Chiky Ardil has a dream: “I want to be a world champion with Spain. It’s what every player dreams of. And why not now?”

As he continues to prepare with his team-mates for a hazardous opening match against IR Iran at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup UAE 2024 Dubai™, one of sport’s top performers speaks to FIFA about his targets for the tournament.

What shape do you think Spain are in ahead of the World Cup?
Chiky Ardil: I think we’re in a good place. We’re a national team with youngsters, but with a lot of experience and veterans like me too. I think it’s going to be a good World Cup, and it’s also going to depend on fitness levels, because it’s the off season in Spain right now. We play our competitions in the summer, but it’s winter here at the moment and we’re all training at home.

We’ve got a training camp now in Malaga, where we’ll all be working together, and we’ll head out to Dubai well in advance so we can prepare and play a few friendlies. We’ve got a tough group, and Iran are one of the clear favourites. We just have to see how we go into that first game, and from there it will just come down to how we feel and how we can develop and grow. I’m sure that if we can get through the group stage, we can beat anyone in the last 16 and even kick on and be world champions.

It’s been dubbed ‘The group of death’. Is that the way you see it and what do you make of your opponents in the group?
We’ve got Iran first up, and I honestly believe they could be the big favourites in this World Cup. They’ve been a very tactical and physical side over the last few years. I think they’ve got the best one-two in the world, with a lot of variations inside and out. They’re a really tough side, but they are beatable and I’m sure it’s going to be a very close game.

The only benchmark we’ve got for Tahiti is the last World Cup, because they’re not playing at the moment and we don’t know how good they’re going to be. We know they’re an excellent side, but we just don’t know what shape they’ll be in. If they’re on top of their game, then it’s going to be tough and we’ll need to watch out for them because they were runners-up twice.

Argentina are a less tactical and physical team who play more end-to-end football, and it’s all going to depend on our ability to control the pace of the game and make it hard for them to support each other and to transition. If you get sucked into a game where it’s all to and fro, teams like them can make life hard. They’re three very different sides. Tahiti and Iran are the most similar, but the Iranians have a system that’s a lot more refined than any other team. Their one-two has probably got more variations than any other in the world.

You’ve mentioned Iran, but who else is in contention for the world title?
Iran could be a major force, and Brazil too, obviously. What can we say about Brazil? You can’t ever rule them out. Then, if you’re looking at teams who might challenge this year, you’ve got Belarus, who are dark horses and are very strong physically and tactically. They’ve been preparing well for a long time now. They’re very hard to beat and they’ve got a very clear idea about the kind of game they want to play. Portugal and Spain are in there too, and so are Japan. It just depends on who turns up.

Spain have won European titles and the Mundialito and have made an impact at World Cups, but what do they need to do to become world champions?
What we’ve been doing the last few years: holding more training camps, backing ourselves more, training together more, all the things we’ve been doing in recent times. It’s true that the national team is not the best it can be, because the youngsets we have are still developing, but we’re at a stage now where it’s a very dependable and powerful team. If you’re going to beat Spain, it won’t be by much. You don’t see us losing by big margins very often. We’re not at the very top of our game because we’ve got youngsters, who are very talented all the same, and others coming through behind them, but we’ve got it in us to have a very good few years.

Spain only qualified as lucky losers following Ukraine’s withdrawal. What was your reaction when the news came through?
This is something that was handed to us. We didn’t earn it on the pitch. It’s an opportunity we’ve been given and I’ve never felt so excited going into a World Cup. Time’s going by and you can see that it’s going to be your last World Cup. The national team are in a good place. We’re ready and we can go on and have a good World Cup. I’m really excited. It’s not going to be easy because teams are lot more powerful these days and they’re getting better all the time. In days gone by, they weren’t anywhere near as good as they are now, but these days anyone can beat anyone. We saw that at the last World Cup when Senegal beat Brazil, which was unthinkable only a few years ago.

