JOSÉ MARÍA CRUZ: 'WE NEVER STOP THINKING OF WAYS WE CAN BE DIFFERENT AND IMPROVE'

Cruz began speaking about the Sevilla he first found: 'There were some key points in the formation of this modern Sevilla FC, the Sevilla FC in the best economic, sporting and institutional position in history, a growth which began in 2002. We came into the club in a critical moment and we managed to lay the groundwork for what we have now. We don't want the Sevilla of the future to be like the Sevilla we have today - we want it to be even better.'

'Cleaning the club up economically, making things more professional and getting back the passion were the keys to success'

The CEO laid out the keys to the club's success: 'One of them was cleaning the club up economically - we were coming off the back of some very unstable years financially. It's not something you do overnight but it's a process and a very important one at that. Making things more professional was key too because the club was poorly structured with few people and little experience in directing a football club. That's why we decided to bring in new, young people to lay down the foundations for future success.'

'We're always thinking about how we can be different than the others and how we want the Sevilla of the future to be'

Cruz underlined that Sevilla FC's model was based on 'selling to grow. And I'm not speaking about shares, I mean players. That helped us get the economic resources to have the best possible squad every season to compete at the highest level and get into Europe. We are not complacent, we are demanding and we are always thinking about how we can be different than the others and how we want the Sevilla of the future to be.'

'Improving our infrastructure and becoming more involved in digitalization and artificial intelligence are the keys for the future'

The CEO revealed what the club would be working on in the future to keep the club growing: 'The key to success in the future is improving our sporting infrastructure which we are working on with the ambitious projects at the training village and the stadium. Digitalisation and artificial intelligence are also very important - we will apply technology to every day live at Sevilla FC.'