Marcelino Núñez is loving life at Ipswich Town, having finally achieved a childhood dream of playing in the Premier League.
The Chile international has enjoyed his first taste of the competition and sounds pretty delighted with how things are going. He’s also already looking at the bigger picture, both for Ipswich and Chile.
Premier League intensity already making a difference
Speaking to La Tercera while away with the national team, Núñez first celebrated being back with Chile after injury problems had kept him away.
“I’m very happy to be called up to the national team again. I hadn’t been coming for a while because of injuries, but I’m very happy and motivated about what’s coming with these three very important matches,” he said.
The midfielder was also asked what he can bring back from his time at Ipswich.
“The intensity of the Premier League. A good attitude, motivation. That’s the main thing.”
His excitement about playing in England was even clearer when discussing his move to Ipswich.
“I’m very motivated. It’s what I wanted. Since I was a child, I wanted to be in the Premier League and I was able to fulfil this dream, this desire.”
“The first matches were very positive. Making your Premier League debut is another level.”
“[Ipswich] are going to bring in players of great quality to stay up, which is what they want, and that just leaves me to work. In football there are always opportunities.”
Núñez knows survival is the target and expects the club to keep adding quality to help achieve it. His job, as he sees it, is simply to make the most of the opportunities that come his way.
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Núñez wants to open Premier League door for more Chileans
There’s another element to his move that clearly means a lot to the 26-year-old. Crystal Palace’s Darío Osorio is also playing Premier League football, and Núñez hopes their presence can help other Chileans make the same jump.
“This is good for Chilean football. If Darío and I do well, and in general Suazo and Cepeda, who are in the big leagues around the world, we open the way for many Chileans to get there,” he explained.
“It’s a league that’s very difficult to reach. Now I have to take advantage of it, open the way for other Chileans so the national team can fight to reach a World Cup.”
That leads nicely into Chile’s bigger objective. Núñez is back with the national team as they start looking towards the 2030 World Cup cycle under Nicolás Córdova.
“The identity is always intensity, trying to dominate the game. Having possession and going after the game.”
“The coach [Nicolás Córdova] is very good. The training sessions are very technical, very similar to European training. Over there there’s a lot of playing and a lot of stopping, but I really like the idea behind the training sessions.”
“The group is very united, so we have to continue on this path, compete in these three matches now and qualify for the World Cup.”
For Ipswich, the most encouraging part is how enthusiastic Núñez sounds about his new surroundings.
Playing in the Premier League was the target for years. Now he’s there, he wants to make sure he stays there.
