Latest news with #Eibar
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
La Masia product breaks silence after Barcelona exit – ‘Looking forward to a change of scenery'
Earlier today, FC Barcelona confirmed that promising La Masia midfielder Aleix Garrido has left the club after spending 13 seasons. The 21-year-old prospect was the captain of the Barça Atletic this season but could not help them avoid relegation from the RFEF Primera Division. Advertisement With Garrido's contract expiring on June 30, the youngster, who made his first-team debut for Barcelona in 2023 under Xavi Hernandez, decided to move onto a new challenge. As such, having left Barcelona for free, the La Masia product has signed for Eibar in La Liga 2, penning a three-year contract. Aleix Garrido opens up after exit Following his move to Eibar from Barcelona, Garrido has now opened up on what this move means for his career. 'For me, it's a big change because I've been at Barça for many years. It's the end of a chapter and I'm looking forward to a change of scenery and to experience football much more professionally and to wear this shirt,' Garrido said. Continuing, the 21-year-old starlet added: 'The second division is something I haven't played in yet and it motivates me a lot to develop myself as a footballer. Eibar is a perfect place. Advertisement 'I'm happy, I'm happy to join this family. It's going to be a great year and I'm motivated, I'm keen to get out of my comfort zone.' Garrido has struggled with several physical issues over the past two seasons, particularly with a metatarsal injury. As such, he saw his chances of breaking into the first team as extremely limited. In fact, Hansi Flick did not call him up to the first team even once during this campaign, instead turning to younger players like Guille Fernandez, Toni Fernandez, and Unai Hernandez. The 21-year-old prospect, thus, will be hoping to hit the ground running and live up to his potential after joining Eibar.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Barcelona youngster agrees move to another Spanish club
A long-time member of the midfield ranks at Barcelona has agreed on the terms of an imminent departure from the club. That's according to Carlos Monfort of Diario Sport, who points towards Aleix Garrido as the player in question. Advertisement Garrido, for those not familiar with his name, is a 21-year-old midfielder, who has long been held in high regard behind the scenes in Catalunya's capital. The Spaniard spent this past season acting as captain for Barca Atlètic, racking up 25 league appearances, and chipping in with a pair of goals along the way. The Barcelona reserve team's eventual relegation, however, threw the future of Garrido, as well as others, into serious doubt. A number of clubs from across the Spanish football landscape have spent recent weeks sniffing around the youngster's signature. And as alluded to above, on Thursday, one such club have reached an agreement to bring Garrido in on terms through 2028. Advertisement As per a report from the aforementioned Carlos Monfort: 'Aleix Garrido will sign for Eibar for the next three seasons. The player will bid farewell to the Blaugrana team after 13 seasons in the youth system, being one of the most promising players in the reserve team.' Conor Laird – GSFN
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Official: Barcelona confirm promising midfielder's departure
The departures from Barcelona's reserve team ranks continue as the club have now confirmed that promising midfielder Aleix Garrido has departed after 13 years in the academy. 'Aleix Garrido will not continue at FC Barcelona next season. The 21-year-old player and captain of Barça Atletic is ending a 13-season spell at the Club, from joining as a youth player to making his first-team debut,' the club statement read, Advertisement 'The Club wishes him the best of luck in the future, both personally and professionally.' Garrido, 21, joined the club back in 2012, at the Benjamin C level and rose through the ranks at La Masia, going on to become the Barça Atletic captain this season. The midfielder even made his first-team debut for the Blaugrana during the 2022/23 season under former manager Xavi Hernandez against Elche in La Liga – his only senior appearance. Having missed a good chunk of the season due to injury, Garrido did establish himself as a regular in the team after returning but could not stop Barça Atletic from getting relegated. Now, with his contract expiring on June 30, the 21-year-old has opted to move on from Barcelona and embark on a new journey, with Eibar understood to be his next club.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Official: Barcelona reserve team forward leaves for Polish club
Following Barça Atletic's relegation from the RFEF Primera Division, an exodus of talents from Barcelona's reserve team squad is on the cards this summer. And, one of the first players to complete a move away from Juliano Belletti's team is forward Diego Percan, who has signed for Arka Gdynia in Poland. Advertisement Indeed, the Polish outfit announced the free-transfer signing of the forward. Percan's contract with Barcelona stood to expire on 30 June. The 23-year-old attacker has now signed with the newly-promoted Polish first-division outfit until 2027, with an option to extend for an additional year. Percan joined Barcelona in July 2023 from Cultural Leonesa. In his debut season, the attacker suffered a serious injury on 21 April 2024, tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. After spending over a year out on the sidelines, Percan returned to action in May, playing the final two games of the season for Barça Atletic in which he even scored a goal. Advertisement The youngster leaves Barcelona after playing 32 matches in which he scored six goals. Following Percan out the doors soon will be Barça Atletic captain Aleix Garrido, who has agreed a three-year contract with Eibar. Pau Prim is also headed for the exit doors, as is Arnau Pradas. Defensive ace Sergi Dominguez is also attracting interest from Italy.
