Barcelona gem midfielder talks Koeman, Xavi and Dani Alves

Barcelona have had a difficult start to the 2021/22 campaign, but there have been a few positives that have come out of the season for the Catalans.

One such major positive has been the emergence of youngster Nico Gonzalez as a regular in the first team. Aged 19, the La Masia graduate has impressed with his mature displays in the middle of the park, featuring in 11 matches across all competitions, registering one assist.

Nico sat down with Mundo Deportivo for an interview recently, where he spoke about various topics ranging from his best position to the managerial change at Barca, among others.

The 19-year-old shed some light on the pressure that came along with being the son of a famous footballer and the advice his father, Fran, imparted to him. “From the beginning there has been a little more added pressure. When I was little, they always asked me if I was going to be better than my father. He always said yes. Now even when I grew up, too.”

“Success in football has no secret. In the end my father has always told me that to succeed what you have to do is work, work and work. It’s what I always remember the most,” he added.

It was Ronald Koeman who handed Nico his senior debut at Barca, in the game against Real Sociedad back in August. The youngster expressed his gratitude to the Dutchman, who was sacked by the club towards the end of the last month.

“The day he was dismissed, I sent a message to him. He trusted me a lot, he bet on me. Last year news came out that he liked me. He gave me the opportunity and put me in many games. I will always be grateful and wish him the best,” he said.

Nico had been at the receiving end of some tough love and criticism from Koeman early in the season, but insisted that it helped him grow as a player. “It is not an easy situation for a young man, but it helped me a lot. Then he talked to me and everything was perfect. I am also grateful to him for these things that make you grow a lot. There was no problem.”

Speaking of the new manager, Xavi, Nico added: “He is amazing, not only for me, for all of Barça it generates an expectation. You see it in training. You see everyone eager to see what he explains to us, what he transmits to us. He is very close and I am sure that he will help us a lot.”

Nico was largely tipped to replace Sergio Busquets at the base of the Barcelona midfield but has found himself playing in a slightly more advanced position in the middle of the park. And the youngster admits that he feels comfortable in the role and is enjoying it.

“Last year I ended up playing pivot all season and this year in the pre-season too, but as an interior I’ve played a lot in the academy and I feel very comfortable. I think I’m doing quite well. I feel good and comfortable wherever they put me,” he said.

On the signing of Dani Alves, the youngster said: “Dani Alves is one of the figures that you see on television and they seem very happy. And then he is super close, very good person. It is appreciated in a locker room. He is transmitting a lot of joy to us and he is helping us a lot.”

On rejecting overtures from clubs like Real Madrid in the past, Nico added: “I had offers from Barça, Madrid also loved me… Before signing for Barça, I came to several tournaments, I made friends here and I wanted to come. It was a great team that included players like Ansu, Eric, Take and later Bernabé arrived.”

Lamenting on missing out on the chance of playing with Lionel Messi, the 19-year-old said: “Unfortunately what happened happened. For any kid, playing with Messi is almost the best. He is the best player of all time that I have seen, without a doubt. Personally I would have loved it.”

Opening up on the knock he picked up in the Celta Vigo clash, the youngster said: “I’m fine now, I was very calm last week, recovering well. In Vigo I had a lot of discomfort and I left a bit worried, but I’m fine.”

On Barcelona’s chances of winning trophies, the La Masia graduate added: “Obviously yes. You can dream. And I hope so. In the Champions League we are alive and in the League we are considered dead, but I am sure that we will come back because there is still a lot to do.”