Being one of the most demanding and competitive teams in the world, only the most able and luckiest players are able to succeed at FC Barcelona. Talent alone is surely not enough to make a name for a player at the Catalan club, and everything at the club needs to align for anyone to get an opportunity to shine.
This phenomenon was experienced first-hand by one of the players who joined La Blaugrana with many expectations a few years ago, Ferran Jutgla.
However, his time at the Catalan club was rather short, as he joined Barça B in 2021 before leaving for Club Brugge in 2022. He played mainly in the youth ranks at Barcelona, but was able to make some first-team appearances as well.
Jutgla claims he could have replaced Lewandowski
The former Barcelona player gave an interview recently, and as SPORT has reported, he mentioned his time at Barcelona in this interview. Most notably, he claimed that he could have replaced Lewandowski if he was still at the club, as the Pole is currently out with an injury:
“Of course, I think I could have been a good replacement for Lewandowski, but when I left, I knew there were many people, and I wanted to play. I had to make a decision, and that’s what I did.”
Time at Barcelona
Jutgla recalled his time at Barcelona with fondness, and expressed how the opportunity to play with the Blaugrana first team was too good to be missed:
“When I signed for Barcelona, I didn’t even think about the first team. My goal was to have a platform to establish myself in professional football.”
I chose Barcelona because it was a platform, but when you’re inside, and you see an opportunity to make it, if you’re prepared, lucky, and all these factors come together, you try to seize it, and that’s what I did. It was my opportunity.”
Further talking about his time at Barcelona, he explained that it was: “A rebuilding season where those of us who were there were looking for the best for the club.”
Jutgla blamed the circumstances surrounding his career and Barcelona for his early departure from the club:
“It went very well on my part and the cub. But there are circumstances. I wanted to play and that was not the time. I did not have the space and football is moments. Just like it was the moment when I left Espanyol to go to Barça.”
Already reaching 24 years of age, chances are low that Jutgla and Barcelona will reunite any time in the future. However, Jutgla has already been lucky to have played for one of the biggest clubs in the world, as it remains only a dream for hundreds of thousands of players to don the famous blue and garnet jersey of Barcelona.
