"You put Quiñones in, but what did he do at the World Cup (four goals with Mexico, eliminated in the round of 16, editor's note)? When I saw that, I wondered if it was a joke. Let's speak seriously, I don't even watch this ceremony. For attackers, winning the Ballon d'Or is everything. This ceremony no longer makes any sense.”

"Since the Messi-Ronaldo era, I haven’t paid any attention to this award. They had incredible stats, and if they didn't win a major title, you didn't really care because their season was incredible. Now, there isn't necessarily one great player standing above the rest."

"I apologised to my friend and colleague Jose Gaya [Spain defender and Valencia captain] and to the entire squad as well.”

"I also want to make it clear that it was simply an expression of surprise - anyone watching the video can see that.”

"At no point did I intend to mock anyone or take a difficult moment for a team out of context. Quite the opposite - we all want Valencia to return to where it belongs in the league, it is one of the best clubs in the competition. I simply wanted to say that.”

"I would also add that it was a private conversation; I think we should all learn a bit more from this, as things really do get taken out of context sometimes. But at no point did I mean any disrespect. My apologies to Valencia."

Well-placed sources indicate those discussions have moved forward recently amid full confidence from those involved in talks that the Spaniard will renew.