All the B team players hope to make it to the first team squad and for Andreu Fontas that dream has come true and now he has to prove that he deserves his place amongst the best players in the world who are his teammates at the Camp Nou.

“The truth is that I never expected to get this far” explained Fontàs, who has gradually made his way up through the youth and reserve teams after playing for his home town team Banyoles and Girona before his move to Barça.

Big jump to Barça

Reflecting on his experiences in the Club’s youth and reserve teams, Fontàs claimed: “I was never a player who stood out really, but through hard work and effort I gradually progressed and made the jump from Banyoles to Girona and then I had one season with the Barça Youth team, before I played three seasons with the B team”.

He also admitted that the move to Barcelona came as a shock to him: “when I first got to Barça, I couldn’t believe it – so many things were different, it was all so much more professional and you see all the physios, the Ciutat Esportiva, all those grass pitches… it was all a big surprise”.

Luis Enrique gave him an important role in the B team, using him as both a central defender and an anchorman in the middle, but Fontàs admitted that: “I was really keen to take on the responsibility I now have”, as a first team squad player.

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And how would he describe himself as a player? “I am pretty calm about coming out from the back with the ball, which is a pretty fundamental part of our game. We also play with a back line which is very high up the pitch and you have to be very alert in that situation. I’ve matured and the switch from midfielder to centre back was a very big change - one of the biggest I’ve experienced at the Club”.

Keen to continue learning

One of the objectives for youngsters who come into the first team squad is to take on the habits of the rest of the players and learn from their more experienced teammates: “they are players with so much experience and I want to learn every day from them. I watch them closely every day to see what they do”, according to Fontàs, who also revealed that “Carles Puyol really helped me a lot when I played against Almeria- he was talking to me all through the game and always marked the line we were to keep. I am so happy to be a part of this group of players”.

Pre-season

“I’m happy with how the preparation has gone. It’s always tough to get started again and we’ve been suffering with all the heat, which has meant we haven’t been able to give of our best- I’m not at my maximum level, but I am feeling better with every game”.

Fontàs has also been impressed with the fans’ reaction on the Tour and with the global importance that the Club clearly enjoy: “we are one of the most important clubs in the world and people value that. The open training sessions are incredible -that’s what Barça have”.


B team teammates

One of Fontàs’ ex-colleagues in the B team, Thiago Alcántara, has been at the centre of media attention on the Tour so far and Fontàs reckons: “he’s had an incredible pre-season and he deserves his call up for Spain”, whilst stressing his “ability to surprise and entertain, both off and on the pitch”.

Finally Fontàs claimed: “we have a spectacular academy” and the B team’s success has not gone unnoticed: “we have players in my position like Marc Bartra, Sergi Gómez, Marc Muniesa...they all play well and I’m really happy about the competition there is for places”.