Confident of himself, like a veteran in the senior team, Marc Casado (Sant Pere de Vilamajor, 21 years old) was one of the first to go down to the press area after training on Wednesday morning to attend the ‘media day’ organized by the RFEF before the Nations matches against Denmark and Switzerland League. “What an incredible midfielder” or “damn, how well he speaks,” colleagues from the Madrid press agreed, with that healthy envy (or not) of seeing how the FC Barcelona It does not stop bringing out talent – also to feed La Roja – and Madrid, on the other hand, does not contribute any footballer to the national team. AND Markas he always does Alvaro Moratahe won them over by greeting them all politely as he passed, before attending to Sports World. He has the makings of a captain, he always has been. He is mature and very aware of what it has cost him to get here. And it has come to stay.
About four months ago he was crying in Córdoba after falling in the promotion playoff with Barça Atlètic and now he is with the senior team.
It’s been a good few months. The truth is that I am very happy. Both family, friends and acquaintances, like me. Now, we must take advantage of this opportunity.
“They have been good months and I am very happy. Now I want to take advantage of the opportunity in the national team”
Lately, Barcelona’s youngsters reach the first team and are immediately in the national team. This says a lot about you, but also about the preparation with which you arrive.
The Barça quarry is doing a very good job, I think they are training players in the right way. Then you see that when you get to the first team, people are responding very well.
It seems like it happens very quickly now, but everything has its process. You experienced it with Xavi, where he was called up for more than 40 games but barely played.
It seems that at 17 or 18 years old you have to be debuting, but my process has been slower, burning through stages little by little and it has also helped me to be more prepared when debuting.
It is a good example of patience in times of immediacy. Everything has to be done now, quickly. From the cadet they ask to go up to Juvenil A. Marc Casadó fulfilled every step: Juvenil B, Juvenil A, Barça Atlètic, first team without playing… Patience and resilience.
All these stages have now helped me to be more prepared. And I have always wanted to be at Barça. The club has decided that the stages for me were better this way and the evolution has gone well to now be able to perform at a good level.
Maybe I put him in the first bind, but now everyone wants to hang on to Marc Casadó’s medal. Xavi because he made his debut; Deco because he opted to renew him and offer him the first team with the role of Sergio Roberto and Flick because of the performance he is getting from him. Who is that key figure for you to be where you are today?
In the process there are many people who help you add little things to now be ready and I have tried to get the positive things from everyone. I think that the people around me have also helped me a lot to be able to now achieve what is being achieved.
Who are you referring to?
The family, the coaches, La Masia tutors, friends, the representative, for example. Many people who have been by my side supporting me in difficult times. And in the good times, helping me not to relax and to continue improving.
Did you ever think about leaving Barça?
Because I want it, no. Yes, it is true that there were moments when I said: ‘If I am not playing here, we have to look for another option’, but I have always wanted to play for Barça, wear this shirt and hopefully make history at this club.
“There were moments when I said: ‘If I don’t play, we have to look for another option,’ but I always wanted to make history at Barça.”
At what moment did you make the ‘click’ to say: “now I can succeed at Barça”?
In this preseason with Flick I made that ‘click’. I renewed because they told me that Flick wanted me in the squad, he wanted to see me, but it is true that the previous idea was also to renew because I have always wanted to be linked to Barça. The idea was to go out on loan, but they spoke with Flick and said that he wanted to see me in preseason and that in theory he was counting on me.
And how did you face the preseason?
With the hope of showing the coach that I could be in the first team squad and that’s how it was.
“The idea was to go out on loan, but they spoke with Flick and said that he wanted to see me in preseason, that he was counting on me”
I get the feeling that one of his virtues is his mental strength.
Here the people around me have helped me a lot because I am a very ambitious person and that sometimes happens to you in a bad way. You get upset, nervous when you see that you are not having the opportunity. My people help me a lot to try to calm down, to look for professionals to work on this and I think it has gone very well for me.
Do you work with a sports psychologist? How has it helped you?
Yes. It helped me especially at the beginning, when I saw that I didn’t have the opportunities I wanted and I thought I was working my hardest. That frustrated me quite a bit. In my head I said that if I wasn’t having the opportunity it was because I wasn’t really giving it my all. And it frustrated me to know that I was giving everything, but at the same time thinking that I could give more to try to play something. By working with professional people on it, it helped me be calmer because sometimes not everything depends on you. You can be giving your all and the coach doesn’t trust you, he doesn’t put you in. That’s when you have to be calm with your work and continue doing the same thing.
