Barcelona starlet Fermin Lopez was one of the headlines of Tuesday evening, sent on by Xavi Hernandez in the final stages against Real Mallorca. The 20-year-old made the most of his opportunity, rescuing a point for Barcelona in just his third appearance for the club.
However speaking to DAZN after the match, via Sport, Lopez said the goal was a detail rather than the story.
“I am happy to have scored my first goal with this shirt, with the club that I dreamed of as a child, but it is the least important thing. We are hurt by the result, but we are going to correct the mistakes and go for Sevilla,”
“I try to do what the coach asks of me and help the team as much as possible. I am very grateful to Xavi for the trust and the opportunities. It is difficult to imagine a year ago that I would be where I am. It was a year of learning and it has helped me fulfil my dream. Now the goal I set for myself is to continue helping the team.”
Last season Lopez was on loan at Linares in the third tier, but a strong preseason led to Xavi Hernandez giving him his shot in the first team. Lopez was asked what advice the coach gave to him and Lamine Yamal before they came on, with the latter playing a large role in the goal too.
“Xavi asked Lamine Yamal and me to go for it, to have personality. The team tried until the end. We leave with that as a positive, but we have to be self-critical.”
Lopez scored and assisted in the preseason Clasico with Real Madrid, from which point on he caught the attention of Barcelona fans and staff. With Pedri and Frenkie de Jong expected to be out until the late stages of October, Lopez may well get more a shot, as Xavi tries to rotate Ilkay Gundogan, Gavi and Oriol Romeu out.
