FC Barcelona are one of the best clubs in the world from a talent development perspective. However, only a select few of these players are lucky enough to get promoted to the first team.
The tests of these footballers do not end even here, as they have to work extremely hard to retain their position in one of the most competitive sides in club football.
Numerous players who made the jump from the academy to the first team in recent years are now playing in other clubs across Europe, as only the best of the best make it at Barcelona.
Mingueza on his Barcelona return
One of these players who was unable to retain a place in the Barcelona squad after graduation from La Masia is the defender, Oscar Mingueza. The defender would be back in Barcelona once again this weekend, as his current side, Celta Vigo, faces Barcelona in their next La Liga match.
The defender remembered the time he had spent at Barcelona and gave a lot of credit to the Catalan club for his development in his press conference before the match, as has been reported by Mundo Deportivo:
“It’s a match that excites me a lot because Barcelona is the team that made me grow as a person and as a player, it gave me everything. I spent 16 years playing for Barcelona, and it’s beautiful to go back there.”
The player was also asked if he would like to score, and whether he would celebrate if he scored a goal against Barcelona. To this, he replied:
“Yes, I will be happy, but I won’t go overboard with celebrations. I believe Barcelona has given me a lot; they’ve given me everything. Education, football knowledge, I grew up in La Masia, I owe them everything, and they have all my respect.”
Difficulty of the match and playing at Montjuic
However, the player confessed that it would be very difficult for his side to face Barcelona, and also gave the secret to his team which could allow them to compete against the reigning champions:
“Barcelona will always try to score as many goals as possible. I was with Xavi and his coaching staff, and they didn’t ease up even in friendlies. We also need to go with the mentality of giving our maximum because otherwise, there will be no way to get anything. The important thing is to approach the game with the right attitude and give our all for the full 90 minutes.”
While he will be coming back to Barcelona for the game, Mingueza will not be able to play at Camp Nou for now, as Barcelona will be hosting the match at Montjuic. On the venue for this match, he commented:
“No, to be honest, I’ve never played there. I’ve been there with my father; I remember going to watch athletics there sometimes. In the end, the atmosphere will be the same, and we’ll feel the pressure from the fans as well. They will be comfortable playing in their home ground. It won’t be the same stadium, but we’ll have the same feeling as if we were playing at the Camp Nou.”
Barcelona will be facing Celta on Saturday, as they try to keep up the pressure on Real Madrid and try to snatch the first position on the league table. However, this time, Mingueza will be on the other side and can be a threat to this objective of Xavi and his team.
