Barcelona defender Eric Garcia has explained why he returned to the club from Manchester City last year, despite earning Pep Guardiola’s trust quickly at the Etihad.
The centre-back started his career with the Catalan giants, working his way up their youth ranks before deciding to depart for Manchester City in 2017.
He initially joined their Under 18s in a €1.7m deal but worked his way up to the first team in the next two years, via the Under 23s.
Garcia was quickly brought into the first team set up by Guardiola, who handed him 35 appearances between 2019 and 2021.
The manager was a big fan of his compatriot, with all indications being that he would like to have him as a first-team fixture for the next few years.
That never happened, though, as Garcia was lured back to Barcelona last summer, refusing to sign a new deal at the Etihad so he could return on a free transfer.
He didn’t hesitate to make that move when it was offered to him, and has now explained why that was the case.
“When I was a kid, my dream was always to succeed at Barça,” he told EPE.
“But because of the circumstances there was a moment when we thought it was best to go to England because of the sporting project they put on the table for me.
“Obviously they can promise you a thousand things, but in the end, you are the one who has to respond. But they bet big on me, I had Pep’s trust very quickly and I tried to learn as much as possible.
“Of course, I was still Barça, and I knew that if I had the chance to come back at some point, I would take it. You can never say no to Barça.”