Scottish Sun
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Marc Cucurella was so unpopular at Barcelona his team-mates couldn't even look at him – now he's undroppable at Chelsea
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MARC CUCURELLA has faced rejection many times in his career but he just doesn't give up. When he signed from Espanyol nobody at Barcelona would talk to him for weeks because he celebrated wildly after beating them in the Copa del Rey final. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Cucurella has had to overcome adversity but he's living his best life at Chelsea Credit: Getty 8 His start to life at Chelsea was tough but he's overcome his problems Credit: X formerly Twitter / @primevideosport 8 Cucurella was such a massive hit at Brighton when he first arrived in England Credit: AFP He'd come to training but would never talk to anyone and mostly sat in the changing room by himself. In an exclusive interview, his old team-mate at Barcelona, Carles Alena, told SunSport: 'He took his shirt off, went wild and the crazy thing is, a month later, he had signed for Barcelona so you can imagine how we felt. 'When he came to Barca for preseason, I remember I couldn't even look at him. Neither could many of my team-mates and he didn't want to look at us either. 'He was kind of embarrassed and I remember those first few days, he'd sit in the locker room without even making eye contact, like 'Damn, what have I done?'' But football has a unique way of joining people and it wasn't long before his new team-mates started to understand it was all done in the spirit of competitiveness. His second immediate challenge was to break into the first team, every player who comes through their La Masia academy dreaming of playing for Barcelona. If they don't, it can crush them - but Cucurella's story is proof that sometimes to win, you have to lose first. The first-team league debut never came. So in the summer of 2018 with the transfer window about to close, he got a phone call from Eibar sporting director Fran Garagarza. Join SUN CLUB for the Chelsea Files every Tuesday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Stamford Bridge He said: 'Hey, I know you want to play at Barcelona but maybe you can play at Eibar first, then you can show them what you're made of.' Most young players at La Masia would hesitate but Cucurella was hungry to play so he didn't dwell on it for long. Marc Cucurella wipes away tears as Chelsea star and Wag Claudia Rodriguez reveal emotional strain of son Mateo's autism He had come from Espanyol and after a difficult start won over everyone but he had a feeling it was time to go big time. Alena, who had become his best friend in the squad, revealed: 'He didn't want to play in Segunda B again. "Then the opportunity with Eibar came up, and I think he made the right choice because he had a coach there, Mendilibar, who really trusted him. "He became even more of a footballer there than he already was.' The meeting to leave Barcelona lasted just two hours, that was it. From that moment, his life and mindset changed. He went from waiting for opportunities to creating them himself. Sometimes that's all you need. He was one of the popular faces at La Masia, but there were others seen as more talented or higher in the pecking order - but still he was more aggressive, more driven. 8 Cucurella and his family are settled in London now Credit: instagram/@_claurodri 8 Barcelona agreed to a loan with Eibar, with a £2million option to buy, and a £4m buy-back clause. Everyone was satisfied. Eibar coach Jose Luis Mendilibar, who gave him his debut, told Marca: "He's a kid who's neither fast nor strong. 'In all the measurements we do with the many machines we have, he doesn't fit into any of them. 'You'd never sign him based on that but he's a footballer, very smart. He chooses well. That's Marc Cucurella." In the entire Spanish football pyramid, Eibar is one of the hardest places to play. They're a small team from a tiny village in the Basque region, known for playing physical, direct football, more like English teams than the typical Spanish style. 8 Cucurella had to leave Barcelona to become his own man Credit: Getty Images For someone from La Masia, that should've been a challenge but Cucurella excelled there. They say you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only option - so the new challenge tested him and he passed with flying colours. Eibar exercised the buy option and Barcelona bought him back for £4m, making Eibar a £2m profit in just one season. Getafe days Cucurella returned to Barcelona twice as tall, more confident and having proved himself by helping a small club punch above their weight. One team stood out among the clubs interested, Getafe. Ramon Planes, now sporting director at Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, knew the Spanish system well and had kept a close eye on Cucurella. He convinced Barcelona to do a similar deal as they had with Eibar but this time for £10m potentially rising to £18.5m. Cucurella spent two seasons at Getafe, playing their memorable Europa League campaign and helping the team cement their LaLiga status. 8 Left-back Marc Cucurella has come through the ranks in Barcelona's academy Credit: Getty Images Amankwaa Akurugu, the backup left-back to Cucurella at Getafe, exclusively tells SunSport: 'I was young and he came in with so much experience and energy. 'He was exemplary in the dressing room but it was on the pitch where his energy really showed, his pressing was relentless and his defensive work was solid. 'He never acted like he was from Barcelona and deserved respect. He was humble, cracked jokes with us and made everything easy. 'He easily could've acted like the boss after all he'd done well the previous season and was still on Barcelona's books but none of that shows how grounded he is.' Brighton Cucurella's stock kept rising, West Ham showed strong interest but David Moyes didn't think he would be a good fit for their style. That turned out to be the Irons' loss and Brighton's gain. From day one in East Sussex he was a hit. You can spend years sharpening your skills and then when success comes it often happens fast and feels inevitable. Cucurella was excited to be in the Premier League. Brighton was different from Espanyol, Barcelona, Eibar, or Getafe, but it was a good fit. He loved how Graham Potter saw the game. By the end of his first season, he'd been named both Player of the Season and Players' Player of the Season. Brighton are renowned for elite recruitment but few players have delivered value on and off the pitch as quickly and effectively as the curly-haired Spaniard. Chelsea beat Manchester City to his signature Cucurella's breakout Premier League season caught the attention of Pep Guardiola, who reportedly reached a verbal agreement with the player. But once Brighton learned Chelsea were also in the race they raised the price and Manchester City couldn't match it. 8 Cucurella's hardwork on the pitch has won over fans Credit: Getty Chelsea paid a whopping £60m for him, but like at Barcelona, his start to life in West London was tough. Yet the lessons and experience of a tough beginning meant he stuck with it instead of jumping at the first opportunity to move. Manchester United lost two of their left backs and were looking for stop gap options. And Cucurella, struggling at Chelsea, could have jumped at the opportunity but he stuck and fought his way back from being surplus to requirement to being unstoppable this season. Everything about him has been exemplary at Chelsea, he's added to his game, scores goals and defends aggressively. Now when he doesn't play there is a feeling that something is missing. And he might just be adding a Conference League title to his resume this week.
