Gerard Deulofeu who has rubbed shoulder with the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta has said that more game time and regular football has made him happier at Watford then he was at Barcelona. The 26-year-old has had knee surgery in Spain and said that he was proud of what he has achieved with Watford
Gerard Deulofeu said “I learnt a lot from the academy of Barcelona, But everyone knows my time in the first team wasn’t the best and that was my objective and I didn’t realise it, so I’m also proud to go to the other countries, like Italy, like England, like Spain, Sevilla, and take some experience and some of the best things in the dressing room. I’m now 26, I think I’m a completely different player than when I was young and I’m really happy also because my career is really good.
Deulofeu also talked about the pressure of being a youngster coming through the ranks at Camp Nou and the difficult time he had in breaking into the first team.
Gerard Deulofeu said “When you are a young kid in Barcelona there is a lot of eyes, on you, A lot of people thinks you’re going to be the next Iniesta, the next Messi, the stars of the football, and that’s difficult because the young players, what they have to do is do his job every day with no pressure. What you have to do every day is listen and work. It was difficult because you’re playing really good in Barcelona B, the second team, you have people like Messi, Neymar, Pedro [alongside you] and you have to decide if you want to be patient and wait for your moment or if you want to go out and play more games for the experience. My type of character and attitude is I don’t want to be on the bench, I want to play. For me, it doesn’t matter if I’m in Barcelona, if I’m in Bayern Munich or in Watford, what I want to be is inside the pitch and be happy. I can be happier in Watford because in Barcelona without playing, you can’t be happy.”
