Alejandro Balde: 'What's happened to me is mad'

Life is very different for Alejandro Balde now to what it was 12 months ago. An excellent showing on the US Tour earned him a spot in the first team squad this season, and he has ended up proving to be the natural successor to his role model, Jordi Alba. It's the perfect time to catch up with the player, and to start by enquiring about his injury.

You got a nasty injury against Mallorca at Spotify Camp Nou. What did you think at the time and how do you feel now?

"It was really nasty to get injured in the last home game, but my mind is already on next season, getting fit again and thinking positive. That's the best thing I can do right now, prepare to come back and help them team as much as I can. Luckily I'm feeling better every day."

Did it spoil such a great season? Or are you only looking at the positives?

"It has been an incredible year both personally and for the team. I've learned a lot and played a lot more than I expected. I am still young and have a lot to learn. The injury didn't spoil the season, it happened right at the very end."

It was your breakthrough year, and you played 44 games. How have you consolidated your place in the team?

"I am only 19 and it has all happened so fast. I didn't know how things were going to turn out at the start of the season, but I worked hard and got opportunities and have ended up playing a lot of football."

You were excellent on the US Tour. Was that the turning point for you?

"Last season I had one foot in the senior team and one in Barça Atlètic. At the start of this season I thought I might get loaned out, and I viewed the pre-season as the chance to show what I am made of."

You share a position with a legend like Jordi Alba and then Marcos Alonso came along. Is it especially important that you became a regular starter despite such competition for places?

"It's healthy competition. If they were playing well, then it was my job to work hard to take back my place. It made me a better player. I knew I had to demonstrate what I could every day, but I had faith in my abilities."

You have also played at right back this season. How did you adapt to that position?

"It was totally new. I'd never played on the right before. But a footballer needs to be able to adapt to any situation that might come up in a game. I think I adapted quickly."

Where do you still need to improve?

"Most of all in defence. And getting the last pass right. These are things you get better at with time. I'm still only 19 and there are a lot of things I still need to learn and master."

What was it like adapting to Xavi's ideas?

"He made things easy for us from the very first moment. He knows the club well and always helped us. He made his ideas very clear from day one and we have been trying to adapt to his way of thinking."

You played a key role in winning the league and Super Cup. How was all that?

"A lot has happened. It all happens so fast in this sport and I had very little time for it all to sink in. Now the season is over I can start analysing things and it's been mad."

The fans are especially supportive of young players, don't you think?

"The fans are very happy with everyone, not just me, also Gavi, Pedri, Ansu, Araujo... I can only thank the fans for all the support they always give us. It's been a spectacular season and they've supported us all the way. We wouldn't be the same without them."

What about the defence this year, with so few goals conceded and so many clean sheets?

"People talk a lot about attack in football, but defence should be considered too. If you don't let goals in, you always have a better chance of winning. To be quite honest, we never took much notice of the records. We just tried to win every game and part of that is about not letting goals in."

Barça are top seeds in the Champions League. Can we start thinking we could win it?

"Next season we have to go full-on for the Champions League. We've gone out in the group stage in the last two years, but we have the team to do much better than that."

Who is your footballing role model?

"The first name that springs to mind is Jordi Alba. He's the player who played in my position at Barça and I have grown up watching him. I also watch a lot of Alfonso Davies, the Bayern left back, because I think we're very similar players."

Which team-mates do you get on with best?

"I'd say Ansu and Pablo Torre. I've known Ansu since we were at La Masía, we've been together since we were ten, and we both have family in Guinea-Bissau. And I also knew Pablo Torre already because we played together for the Spain youth teams for many years."

What hobbies do you have outside football?

"I like meeting up with friends to switch off. I spend a lot of time with my friends and try not to let them talk about football so I can free my mind a bit."