Ayoub Ghadfa, Olympian boxer, in conversation with Alberto Webster
Marbella is full of stories. Some shine for a moment; others are built quietly, day after day.
Every so often, someone emerges whose journey speaks not only of talent, but of consistency, discipline and the decisions made when no one is watching. Ayoub is one of those people.
In a relaxed and unhurried conversation, Alberto Webster, CEO of Webster & Co, sat down with the young athlete to talk about routine, mindset and what it means to grow up in Marbella with a goal bigger than oneself.
Alberto Webster: Do you remember the exact moment when it stopped being a pastime and started to feel like your true path?
Ayoub: Yes, perfectly. I was 17. I had been training for a while, but deep down I still saw it as something “extra.” One day, after a tough session, my coach looked at me and said, “You’re not built for half-efforts.” I don’t think he realised how much it moved me. That night, I didn’t make any announcements or post anything on social media. I simply went home, removed distractions, wrote down what I wanted and started acting differently. It was a quiet change… but a definitive one.
AW: When the Spanish anthem plays and you’re wearing the national crest on your chest, what goes through your mind?
Ayoub: It’s hard to explain. It’s as if the entire journey comes together in a few seconds: the effort, the pressure, the sacrifices. But also a very deep calm. In that moment, you can’t pretend. It’s you, everything you’ve trained for, and the people who believed in you when perhaps you weren’t even sure yourself.
AW: Marbella has a very particular energy. How do you stay focused in the middle of all that?
Ayoub: That’s exactly why I train early, when the city is still quiet. There’s something about those first hours that centres you. Marbella has movement, ambition, life… and that can be distracting if you’re not clear about what you want. You learn to live alongside the noise without letting it pull you off course. And it’s not just about sport; it’s a way of living.
AW: Beyond sport, what has this city taught you?
Ayoub: It has taught me that consistency matters more than excitement. Every morning I see a man running along the beach. Always at the same time, the same pace, without making any noise. No one applauds him. But he’s there. That quiet discipline leaves a mark. Marbella is full of small scenes like that, if you know how to notice them.
AW: What do you do when your motivation drops, but physically you can still keep going?
Ayoub: I don’t think big. I tell myself, “Just one more set.” That’s it. If I start thinking about the whole week or the entire programme, I freeze. But one more… that’s manageable. You don’t have to feel amazing every day. You just have to show up.
AW: Is there a small habit that marked a before and after in your life?
Ayoub: Stretching before bed. It sounds minor, but it taught me to respect recovery as much as effort. It’s my moment to check in with myself. When you bring order to the quiet parts of your day, everything else falls into place.
AW: What part of your routine do people not see, yet makes all the difference?
Ayoub: How often I say “no.” No to comfort, no to shortcuts, no to “it doesn’t matter just this once.” It’s not spectacular. It’s even boring. But that’s where the difference lies.
AW: If you could speak to your 15-year-old self, what would you say?
Ayoub: I would tell him not to panic. Not everything has to happen at once. You don’t need to be the best today; you need to keep going tomorrow. Failure isn’t personal. It’s part of the process.
AW: And finally… what does success really look like to you?
Ayoub: It’s not the medals. It’s waking up and not feeling like you’re pretending. Knowing you’re doing what you’re meant to do, for the right reasons. And that even on the quietest days, you’re still moving forward.
In a city like Marbella, where everything seems to move fast and shine brightly, his journey is a reminder that true growth happens in the everyday: in that “one more set,” in the “I’ll show up again today,” in choosing to say no when saying yes would be easier.
Perhaps that is the most valuable lesson from this conversation. Success does not always make noise. Sometimes it walks along the beach at dawn, trains while the city sleeps and moves forward, step by step, without needing to announce itself. And when the anthem finally plays, it is not a surprise — it is simply the result of doing the work, every single day, in silence.
