Nicolas Laprovittola reflects on the year he has been out due to injury and the mental aspect of the athlete. Although his game is cerebral, it's striking to see the contrast between his accelerations and touches of genius on the court with the parsimony with which he moves and speaks. Nico Laprovittola (Morón, Argentina; 35 years old) has gained patience and maturity after a year in the sidelines and a start to the season marked by small injuries derived from inactivity. He is ready to lead the team again in the locker room or on the court, where he is most required. Question. Did he feel like the world was on his shoulders during the knee injury? Answer. No, it wasn't that hard. Although it was a complicated and long process, I tried to take it with the best possible attitude, thinking positively in the place and with the people who lived the injury with me. I felt more loved than when I played because the club accompanied me in everything and the teammates too. I felt they missed me. I'm very grateful. Question. Did he rely a lot on his wife Delfi and daughter Bruna? Answer. I took advantage of that time a lot. Bruna is now getting used to it again that dad travels a lot; she's four years old and wants to be with me, spend time with the family. When she wakes up in the morning, she asks me: 'Dad, do you have the day off?' Question. Did he use the figure of a psychologist, just like he did when he had a bad experience in Zenit Russia a few years ago? Answer. Yes, I contacted the same person again and we worked on how to face the situation, how to compete again. And lately, how to digest the small injuries at the start of the season, the change of coach... It's things that one sometimes needs to get out. Question. Did he think about giving up? Answer. Only the first day because of the pain and frustration. That day I cried. But the next morning, I told my wife that I would come back in the best way possible. Question. And what did he think when he got back to having the ball in his hands? Answer. I wanted it all now, quickly. But it wasn't like that. My body told me to stop and recover. And that's what it's about, getting back to having coordination, movements, explosiveness, a little bit of everything that requires competing at the highest level. Question. Does he doubt himself? Answer. No, no, no, on the contrary. I always believe in myself and in what I can be important. I feel that I am an important person for the club and for the team, so I think that one never doubts what one does. Question. The problem is that one is judged by what one does on the court without valuing where one comes from or where one goes... Answer. We live by the result and even more so in a club like Barça, where the demand is maximum, total. It's the pressure we're under, to be judged by everyone. And of course, there will be bad games, but one shouldn't think too much about what others say, but about what one does in the day-to-day, what one's teammates, coach, and club think. Question. There are also good ones, like the one he did against Madrid, does playing against the best bring out his best version? Answer. Yes, but it's not what I like most about myself. I would like to face all the games equally and not be motivated more against whoever we play. And it's not always like that. But I value that I always respond