Julio Iglesias tardó apenas 15 minutos en meterse al público en el bolsillo. Fue con los primeros acordes de su electrizante versión de "La gota fría" cuando el hielo terminó de romperse y las 5.000 personas que se dieron cita en Cambados para escucharle empezaron a vibrar.

El artista latino ofreció anoche en la plaza de Fefiñáns su único concierto del año en Galicia. Un espectáculo que sirvió para inaugurar por todo lo grande la 60 edición de la Festa do Albariño, y que atrajo a la villa arousana a gente de toda la comunidad.

Eran las diez y cuarto cuando Julio Iglesias hizo su aparición en el escenario, siendo recibido con una sonora ovación y gritos de "guapo, guapo". La primera canción, "Amor amor" ya arrancó los primeros bailes, aunque habría que esperar a "La gota fría", tras "Nathalie" y "Ni te tengo, ni te olvido", para que el público se metiese de cabeza en el espectáculo.

Sería un poco más tarde, sin embargo, con la archiconocida "Un canto a Galicia" cuando la complicidad entre espectadores y artista alcanzó una de sus cotas más altas de la noche, con miles de voces coreando al unísimo el estribillo de la canción.

Julio Iglesias fue fiel a su estilo, con un repertorio en el que se iban alternando los temas más melódicos y románticos con los que invitan a mover el esqueleto, como "Échame la culpa", y los tangos, como "A media luz", en los que la pareja de bailarines formada por Hernán Darío Gelosi y Soledad Andrea Fernández fueron los reyes del escenario.

Aunque no todo fue música y baile. Julio Iglesias compartió con el público gallego algunas reflexiones y soltó más de una perla, como cuando describió el tango como "la asociación más grande que tiene una pareja para tener un hijo en posición vertical". "Cuanta morriña -dijo tras "Amor, amor"-. Qué bonito volver a una tierra querida como es Galicia por tantas cosas que ustedes saben". También se refirió a la situación económica y social actual, afirmando que "venir por las carreteras gallegas hoy es un privilegio. Tenemos todo hecho" o que "tenemos que ser mucho más competitivos y tener mejores dirigentes".

El público volvió a encenderse como el "Derroche" de besos y ternura, ya en el tramo final de la actuación, aunque el delirio subió unos pocos grados más todavía con el "Me va, me va", que anunciaba ya prácticamente el final del concierto. No había tiempo para mucho más, y rayando ya la medianoche el artista accedió a las insistentes voces que le reclamaban un bis e interpretó de nuevo el "Me va, me va".

Julio Iglesias interpretó en Cambados cerca de una treintena de sus mayores éxitos de todos los tiempos, pues está promocionando un doble compacto recopilatorio que lleva el nombre de "1", y que es un repaso a lo mejor de su ya dilatada trayectoria artística. La plaza de Fefiñáns se abarrotó de público, y fueron cientos las personas que tuvieron que contentarse con escuchar el espectáculo desde la barrera, al agotarse las entradas poco antes de las diez.

When you've sold more than 300 million records worldwide, you can afford to uncork the odd £800 bottle of red wine - as Julio Iglesias does when HELLO! visits him at his home in Marbella.

Splitting his time between this sprawling hill-top estate and an equally stylish pad in Miami, his main home, the Spanish crooner lives with his second wife, Dutch model Miranda Rijnsburger, mother of his five younger children, aged from five to 14. He also has three grown-up children - including pop star sons Enrique and Julio Jr - from his first marriage, to Isabel Preysler.

A former goalkeeper for Real Madrid, Julio only got involved in music after a car accident ended his sporting career. Now, as he approaches his 69th birthday, he is celebrating with his album, 1, a re-recording of 32 of his early songs. 

When I started singing I was more a writer than a performer, but crooners tend to get better with age, so I decided to do this.

I was only thinking about surviving after my accident, not happiness. Now I have an incredible family, I do concerts everywhere from Finland to China and the only thing that's different is I don't run up steps like I used to.

You have a real reputation as a ladies' man...

I learned a lot from women. I like the smell of women, I like the feel of women, I like the sense of generosity of women; I love the love of a woman and because I was a singer, beautiful girls look at you. But I never abused it I've had eight kids, which must mean I really love women. You can't have kids if you're a playboy. I'm not a playboy. I never played with women. I loved women.

I was not that guy. I remember waking up in London one day and my manager sent me up a newspaper with something about me and 3,000 women. That's not a true story. I've had a lot of loves in my life, but millions of people have had more.

Oh, for sure! I wouldn't have written the songs that I wrote if not. I've never been a nice-looking guy.

I was always skinny, but I was able to get to people through my spirit You don't have to be top of the class to become president of the country.

And the tiny ones! They play guitar like you wouldn't believe. Incredible.

I don't mind. He's an amazing artist, a champion and my son. It's in the genes. When I see Enrique and we kiss each other, I see brightness in him. If they call me the father of Enrique, I'm happy.

When you're in Miami, do you hang out with fellow Latinos such as Ricky Martin and Gloria Estefan? 

With Gloria, a little. We don't have dinner every week, but I see her and her husband [Emilio]. But Ricky's like my son. When he was young he used to come and see my concerts. Maybe I was the first Latino artist in history who became global and it's not like they want to be Julio Iglesias, but they saw that if I can do it, they can do it

No. I bet I've only been to three or four in the last 30 years and they would have been industry parties, like the Grammys or the Oscars.

I prefer to have a party at home with my kids.

No, I get happy. I love red wine but I have never got drunk in my life.

I don't want to lose control. And I didn't want to do anything that would affect my throat.

It happens to so many people, not just famous ones. It's a sickness and if it gets out of control you can kill yourself. I really loved Michael. He once lived in my house for a month making an album and when I heard that he was going to do the 50 shows in England, I thought he'd gone crazy. He had a good family: they loved him and he loved them. But I'm not anyone to judge anything but my own life.