Barcelona forward will be extra motivated for today’s clash vs Valencia – report

Saturday’s game between Barcelona and Valencia will be quite special for the likes of Ferran Torres and Joao Cancelo as the two happen to have burst onto the bigger stage with Los Che early in their career.

Now, the Barcelona duo will return to what once served as their home and this return comes with a distinct reception. As far as Cancelo is concerned, one can expect a heartwarming welcome but for Torres, his return might lack the sentiment.

Regardless of that, though, Mundo Deportivo has suggested that the former Manchester City winger will still play with extra motivation against his former side. 

A bittersweet homecoming

When Torres left Valencia for Manchester City, he had the choice to leave for free but out of respect for the team, he first decided to extend his contract, allowing his team to retrieve €23 million from his transfer.

But for what it is worth, Valencia never really wanted him to leave in the first place, but a call from Pep Guardiola’s Man City was enough to lure him away. 

Interestingly enough, since signing for Barcelona in 2022, he has played three games against Valencia and has walked out victorious in all of them. In these three matches, however, he has neither scored a goal nor has he managed to get an assist.

What’s special this time then?

Torres happens to be Barcelona’s second-highest goalscorer this season, with six goals and three assists across all competitions.

Having successfully attained the personal objective he set this season, Torres now faces a noticeable barrier to his progress, primarily due to a lack of regular playing time with the first team. 

While he did manage to play the full 90 minutes against Royal Antwerp in the UEFA Champions League and even scored, it’s worth noting that, prior to this, he had only exceeded 30 minutes of play in just one out of the four preceding games.