Departing Espanyol captain heaps praise on Barcelona-bound star – ‘Going to be the best in the world’ | OneFootball

After four years of service at Espanyol, Sergi Gomez’s time at RCDE is finally coming to an end this summer.

The former La Masia prodigy, who served as Espanyol’s captain, will leave the club as a free agent this summer.

Upon his departure, Gomez spoke to Radio MARCA, where he talked not just about his time at Espanyol but also about Spain’s upcoming star, Joan Garcia.

Sergi Gomez on Joan Garcia

During his time at Espanyol, Gomez has closely followed Joan Garcia’s rise to prominence.

In the interview, the Espanyol star backed Garcia to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

“He’s going to be the best goalkeeper in the world for many years to come,” he said about Garcia, who looks set to move to Barcelona this summer.

Everything suggests the deal is already done, and it could only be a matter of time before Barça make the transfer official.

Sergi Gomez has closely watched Joan Garcia in action (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

“He has qualities I’ve never seen in top-level goalkeepers. I’ve never seen anything like them. He has reflexes, courage, quality with his feet, leadership, and confidence,” Gomez said when talking about Garcia’s qualities.

A centre-back by trade, Gomez was a part of La Masia until 2014, when he joined Celta Vigo to earn a breakthrough in professional football.

Gomez joined Espanyol in 2021, in a deal worth just a million. Interestingly, it was the same year when Joan Garcia earned his promotion to the Espanyol first team.

Highlighting the Spaniard’s potential, Gomez added, “Joan takes 10 shots and he saves 9, but in training, we take 200 shots and he saves them all. If he’s given the opportunity, he’ll dominate world football from the goal.”

Having been one of the closest audience to Joan Garcia’s breakthrough at Espanyol, Sergi Gomez’s statements about the goalkeeper are a good sign for Barça.

The Catalans, after all, are determined to make Joan Garcia their first-choice keeper next season, ahead of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who is facing an uncertain future at the club.