Playing for Barcelona is a whole different ball game compared to Girona
Eric Garcia will be one of the main players in the Girona-Barça match this Saturday at Montilivi. The two Catalan teams are battling it out for second place. The 23-year-old center-back, under contract with Barça until 2026, has had a strong season on loan with Michel‘s team. Xavi Hernández, in a recent press conference, expressed his desire for the talented defender to return to Barça next season.
“I’ve always said he belongs at Barça. I didn’t want him to leave, but it was a matter of financial fair play. We definitely want him back next season,” he stated firmly.
Xavi also pointed out the difference in pressure between playing for Barça and Girona, using Eric García as an example: “The media attention on Barça is much higher compared to Girona. Eric has mentioned feeling more at ease playing for Girona. The pressure is not the same as playing for Barça. Not all players from Girona may adapt to that pressure. We’ve seen some high-level players who have performed exceptionally well.”
While it seemed like he was talking about Oriol Romeu, who joined from Girona in the summer but struggled to settle in, Xavi clarified, “It’s not just about pressure, his situation was different. He started off strong but then had some setbacks and we opted for other players. It’s all about performance. The competition at Barça is intense, and he didn’t get as much playing time as I had hoped.”
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper
