FC Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García is keeping his cool in the stifling heat of Chattanooga, Tennessee, as Spain prepares for its World Cup opener. He established himself as Barcelona’s definitive number one under Hansi Flick this season, but things look different under Spain manager Luis de la Fuente, where Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simón is widely tipped to start.
García is drawing comparisons to another Barcelona legend who famously spent years as a backup during Spain’s golden era – Víctor Valdés.
“I wish I could achieve the same as him, he won everything,” García said in a recent interview with Diario SPORT. “I am very happy to be here and looking forward to enjoying going as far as possible.”
The opportunity in the squad opened up in tragic fashion after Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a severe knee injury, ruling him out of the tournament. It wasn’t how he would’ve wanted it. In fact, García described Ter Stegen’s “unfortunate” injury with an expletive – using a Spanish term perhaps best translated as “a f*cking bummer.”
The ex-Espanyol keeper is already dealing with scrutiny after a recent friendly against Iraq, where he was caught off guard by a shot and conceded. But rather than dwelling on the mistake, García insisted “it would be an error to give it a lot of thought or beat myself up for it.”
While García focuses on training alongside Simón and Arsenal’s David Raya, Barcelona’s recruitment team is already looking at future options for the Camp Nou goal. Real Sociedad’s Álex Remiro, who was dropped from this latest Spain squad, has been heavily linked with a move to Catalunya. García spoke highly of his international teammate: “he is a great goalkeeper, I’ve always said it, he is one of the ones I like the most in La Liga.”
For now, the focus is entirely on the big tournament in North America, where expectations are sky-high for la roja. Spain’s camp just received a boost with Lamine Yamal gradually reintegrating into team training. García confirmed the teenager “will be ready for the debut.”
The keeper is ready to play his part, even if it means watching from the bench.
“Only one goalkeeper can play. Whoever gets to play has to give everything, and the rest have to support him from the outside,” he said.
