Sergio Canales, the 35-year-old midfielder who has come through the youth ranks of Real Madrid, Betis, Monterrey and now Racing Santander, returned to his hometown this summer to give back to the club that gave him his first steps in football. In an exclusive interview with *Brands & Players* magazine, the player shares his daily routine, the lessons of his injuries and the mark left by his time in Mexico.
Canales remembers that his signing for Real Madrid came when he was still a teenager and that the pressure of the first level made him “break down” at times. “Everything came crashing down on me,” he admits, explaining that this experience forced him to mature before his time. The knee injuries, which marked several moments in his career, also taught him not to give up and to value the support of his family and the professionals who accompanied him. “They have taught me to trust myself more and be more grateful,” he says.
The Cantabrian footballer details his daily life with a discipline that helps him stay in shape: he gets up at six in the morning to walk his dogs on the beach, then he does pressotherapy, sauna, cold water immersion, sessions in a hyperbaric chamber and red light therapy. He has dinner around seven and is in bed by nine. This routine allows you to recover from the rigors of competition and prepare for matches.
Canales also reflects on the milestones of his career. At Betis he lived "some of the most special moments", including winning the Copa del Rey in 2022, although now he remembers it with "little or nothing" and says that "now I would live that moment in a different way to be able to enjoy it." His time in Monterrey, for his part, “changed the way he saw life.” He thanks former teammates like Andrés Guardado and Héctor Moreno for recommending him and affirms that the Mexican stage “would not change for anything.”
Finally, the player expresses his gratitude towards Racing de Santander. “When I was little I went to the field with my father, they taught me to understand football, they gave me many values and they gave me the opportunity to be a professional,” he says. “I owe a lot to Racing.” With his eyes set on the future, Canales envisions a retirement in which he will be able to travel with his family, watch his children grow up and continue enjoying the life that the club allowed him to know.