Alejandro Balde talks Barça Femeni, Xavi Simons, Champions League

Barça Femeni got the better of Chelsea in the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-final, beating them 2-1 on aggregate to book a place in their third successive UCL final, and Alejandro Balde had nothing but admiration for the team.

“We are happy for Barça Femení, we are in another Champions League final,” said the young left-back.

Balde, 19, is enjoying a fantastic breakthrough season at Barcelona after bursting onto the scenes in the second half of the 2021/22 season. His appearance at left-back against Rayo Vallecano was actually his 27th league outing of the season. 

While interacting with the fans on The Residency app, the 19-year-old talked about several aspects of his career, including the player he would like to play with, his most memorable moment as well as his dream with Barcelona.

Interestingly enough, he named current PSV midfielder Xavi Simons as the player he would want to play with. 

“A player I would like to play with? Xavi Simons,” revealed Balde.

It must be remembered that Simons joined Barcelona’s youth setup in 2010 but after failing to agree a contract with the team, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in 2019. The two played together through the ranks at La Masia, though.

Upon asked which has been his favourite moment of his career, he replied, “The best moment in my career? There are many. My debut, my first title, playing in the World Cup… Even my first day at La Masia in 2011.”

Balde made his senior team debut in September 2021, coming on as a late substitute against Bayern Munich in a 3-0 defeat. 

Over the course of his Barcelona tenure, he began knocking on the national team doors and after Jose Gaya was ruled out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, then manager Luis Enrique decided to call Balde for the tournament.

After a rather hectic season wherein the competition for the left-back spot was with Jordi Alba, the 19-year-old is close to getting his hand on his first-ever league title. That, however, is not his dream.

“A dream to fulfil? Winning the Champions League with Barcelona,” explained the defender.

Lastly, he had a special mention for his brother Edi, who was the reason he got into playing football in the first place.

“Who inspired me to play football? My older brother, Edi. I always watched him play and it was thanks to him that I developed a passion for football.”