You used to divide your time between 11-a-side football and beach soccer. What was life like for you then?
That was one of the main problems for me, because of football. I played at a standard that was almost professional, and when I was with those teams, they told me that if I wanted to play football, I couldn’t play beach soccer. So I decided to give up football at that standard and drop down a level, with the proviso that teams let me play beach soccer as well. It was especially important for me in winter, when you’re not playing beach soccer, to be able to work on technical things like bicycle kicks and shooting so you don’t lose that spark and that feel. The bounce is very different too.

There were some years when I found it hard to go back to beach soccer if I hadn’t played in the winter. I gradually played less and less football and decided to give it up for good this year so I could focus on the World Cup and have a great tournament. It wasn’t easy dividing my time between football and beach soccer because I’d be playing both at different times of the day. It was pretty demanding playing in the Spanish fifth division latterly. I was training four days a week, doing gym and beach work a lot of the time, and doing double sessions. I was lucky in that I didn’t get injured, but the fact is that with the tiredness and the peaks you get through the season when you lose your spark, I’d struggle to get going sometimes. It’s tough because you’re giving your body much bigger loads than you should.

You were the third-ranked player in the world in 2022. Where do you think you are now?
I had a great year in 2022, winning virtually all the tournaments I played in, and I was top scorer and best player in all of them. It was an amazing year. As for now, I might be up there, I might not be up there. Ultimately, it depends on whether your team’s there to back you up. Achieving major goals depends on your team, especially in beach soccer. Being up there or not is a bit of a tightrope. It all depends on how you’re playing.

In the past there was a big difference between European and Brazilian players, but things have evened out a lot more now. The European player has closed the gap and can take the Brazilians on in one-v-ones. With the game the way it is now, if you do well in tournaments, the team’s playing well and backing you up, and you develop with the team and up your game, then you can get to that point. What level am I at right now? I don’t know. It’s pretty high and I’m training every day, but if you’re going to achieve the goals you set, you need your team with you. I’ll know at the end of this season what my level can be. I’m a key player in beach soccer, but we’ll see what the season brings.

You’re in a lot of highlight reels and have scored a lot of wonder goals. Why do you think that is?
With me it’s all about feel and trying things. I’m not so much a technical player as one who tries to get inspiration in the moment. When you have a moment like that, it’s about being as confident as you can be and giving it a go. There’s a whole lot of effort behind it too. It all takes effort. The things you do on the pitch are things you’ve tried out at home first. We do a thousand bicycle kicks at home, with the ball coming fast and trying to catch it right, getting to one side and hitting it a thousand times. It’s all linked to the work you’ve put in before, but when that moment comes you have to believe in yourself and know you can do it. It’s a bit of everything, and luckily I’ve had lots of moments like that. They’d be impossible without that work at home, repeating things a thousand times over and visualising what might happen.

Aside from all the ball skills, technique and inspiration, there seems to have been a huge development in the tactical side of beach soccer. What’s your view on that?
For me, personally, I became a more influential player when I began to be able to read and understand the game and know when I had to appear and where I didn’t. When I learned that, when I took that step in these last few years, I started to raise my game and hit a high level. The most important thing these days is the tactical side, which is why it’s all evened out so much. What makes the difference now is knowing when to appear or create space for a team-mate.

How important are Llorenc Gomez and Dona in the history of beach soccer in Spain?
Dona has been a role model since I came into the side. He’s captain to all intents and purposes, and he’s grown as a goalkeeper as the rules have changed. He used to make a lot of saves. He’d save shots then play the ball out. Beach soccer’s changed a lot, though, and he’s had to dominate the area more and play with his feet more. He’s a hard worker. He’s got the talent, but he’s worked on it really hard too.

Llorenc, who retired a couple of years ago, was just pure talent, one of the most gifted beach soccer players I’ve ever seen. He had a gift you don’t see that often, a spark when playing the ball out, executing, and playing quick moves. If he hadn’t been held back by injury, he have been stronger mentally. He would have defined an era and become a legend. He was in right up there in the elite, but injuries and perhaps those mental shortcomings at certain times stopped him from being a better player for longer. I’ve seen few people as good as him though. He was the most talented player we had.

The biggest role model we ever had in my view was Antonio Mayor, Spain’s most complete player ever. He was always at the top of his game and he always played the best pass. Those three have given more to beach soccer and its growth than any other player since I’ve been around.