Barcelona starlet Fermin Lopez talks Xavi, Messi, Iniesta, Gavi, La Masia, Real Madrid | OneFootball

In an exclusive chat with Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez candidly talked about his life in Catalonia, the hardships he faced during the early part of his player career, and much more.

Fermin has been at Barcelona since 2016, however, it wasn’t until the ongoing season that he made his debut for the senior team. This step, though, was only taken because the midfielder had spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Linares where he scored 12 goals in all competitions.

“I arrived at Barça when I was 13. I was still a child, far from my parents, and in the end, it was also difficult to trust someone when I was at that stage. There were people at the club who trusted me a lot, and I kept progressing until the opportunity came,” he said.

Fermin’s life at La Masia was not all roses. At one point, he was only making substitute appearances which left him dejected, eventually crushing his morale. However, the player explains that the authorities of the youth academy helped him a lot.

“In the past, I had a bad time psychologically but thanks to La Masia and my parents I was able to deal with it in a better way.”

“When I was young I couldn’t take it any longer, a lot of frustration, I cried a lot, I had a bad attitude. I think it made me mentally stronger. It helped me so that when this happened to me again I would deal with them.”

“Who helped me in the moments of doubt about my career? I pretty much helped myself, that was my dream, I didn’t see anything other than Barça. And also my family, especially my father. I always believed that it would be better to be here, despite circumstances.” he said.

Furthermore, when talking about La Masia, he also said, “My best friend in La Masia? I always felt loved by everyone, but I will say Gavi and Cristobal Munoz. They were by my side in the most difficult times.”

Fermin Lopez has been at Barcelona since the agent of 13. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Career progression

The 20-year-old has made quite an impact at Barcelona in such a short time this season and he credits the success to Xavi and the rest of the coaching staff for their help ‘from day one.’

“Xavi and the staff helped me a lot from the first day, especially in the first match. He was one of the best midfielders in history and in all aspects of the game, control and defence. I learn a lot from him and his staff.”

“No, but the coaches talk to me from time to time,” he said when asked if he watches videos of himself to improve his game.

National team setup

Despite having a successful tenure at Linares last season, Fermin has never been called into the Spanish national team, although he is currently part of Spain’s U-21 setup. When asked about his call-up to the U-21 national team, he said:

“Another dream come true because I never played for the Spanish NT in the lower categories. Being called up for the first time is a dream. I was happy to see my name on the list.”

It has been confirmed that Spain will be hosting the FIFA World Cup 2030, and when asked if he sees himself playing for La Roja in the tournament seven years from now, Fermin replied:

“The truth is that I have a long way to go, work on and show. It would be a dream to play a World Cup in my country. There is still a lot to do.”

Perception of himself

When asked how he sees himself as a player, he explained, “I consider myself a skilled short-space player. It’s true that I’m not very fast on the pitch, but I’m fast in tight spaces, I’m mentally agile, my passing is also very good and I shoot from outside the box.”

Fermin says that making a debut for Barcelona is like a dream come true (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

When asked about his dream, he added, “My dream was to make my debut, which happened, and to be there and train with the best players. My dream now is to stay in the first team… Having an opportunity to continue here next season is my dream.”

Fermin is known for his long-range efforts and the player says that he picked up the skill during his time with Linares.

“Above all in Linares, one of the people who helped me the most and who helped me take this step from youth to what I am now was Alberto Gonzalez. I always tell him that I am grateful to him I learned a lot there in Linares.”

Further discussing his loan spell at Linares, he added: “It was during that youth period from my second to third year of youth and also last year, at Linares, when I made this physical change that helped me for this change.”

“I never cared about anyone’s shots because the truth is that when I was young, shooting was not one of my skills. It was very small and I did not have the strength to shoot.”

Talking about what Xavi asks of him at Barcelona, Fermin remarked: “He asks not to lose balls, to play between the lines, to look at where the opponent is at all times, and to look for spaces. Personally, he asks me to shoot from outside the box and to play my football. Nothing more.”

Idols and the Real Madrid moment

Fermin accepted that according to him, former Barcelona forward Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time. He also added,

“I have always looked at Leo Messi as the best in history. Andrés Iniesta is also my role model.”

It must be remembered that Fermin scored and assisted a goal during the El Clasico showdown in the pre-season, which put him on the map. Reminiscing the moment, he said:

“The truth is that it was a mixture of emotions because I was subbed on and I was not expecting it… And then the goal came. I am very happy for me and my family.”

“I dedicated that goal to my family because they went through things like me or worse. They were always far away from me. I thank them for always being there for me, and I dedicated this goal to them,” he stated.