The Canary Islands midfielder, a key player for Hansi Flick, discusses his career, his present situation and his personal and collective ambitions at Barcelona, the club of his life, with the club's media.
Growth and Leadership
"I've experienced a huge change since I arrived, yes. It seems like it was yesterday, but five and a half years have passed. In this time, I've learned a lot from my teammates and the captains I've had. And yes, now I feel like I'm in a leadership position within the team."
Barça Blood
"When I was born, they put a Barça shirt on me. My grandfather and my father were die-hard Barça fans, and they passed that on to me. I'm a Barça fan who is lucky enough to play for his team. I'm living a dream, and I'm aware of it every day when I wake up."
Coaches' Analysis
"I'll always be grateful to Koeman for giving me my debut, trusting me when I was a nobody. Xavi helped us rekindle our enthusiasm, winning a league title no one expected. He's also a club legend who helped us a lot and trusted the young players. And with Flick, we've taken another step forward competitively, aiming to fight for every title. He has that characteristic German seriousness... He's serious when he needs to be, and when it's time to laugh, he makes us laugh a lot. He usually takes things calmly, but it's best not to make him angry."
Playing Partner with De Jong
"Now we play much more together than before, and it shows. Perhaps from the outside, you can't see how good Frenkie is, but he has incredible quality and a lot of power to break lines. I'm very happy to have him by my side."
Eric García's Best Moment
"Yes, and I'm personally very happy about it, because he's a friend of mine. When we signed him, I already knew his level: he's one of the best center-backs in the world at distributing the ball, and he can play as a full-back, center-back, defensive midfielder... Mentally, he gives his all, he's smart, he knows how to position himself perfectly. There was a time when the fans stopped believing in him, but now they've realized the level he's at."
Lamine Yamal
"Lamine is an incredible footballer. At his age, few players are capable of doing what he does. He's very mature, and even though his private life is talked about, he knows what he's doing at every moment. He handles the pressure he has to endure at only 18 years old very naturally."
11th Place in the Ballon d'Or
"Well, that's where I finished after the voting. I accept it, and I'll try to finish higher next year."
Winning the Ballon d'Or
"Hopefully. Every footballer dreams of winning a Ballon d'Or. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. It's complicated, but you never know..."
Champions League
"I prefer a team award to an individual one. I'd rather Barça, my team, win than receive an award myself. And yes, this season I see the team's best chance in the Champions League. Last year we came so close to the final, and this year we'll give it our all because it's a competition we all want to win."
Promise to win the Champions League
"I won't shave my head completely because my mother won't let me. 'Stop doing silly things,' she tells me (laughs). I don't know what I could promise... but what's certain is that my teammates and I will give our all to win it."