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Leandro Gonzalez Pirez still has a lot of love in his heart for Atlanta United and the city. The now Inter Miami defender admitted as much on an episode of The Call Up podcast recently. You can watch his full interview with Jillian Sakovits and Susannah Collins below.
While LGP spends a lot of the interview talking about his current situation in Miami and what the future holds, he did mention some very interesting things in regards to Atlanta United. When asked if he would celebrate if he scored against his former club, Gonzalez Pirez was adamant that he would not and honor the respectful soccer tradition.
“No, of course not,” Gonzalez Pirez said. “It’s too much for me. Honestly, Atlanta is special to me. I had to leave for different reasons. It doesn’t matter now. It’s in the past.”
“Atlanta will always be special to me, for every single reason. I had my first daughter there. I bought my first house there. I became a champion there. I had great times there with the fans, with the players, I have a lot of friends there. I have a lot of moments in my heart and my head. It will always be special for me.”
When the subject of Frank de Boer and his departure from Atlanta was broached, an uncomfortable grin could easily be seen on LGP’s face. After admitting the subject was tough for him to talk about, he revealed that the chemistry between the Atlanta United players and the coaching staff under De Boer just never materialized.
“It’s a little hard to talk about this. I said a year ago when I spoke to the media at the All-Star Game that a lot has changed on this team. We were not comfortable, we don’t like it as players. We never developed that chemistry that you need with a coach. In those two years, I never saw the type of chemistry that we had with Tata for example. I think it’s good for Atlanta, it’s a new change, it’s a new start. I wish them the best.”
Atlanta United play their first game against Inter Miami on August 26 in Miami. LGP makes his return to Atlanta on September 2.