You had a strong end to last season: you scored seven goals in the last 11 matches, helping Real Madrid not only win the Liga but also the Champions League title. Can you explain what happened under Carlo Ancelotti?

First of all, I think what happened is what always happens with him: he won. He always wins. He succeeds wherever he goes and it’s no different here. He has done an amazing job with us from the first day he arrived. I always remember everything he said during pre-season and the advice he gave us. Then during the season, the team kept growing and we had very few bad moments. The team kept improving in every match and, in the end, it all worked out.

And we hope that you’ve had chance to recover since then – how did you spend your summer?

For me it was winter, because I went home to Brazil. But it’s not as cold as it is here in Europe. Then I came to Spain and spent the rest of my holidays in Ibiza.

Was it a mixture of relaxing and staying in shape? How do you balance those two things?

I’m very relaxed. There are periods of fun with friends and family, and there are periods of training. But it’s all planned; my personal trainer and I talked about it. He tells me to have fun until such a day, then we start training slowly so that I can be well prepared for pre-season.

What is the worst thing about preseason training?

We have a fitness test where you have to run on a treadmill with a mask and it’s a killer. But we just got on with it. That test is tough but it’s good. We’re feeling alright now but when you finish it, you don’t want to see anyone.

Do you set yourself targets at the beginning of the season – particular numbers you want to achieve?

I don’t like to set targets. I don’t think that I’ll score X number of goals or assists. The only thing I think about is that I want to be better than I was last season; I want to play better in the next match than I played in the previous match. Those are my objectives.

But it must be tough when you’ve already won the Spanish Super Cup, the Liga, the Champions League… What else do you want?

I want to win it all over again here at Real. I have to get used to always winning.

Now you’re going to play in the Super Cup. Is it a proud moment?

I want to play in the Super Cup every year. To play in the Super Cup you need to have won the Champions League, and I want to win the Champions League every time. It’s going to be very special to me.

After you win the Champions League you are the European champions, but arguably the Super Cup is an even greater title. Do you think the team feels that weight?

For sure. When we’re in a final, we forget about the name of the competition and we just want to win it. We’ll always go in to win it. That’s our team’s mindset.