‘I’m truly grateful‘ — 26-year-old Bologna defender recalls his time at Barcelona; thanks Ernesto Valverde | OneFootball

Not every player who comes through La Masia goes on to become a fixture in the first team. Sometimes, some players don’t get a run despite deserving it, due to the level of competition in their position in the senior squad at that moment.

One such player who was at the club at the wrong time was Juan Miranda. Now 26, he has made a career for himself, firstly at Real Betis and now at Bologna but he still looked back on his Barcelona spell with honesty and gratitude, and his reflections say a lot about how demanding life at the club can be for a teenager.

As quoted by SPORT, Miranda admitted that his early first-team experience was overwhelming at times. Speaking about one of his first professional appearances for Barcelona, he said:

“It was difficult, to be honest. It was one of my first professional matches at Barca… But that’s football and Barca. You have to be at the top, be number one in every match, compete and win. That’s what Barca demands: winning every game.”

Miranda continued:

“When you’re 18, and especially at the beginning, it’s a bit of a shock. But I learned a lot; the players were very supportive, Ernesto too. I’m truly grateful for that and for that opportunity.”

He also explained why establishing himself was so difficult at the time:

Miranda then spoke warmly about the wider experience of being around that group every day. He said:

“It was a stage of my life that I think I’ll never forget. Not just playing for Barca, but the day-to-day life, living alongside the best in the world. I was an 18-year-old kid absorbing everything that dressing room had to offer. I’ll always be grateful, especially to the dressing room and Ernesto, for how they treated me. It’s not easy to arrive there and be treated like one of the team.”

Miranda’s words leave a clear impression. His breakthrough may not have fully happened at Camp Nou, but the respect he still shows for the club, the dressing room and Ernesto Valverde says everything about how meaningful that chapter remained for him.

He is now one of Bologna’s more important players and at 26, he is just entering the prime years of his career. Barcelona wish nothing but the best for him in the years to come.