No new player at Barcelona finds it easy to get accustomed to the ways and demands of the club. La Blaugrana remain one of the clubs in Europe with the most intense pressure and demands from their stars. However, with the right environment and the right people, even Barcelona can be adapted to.
Yet, adaptation comes beyond just familiarity. For some players, the biggest shock can come through seeing a surprising level of playing ability from their new teammates. Interestingly, a certain Portuguese star just recently revealed who that player was for him after moving to FC Barcelona.
As highlighted by SPORT, Joao Cancelo recently spoke about Barcelona, both the current generation and his old memories of the club. Speaking about the present, he talked about a certain Dutchman who truly impacted him the most:
“…Gündogan is also a top player, but I already knew him (having coincided at City). The impact, the biggest impact I’ve had in terms of quality here, has been Frenkie de Jong. If you trained with him or saw him train, you would realize he has different qualities.”
Cancelo also spoke about his fond memories of FC Barcelona when Pep Guardiola used to coach the club. Admitting himself to have been an admirer of the club, he stated:
“I have always been a fan of Barcelona. Certainly, more so during the golden era, from around 2008; I grew up watching Barcelona play.”
According to the 29-year-old, the best football team he ever saw was also the 2009 Barcelona team:
“For me, I grew up watching the best football team, which is the 2009 Barcelona, and many of my idols played here.”
Speaking about his adaptation to his new team in Spain, the Manchester City loanee claimed he had no issues. As per his words, it has been rather easy to adapt:
“It was easy to adapt, among other things because I really like the club, I really like the club’s dynamics, and it has been easy, very easy to adapt.”
Cancelo, alongside the other Barcelona players, will return to official La Liga action on the 4th of January. They will take on UD Las Palmas as their very first game of 2024, and will be hoping to kick things off with a win.
While Cancelo himself is simply a loan player as of right now, Barcelona hope to make him a permanent member sooner rather than later.
