Former Barcelona prodigy hails midfield superstar – ‘As a person he’s a 10, as a player he’s a 100’ | OneFootball

Earlier in the summer, Sergi Dominguez made headlines by joining Dinamo Zagreb in a €1.2 million deal from Barcelona.

Despite being regarded as one of the most talented young talents at La Masia and even making a few first-team appearances last season, Dominguez made the switch to Zagreb in search of more opportunities.

In doing so, Dominguez followed a similar trajectory to Dani Olmo, who had also famously joined Dinamo Zagreb about 11 years ago.

Sergi Dominguez on making the Zagreb move

In a recent interaction with Jijantes (h/t Mundo Deportivo), Dominguez opened up about his decision to join Dinamo Zagreb, notably revealing the role of Dani Olmo.

“I knew I was going to go on loan or transfer, and I had accepted it. Dinamo Zagreb’s offer won me over. I thought nothing better was going to come my way,” he said when asked about the move.

The young defender, though, did reveal he had consulted Olmo just before making the move and the Barcelona star, too, offered his stamp of approval.

“I was clear about it. Before deciding, I asked Dani Olmo for his opinion, and he gave me the final push to make the decision,” he said.

A centre-back by trade, Dominguez was one of the most talented young defensive prodigies at Barcelona. He even made six competitive appearances for the club last season.

During the interview, Dominguez admitted it was not a difficult decision, stating, “I had half-thought about leaving because it’s very difficult to make a place for yourself in the first team.

Sergi Dominguez was talented defensive prodigy at Barcelona (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

“The only way to continue growing is to leave. It’s hard because I’m leaving Barcelona, ​​which is where I have all my family and friends.”

The young Spaniard talked about Frenkie de Jong, even hailing the Dutchman as the player who surprised him the most in the Barcelona first team.

“The player who surprised me the most was Frenkie. Everyone speaks wonders about him, but you don’t realise it until you see him training. I think it’s incredible. As a person, he’s a 10, and as a player, he’s a 100,” he stated.

Talking about his role in the Barcelona setup, the youngster added, “I wasn’t even aware of it. When they called me up for preseason, I thought I’d gain two weeks to get ready for the B team.

“Then the tour came, and then I was finally able to play. It all happened so quickly. I had dreamed of it, but I never thought I could achieve it.“

Dominguez went on to highlight how tightly-knit the Barcelona youth academy really is and how easy it is to always remain integrated into the large ecosystem.

“It was all so close together that you don’t even realise what it’s like to play for Barça, especially with all the young teammates there. It’s like being with your friends, and it helps a lot with adaptation.

“When you’re at the youth level, you don’t realise the impact of playing for Barça. Whether it’s with Barça B or the first team. You stop and think, and you’re playing with the best in the world. It took me a month to realise everything,” he said.