Barcelona star receives support from La Liga icon after Spain NT omission – ‘Has the talent to be the No. 1’ | OneFootball

Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia was not called up by Luis de la Fuente for Spain’s FIFA World Cup qualifying fixtures against Bulgaria and Turkey this month, meaning his debut with the senior national team will have to wait.

The Barça goalkeeper’s performances have been exceptional, but the manager stuck with his preferred trio of Unai Simon, David Raya and Alex Remiro, even though Garcia was the best goalkeeper in La Liga last season and has continued to show strong form.

As such, the omission of Garcia from the squad has been a topic of debate in recent days.

La Liga legend backs Joan Garcia to succeed with Spain

Former Real Madrid and Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares, who won the Zamora Trophy four times, in his career has come out in support of Joan Garcia, ranking him as one of the best goalkeepers in Spain.

“Many people said he should already be on the national team roster. When a goalkeeper has that kind of talent and is the way he is, it’s clear that he has the talent to be a top-level, international player,” said Canizares, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

Joan Garcia has been excelling for Barcelona. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

“Things fall into place on their own. Just like when you’re playing badly, the goal doesn’t lie. The goal tells the truth. This lad has the talent to be the goalkeeper, not the third choice, but the No. 1 in Spain,” he added.

Continuing, Canizares insisted that there was no need for De la Fuente to disrupt his current goalkeeping situation but backed Garcia to naturally break into the Spanish national team.

“I’m not saying it has to be today, because there’s no reason to change the Spanish national team’s goalkeeper. De la Fuente is doing very well,” noted Canizares, who played 46 times for the Spanish national team.

“But it’s clear that this will happen naturally. If this lad continues to progress like this, I believe his talent surpasses that of the three goalkeepers currently in the national team. But let’s wait and see if the talent I’m attributing to him is proven by his actions.”

Concluding, he said: “Then decisions will have to be made. But with goalkeepers, things fall into place, whether it’s promotion or demotion.”