The Canadian born England midfielder told TheFA.com, in an exclusive interview for England TV, that Real Madrid would be well equipped to smooth the transition into Spanish football, and life in general.

"It’s a wonderful club they’ve both gone to and I think they can both be thrilled to be involved with such a club," he said.

"I think the organisation and the players are phenomenal, second to none - they’re very fortunate.

"They’re both excellent players, but it’ll take time in terms of the language and the culture and the style.

"I think In Spain they eat dinner at 11, 12 o’clock at night sometimes and that could take some getting used to, and they sit down for a long time at meals.

"Obviously certain things are going to take time to adapt to, but football is so international now.

"Players switch clubs so often that clubs are very open to having foreign players come in, and making the players feel comfortable so they can bring the best performance possible."

Owen Hargreaves was talking to TheFA.com's Dan Freedman. Click on the links below to watch the interview in full.


2 September 2004  
Owen Hargreaves Exclusive