“It was incredible for me, it was a dream night” – Iván Calero reflects on his time with the Rams.

It was Friday 18th July 2014 when it was announced that Derby County had signed promising 19-year-old youth prospect Iván Calero following his release from the prestigious Atletico Madrid academy.

Six years and six clubs later, the Spaniard has returned to his motherland and looks to have cemented his place in the first team for Segunda División outfit Málaga CF.

A little over a month ago, I had the pleasure of speaking to Calero, who spoke openly and honestly about his brief stint at Derby, what it was like working under Steve McClaren and how his career has panned out so far;

On moving to England at a young age…

“It was a movement that I think I made too early, I was too young to make that impact in the first team.

“I thought it could be a great opportunity because who doesn’t want to go to England to play football? It was my opportunity to break into a historical team in England and maybe things could’ve gone right.

“Spanish football and English football are a little bit different. In England it’s more physical, more tackling but the philosophy that Derby had at that moment was a little bit more like Spanish football, they wanted to have the ball, keep the ball, pass, make one-twos.

“That football was great for me because the period of adaptation to England was little, everything was similar to what I was used to, it wasn’t too hard. The hardest part was the language and understanding the coach and my teammates. Other than that, everything was okay.”

On working under McClaren…

“He was very ‘Spanish-based’ with everything. He wanted to get the ball, he wanted to make everyone play with each other, pass with each other, make combinations and that part of the adaptation was great for me because it didn’t take much time to get used to.

“I remember that everything was very similar to what I was used to.”

On his solitary Rams goal against Charlton…

“When somebody asks me ‘what are your memories of your career?’, one of those is that goal. 

“Playing in front of many people, making that impact from the U21s to the first team, scoring a goal was incredible for me, it was a dream night.

“You play 15 to 20 minutes, you score a goal, you help your team get through [to the next round of]the cup so it was unbelievable for me. I couldn’t believe it when I did it.

“The night after I was like ‘f*cking hell, I’ve just scored for the first team, I did it’, so that’s one of the memories I have.

On the East Midlands derby…

“I remember playing against Nottingham Forest in their stadium and I remember the attendance was incredible. I’d never been in a game with so much noise [before], it was a difficult appearance.”

On how the move to Derby affected his career…

“100% it helped me so much. I went there as a boy and it made me a little bit more of a man. I was away from home, different culture, different language… It helped me grow so much.

“I went too early, like I said, and it could probably be different if this happened now, I’m 100% sure because I was too young (then).

“I was happy that I could do it at that age because it helped me become more mature now.”

On his Brewers loan spell and working under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink…

“He helped me grow, I played there for six games, it was only a month.

“It was difficult because I was too young again to take that chance in the proper way. We don’t do that in Spain, to loan for a month.

“It was a little bit mind-blowing in the moment because too many things were happening in that short period of time and I went back [to Derby]. 

“I’m grateful and I think that part of my life helped me grow as a player.”

On his journey from Derby to Málaga…

“When I left Derby I went to Sparta Rotterdam, which is a historical club in Holland, playing in the Eredivisie… I didn’t play so much. I played a few games like against PSV in the cup when we beat them. I played against Ajax at home and in the (Johan) Cruyff Arena, which was amazing. 

“I was there for a year, things didn’t go the way I thought they would go so I moved back to Spain. I went to Elche where we played in the third league (Segunda División B)… we got promoted to the second division (Segunda División). I played there for a year and then I made a loan move to Salamanca.

“I played there for a year and that year made my career. It was one of the best years I’ve ever played as a professional, in a great environment, in a great club. It made me make that step forward to go to the second division.

“I played there [in the Segunda División]for one year with Numancia. We got relegated. We finished the first half of the season in the Play-Offs and then we got relegated… It’s very curious.

“I (then) made my move to Málaga this summer.”

On his transition from an attacking midfielder to right-back.

“I think that change of position helped me take that step forward in my professional career. I was alright playing as a left-winger and then I moved all the way back to a right defender.

“That happened in Elche in a cup game. We were losing against a team 2-0 and I was playing as a left winger and the coach said ‘you go all the way back to right-back’… I played good.

“The next cup game I played again at right-back, I played alright. Two weeks later the starting right-back got injured and he (the coach) played me.

“As a young player at 19, I could never imagine that I was going to be a right-back. It was impossible for me. I was playing for Athletico Madrid B team on the left wing, I played for Spain U16s to U19s as a left winger and as a central striker as well sometimes so it was impossible for me to think that I’d be playing as a right-back.

“I don’t think I’ll ever go back to (being a) left-winger.”

On his ambitions with Málaga…

“The goal for the team is to stay in the league. We’re in a good position in the league and we’re fighting every game to get the three points.

“The main goal is to stay in the league and then build up from that. Hopefully I can help the team on the pitch as much as we can.”

It was pleasing to conclude the interview by having Calero tell me he still keeps in touch with a number of the lads he met during his spell with the Rams.

“I’ve got good relationships with Mats Morch, Tom Koblenz and Charles Vernam.

“You know how social media is, it keeps you close to everyone – I’ve spoken a couple of times with Max Lowe, Kelle Roos and some of the players I had good relationships with.”

It is worth noting that since this interview took place, Calero has suffered an injury, a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which will see him sidelined for the remainder of the 2020/21 season. 

I’d like to wish him a speedy recovery on behalf of Prost International and thank him once more for finding time out of his busy schedule to speak to me.

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