the values of these players?

Respect the opponent, teammates, the work of the technical staff... I see little things in my players that make me proud as a coach off the court, that for me, are victories as important as winning the EuroLeague. It's the starting point of what we want to achieve.

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It's a game that any player would like to be on the court for and it's important for our qualification. In a long and demanding season, every game is very important. And even more so in EuroLeague given it's competitiveness.

What changes do you see in the new EuroLeague format from the old one?

There are two more games, there are two more teams. Year after year it's more demanding and it's more competitive and balanced. There are a lot of games and it's only normal to be tired mentally and physically.

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How are you enjoying fatherhood? 

I am delighted and grateful to be living this moment with my family to have the chance to enjoy these little moments with my kids when the calendar allows. I try to relax and disconnect from basketball when I am at home with them and my family.

What stands out for you during these years at Real Madrid?

It's a mix of everything because every time we play at home it's full and the fans show that they are committed to this club and jersey. Games such as tomorrow, you'll see how they support us and how they lift us up to get wins. And also, even when we play against teams with not such a big name, they still fill the stands.

What virtues do you need to be a great captain?

Respect for the jersey that you are defending. This team is a big family just like the Spanish national team. Together with Llull and Felipe Reyes, we are conscious of what we are representing and not just during games but during training and everything else.

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How do you live through a Clásico from the inside?

The Clásico is always a special game and even more so playing at home. The team is ready and excited for the game. We are ready to play 40 minutes of good basketball in order to get the win, which will go a long way for our qualification.

What is the secret to recover from such a serious injury? 

Never back down regardless of how difficult things get. It goes well with my character not to back down, to give everything and this transferred well with the injury I had. It hurt to go through one of the worst things you can suffer as an athlete and thanks to the work of all of the people at the club, I recovered much more easily. It helped me to mature personally and in other aspects that you don't take into account before it happens.

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What do you feel when the fans chant your name?

A full WiZink Center gives us extra motivation to go a step further than our opponent. They have been very good and the fans are hooked on basketball. They are our sixth man.

^{*This content is sponsored by ETFinance and elaborated on by Diario As.}