Eric Garcia talks on his debut, teammates, and move to Barcelona

Earlier today, Barcelona’s new signing Eric Garcia gave an interview to Mundo Deportivo. The centre-back spoke a plethora of topics ranging from his debut to his relationship with teammates. Here is a summary of the defender’s interview with the Spanish media outlet.

Garcia first spoke about his debut for the club against Real Sociedad and thanked Ronald Koeman for the opportunity:

“Everything has happened very fast and I did not expect to play the game against Real Sociedad, but I am very grateful for the confidence that the coach has given me. Debuting at Barça is always been a dream, it was the first league game and also the day that fans returned to the Camp Nou, so it was a very special game for me.”

The former Manchester City player then spoke about his idol Gerard Pique and the opportunity to learn directly from him.

“Hopefully in a couple of years, I can say that I have had the career that Gerard Piqué has had and has, he has been and is one of the best centre-backs of all time. Playing alongside him and learning from him in training is incredible.”

“It’s the first game and you can’t draw too hasty conclusions either, but I felt very comfortable playing alongside Piqué the other day.”

Garcia then spoke about the reason for choosing the Number 24 jersey, and how Carles Puyol had a role in that decision:

“Indeed, there were not many numbers to choose from, but it happened that they gave me a photo of Puyol with number 24 and I decided to take it.”

The former Barca B captain then went over his departure from Manchester City, where he ran down his contract to return home. He said, “When I told Manchester City that I did not want to renew, I knew that there was an interest from Barça and I made it clear that I did not want to renew because I wanted to return here. Guardiola understood my decision at all times and I am very grateful to him for it.”

The 20-year-old continued to talk about his decision to leave Barcelona for the Premier League and explained the reason for doing so.

“I had to make a decision when I finished a certain stage in La Masia. Together with my family and my agent, we decided that the best thing was to go to Manchester and now that I am here again I can tell you that I think it was a good decision.”

At Manchester City, Garcia got the chance to train under Pep Guardiola for two years. He said that the exposure helped him improve on the tactical and positional aspects of his game.

“Being able to be in a league as physically demanding as the Premier League and being able to be with a coach like him has taught me a lot, especially positionally, tactically, trying to read what is going to happen before it happens.”

The centre-back also spoke on the similarities between Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, with whom he worked in the National Team. He said, “The truth is that Luis Enrique is quite similar in many ways to Pep, they try to communicate clearly and convey the message very well to the player.”

While on the topic of coaches, Garcia was also asked to comment on his current manager Ronald Koeman, for whom he was all praise.

“He’s a coach who has clear ideas, who asks the team to play in a certain way and I am very happy with these first days working with him.”

The interview then shifted to the topic of the dressing room atmosphere. The youngster said he was received well, and felt comfortable.

“From the first day the teammates welcomed me very well, I already knew the young players, Busi, Alba and Sergi Roberto also, from the national team, but the truth is that the reception has been very good.”

When asked about Lionel Messi’s departure, Garcia said: “I was especially excited to be able to play with him, but in football, these things happen and that’s it.”

He then spoke about Sergio Aguero, who made the move from Etihad to Camp Nou with him. He commented, “He is a great striker, he has been showing it for years, he is a born scorer and I am sure he will help us a lot.”

The interview would be incomplete without a question about Pedri, the boy making the headlines. On his prodigal teammate, Garcia said, “He is a very special player, one of those who are born with that talent. He is a great player, we have seen it on many occasions, both for club and country.

“We are delighted to have him here and I hope this year he can continue to do the same.”

Finally, the 20-year-old ended the interview talking about signing for the ‘best club in the world’ and the expectations that come with it.

“If you come to Barça, you already know that it is a club in which you are required to win because it is the best club in the world. We have a very good team for this and hopefully, we can achieve as many titles as possible for the fans.”