“The psychologist helped me when I saw that I had no opportunities and I believed that I was working at my maximum”
That stage of frustration, was it last year when you were called up to the first team, but you didn’t play?
Exactly, at the beginning of the season, I had a difficult moment that made me quite frustrated, but the people around me helped me find solutions that helped me.
But on the other hand, Márquez did trust you a lot.
Yes. Then he went down with the reserve team and Márquez’s confidence was tremendous. The important thing was to transfer the level he was showing in the reserve team to the first team.
“Last season I had a difficult moment in which I got frustrated, but my people helped me find solutions”
He has the makings of a leader and knows how to win over coaches. He is like the class representative, like the diligent student. It is also seen with Flick. They talk a lot in the field. How has he earned it?
Yes, with coaches I really like to talk about tactics, about everything, because I have always said that the most important thing is that the team is comfortable on the field. And there are times when rival teams also play. They do things to you that you don’t expect and you have to adjust it both with the coach and with the rest of the players.
This summer there was talk of signings, even when Bernal was injured they tried to sign Bajcetic, who is now with the Under-21s. Personally, how did you experience it?
Nowadays in the world of football we always talk about many things and I think the important thing is to be calm with the work you are doing, to always give your all because then things will go better. From there, the results will arrive.
Marc Bernal was injured, then Bajcetic or any replacement was not signed and they opted for Casadó in the match against Valladolid. Was that exam a turning point?
Marc’s injury was hard for everyone. He is recovering now and I want to send all the best to him. It is not easy to have an injury like this, but we are sure that he will return and stronger. That game against Valladolid was right after the injury and I knew that I had an opportunity there and I had to take advantage of it if I wanted to have a leading role at Barça. I knew it would be an important match for me. I tried to give my maximum level and luckily it turned out to be a good game.
Interview with Marc Casadó before traveling to Copenhagen
José Antonio García Sirvent / Own
Was the definitive test against Kimmich and company’s Bayern in the Champions League?
The truth is that I was calmer in that match because I wasn’t thinking so much about my performance, but rather that the team had to win, since it was an important victory to stay up in the Champions League standings. Also because of the rival it was, because in the last games against Bayern, things were not going too well for Barça and both I and the entire team wanted to change that dynamic.
What did it mean to face Kimmich? Is it more the joke inside the locker room or is it really a reference?
It was the joke they made in the locker room with the comparison, but I didn’t take it as anything more than that. The only thing I thought about was winning.
Before we were talking about Bernal’s injury. Allow me the damn question. Have you ever thought about what his progression would have been like if he hadn’t gotten injured?
There are always things that change everything. Both for good and for bad. In the end you have to focus on day-to-day life and knowing how to take advantage of opportunities that are sometimes not the most pleasant, such as Marc’s injury, which left us all very touched.
“I had to know how to take advantage of opportunities that are not pleasant, like Bernal’s injury”
Madrid came next, a 0-4, important for the locker room in terms of confidence. Was it definitive proof that this team can beat anyone?
We are calm with what we do, we know that we have to continue improving to be able to win games and titles. That was a great demonstration that against big teams we could also give the level and I think everyone saw it there.
Was it your best victory?
It can be, yes. Going to the Bernabéu and winning 0-4 for a Barça youth player is always special.
“In the 4-0 win against Madrid we showed that against great teams we give the level; it was my most special victory”
We go into selection mode. You arrive backed by the praise of a player of Sergio Busquets’ caliber, who spoke highly of you.
I was able to listen to them, yes, and they made me very happy. That a world-class player like Busi speaks like that about you is incredible.
With Rodri injured, Zubimendi is here and it seems that De La Fuente has opened a casting for the midfielder. What has the coach asked of you?
I spoke with him yesterday and he also gave me a short video to tell me more or less what he was looking for from me. Now I will have to convince De la Fuente and I will try to do as much as possible to make it happen.
“The coach showed me a video to show what he was looking for from me; everyone has welcomed me very well”
And in these first training sessions, how are you feeling here in the senior team? Has anything surprised you?
No, I asked because I was new here to the locker room and you are always curious about what the people will be like. They spoke to me very well, they told me that there is a very good vibe and that’s how it has been. Everyone has welcomed me very well and I think that is important to be comfortable with everyone.
His path in the national team is not usual either. He entered the U-16 team, disappeared until the last break with the U-21 team and is now with the senior team.
Now it’s been the ‘boom’ and everything has gone faster, but the important thing is to be calm with what you do, do it as best as possible and then I think things will turn out better.
