Despite the numerous stars that manage to reach the heights that FC Barcelona has to offer, there are always those left behind in the rubble of a previously abandoned structure. Whether they hold grudges or simply move past it, some players do tend to have lingering emotions towards their former clubs.
A present case of this may just be 25-year-old Celta Vigo forward Carles Perez. Formerly a youth player within FC Barcelona, he arrived in 2012 and had to wait until 2019 to debut with the Barcelona first team following seven years of climbing the ranks internally.
However, perhaps due to a lack of trust in his abilities, Barcelona would soon send him out on loan to Serie A club Roma, who would subsequently end up permanently buying the right-winger for around €13 million. Now, he is currently on loan at La Liga side Celta Vigo for the 2023/24 season.
In a recent interview, as highlighted by SPORT, Carles Perez discusses several aspects of facing Barcelona in the upcoming clash between Celta Vigo and the Catalan giants at the Montjuic Stadium in La Liga EA Sports.
The intimidation of Barcelona
Having returned from an injury, the player will look forward to featuring against Barcelona. He was even asked if this Barcelona side looks ‘scary’ given their outstanding recent form, having won two games in a row with a 5-0 scoreline:
“Not fear, we know who we are facing; they have a lot of quality, very good players, and it’s Barcelona, what else can I say? We need to approach it with intelligence, know how to play the game, and take advantage of opportunities.”
Later, he was asked what his actual assessment of Barcelona is from what he’s seen, to which he replied that he actually does not follow the Catalan club a lot:
“To be honest, I don’t follow them much… of course, Joao Félix and Cancelo bring a different rhythm to the team. And the results speak volumes.”
Faith in youth and Lamine Yamal
Given that he was one of the striving youngsters of Barca himself at one point, he was asked regarding his opinion on 16-year-old Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal and his rise in the first team:
“If Lamine is there, it’s because he earned it.”
He also did acknowledge however that when he was playing for Barcelona, the youth talent was not given as many chances and opportunities as they are today:
“When I was there, they didn’t give the opportunities that I believed should be given to the youth academy, and I see that has changed, and I’m glad.”
Celebrating and scoring against Barca
The player, given that he may feature against Barcelona in the upcoming game, was then confronted on whether or not he would celebrate against his former club if he scored, to which he replied:
“It’s not a bad thing; it’s been years since I left. Now I’m with Celta, and if I score, I obviously won’t provoke anyone, but I will celebrate it. I don’t think it’s a lack of respect. I would celebrate it just like I would against any other team, nothing more. I have nothing to reproach Barcelona for.”
Possible return
While other topics were also discussed, the player was additionally asked if the door back to FC Barcelona was now fully closed for him, to which he gave a rather open-ended answer:
“I haven’t thought about it, not at another team either. I work to improve and let the results show on the field. I’m open to anything, I feel at home in Vigo.”
