Ona Batlle came through the youth system at Barcelona and eventually found her way back there when leaving Manchester United in 2023.
She’d arrived at the English club from Levante in July 2020, a difficult time generally due to lockdowns and further restrictions related to the Covid pandemic.
Moving to a new country at such a time was always going to be a tricky step, and Batlle has now spoken about her Manchester United struggles.
The 26-year-old has been in conversation with La Vanguardia. As part of the chat, the Spanish newspaper put it to the Barcelona player that her time in Manchester wasn’t easy.
To that, Batlle replied: “It was very hard to live through the pandemic there. Especially the first year; I had some very tough moments of loneliness. Not being able to come to Spain more than twice a year, my family could only visit for one or two days. I couldn’t get together with my teammates because of Covid, and it took me over a year to become fluent in English.”
Manchester United spell hit by loneliness
Pressed on whether it was the worst moment of her career, Batlle agreed and then explained the steps to overcome it.
“Yes, without a doubt,” she said clearly. “There was a lot of loneliness, in another country… adapting is always difficult, but when you face it alone, it’s even harder. You go into football for everything, but you also have to live a life to have that happiness that then translates into your performance on the pitch.
“By finding ways to survive it, walking in parks, connecting with the friends I could. With Ivana Fuso, who was a fundamental pillar at Manchester United. I also spent a lot of time with Damaris (Egurrola), who was at Everton. Even so, there were many low moments when I needed to talk to someone.
“And then I started going to therapy. I had never spoken to psychologists before. I thought I didn’t need to, but I started talking more about what I was feeling. It helped me a lot.”
Since returning to Barcelona, Batlle has won two league titles, the Champions League, and various other cups. She was a World Cup winner with Spain in 2023 and still has plenty of time to add to her haul.
La Vanguardia pointed out Batlle’s Barcelona contract will expire within months.
Perhaps at one time such a situation would have caused anxiety, but no longer: “I’m not worried, to be honest. My agent is talking to the club right now; we’ll see what happens. I’m very calm, living in the present and letting my agent handle it.”
