Seydou Keita (30), one of the few first team players already back in training, sat down with Catalan sports paper Sport to talk about both the World Cup and the upcoming season. The original interview can be found here.

Do you feel like your vacations were too short?

I had a great time. I spent the entire time in my country, with my children and visiting my family.

Was it hard for you to watch the World Cup from home?

If you’re asking if I thought about going to South Africa the answer is no. That thought didn’t even cross my mind.

But you watched some of the games on TV, right?

Yes, not all of them but I did watch some.

And who were you supporting?

I watched the African countries and Spain because a lot of my friends play on those teams. I was very happy to see Spain win because I think that is very good for Barça.

Why?

Because winning gives confidence and brings about more desire to win again. I don’t know how many Barça players there were on the Spanish team but I think around eight or nine.

That depends on whether or not we include Cesc…

With or without Cesc, that victory gives us a lot of positive energy. It’s fundamental for us. Without a doubt it’s better for them to come home champions than to come home having failed.

And with Iniesta in phenomenal shape.

He’s a national hero now and I’m very happy for him. Imagine scoring the winning goal in the World Cup Final. That makes him a hero and it’ll help us a lot. But it wasn’t just Andres that played well. Puyol, Xavi, Pique, David Villa, etc also contributed.

How was the experience of watching the World Cup from Africa?

I think Ghana had a great tournament. The Ivory Coast, the best team in Africa, had a very difficult group. Cameroon and South Africa didn’t play very well but the most important thing was for the tournament to go well on African soil and I think we accomplished that.

Explain that statement.

It was the first time that something like that had taken place in Africa and it was important for things to go well. Spain won on the field but Africa won off the field.

Barça signed Adriano, a former teammate from Sevilla. What can you tell us about him?

He’s a great player that can play in many different positions…

Like you?

No, he’s different. He’s in great shape and has better technical skills than I do.

It was difficult for you to adapt to Barça’s system. Do you think it’ll be difficult for Adriano too?

It was more difficult for me than it will be for him.

Why?

Because he plays on the flanks and that makes it easier to adapt. His role from Sevilla to Barcelona won’t vary too much. It wasn’t tough for Alves to adapt. It’s difficult to play in the midfield on a team like Barça. Knowing when to keep the ball, when to pressure, when to recover possession…it’s complicated. Adriano won’t have any problems.

You asked for another defensive midfielder the other day. Do you think it’s absolutely necessary?

It depends on Pep. Sergio [Busquets] can easily cover that position as he showed in the World Cup but if Pep wants us to play with two defensive players like we did at times last year, we’ll need someone else.

Do you know any of the 250 players that have been linked to substitute Yaya?

I personally know Abdou Traore. He plays in France and is from Mali. I know him well but I’m like everyone else in the world in that I have no idea what’s going to happen.

Is it strange for the preseason to be in Barcelona?

Not really. We’re doing the same things that we always did.

And the heat?

Right now it’s hot everywhere.

Are you ready for the tour through Asia?

I’m scared of flying but it’s part of the job.