18-year-old midfielder opens up on injury hell, Spain preliminary call-up and emotional Barcelona comeback | OneFootball

Marc Bernal is starting to enjoy the rewards of a comeback that has clearly cost him a lot more than just time. The teenager has been brilliant in the past month and a bit as he continues to establish himself as an important player for Flick.

The FC Barcelona midfielder has now spoken with real honesty about his recovery, his Spain Under-21 call-up, and the emotional road back to becoming an important player again.

The first big moment was the national-team news. As quoted by SPORT, Bernal said:

“I am very happy, it was a very special moment.”

He revealed that he found out through his family, who sent him the call-up on his phone, while adding that everyone in the Barca dressing room congratulated him. He also admitted he was surprised to hear he had made the preliminary list for Spain’s senior squad. In his own words:

That pride matters because the road back has not been easy at all. Bernal was blunt about the hardest part of recovery, saying:

“A lot of things go through your head with an injury, that you will not be the same again, that not everything will be as it was before… it was super hard.”

Supporters see the goals and the return to form now, but they do not always see the mental battle behind it. Bernal himself called it “a long and very hard process, above all on a mental level.”

He also gave a painful insight into how low things got after the injury. He said:

“The first thing I thought was that I was not going to play football for a year or even longer”

The emotional side of his story came through in his goal celebration too. Bernal explained:

“The goal celebration is for my grandparents, I kiss my arm because I have the dates of their deaths there.”

Bernal’s interview is as candid as they come and also showcases his emotional side. Without a doubt, he is an incredible gem who has come through La Masia and the only way forward for him is to keep growing and improving.

His prominence in the team is unlikely to diminish, considering his profile and let’s wait and see how he fares for the U-21s in the coming weeks.