Barcelona star earns rave praise from teammates for his marvellous display against Espanyol | OneFootball

FC Barcelona, for many seasons, had had Marc-Andre Ter Stegen as their first-choice between the sticks with little to no competition. However, Hansi Flick put an end to that narrative ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

Despite the German still being at the club and Wojciech Szczesny extending his stay, the German manager pushed for the signing of Joan Garcia from Espanyol. Half a year on, his decision has already been justified.

The 24-year-old shot-stopper continues to impress with his performances since switching allegiances in Catalunya. Perhaps his best display so far in a Barcelona jersey came against his former employers, Espanyol.

‘Catalan product, Barcelona quality’… is how Barcelona announced his arrival. Joan lived up to that tagline against Espanyol. He looked determined to keep a clean sheet in a hostile atmosphere and pulled off some ridiculous saves.

This was Joan Garcia’s second MVP award since his switch back in the summer, and he did to Espanyol what he had done many times for them in past seasons. One particular moment that caught everyone’s eye was his high-IQ play involving Gerard Martin.

Joan pushed Gerard Martin down, anticipating the trajectory of a shot from an Espanyol player and ensuring it resulted in a clean block. It was a one-of-a-kind moment that will go down in highlight reels involving the player.

Off the pitch, Garcia’s calmness and professionalism stood out just as much as his saves. He celebrated minimally, quietly returning to his goal after each Barcelona strike, and even discreetly moved a lighter off the field without making a scene.

After the match, as highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, he shared a post on Instagram reflecting his understated approach: “Starting 2026 in the best way. Victory and a clean sheet,” he wrote. He added a blue heart, a red heart, and an emoji.

His teammates quickly flooded the post with praise, leaving comments that highlighted their admiration for his performance.

The bottom line is that the Catalan club has struck gold with the signing of Joan. He offers a sense of security in goal that has not been felt in a long time, and let us hope he can continue to grow, improve, and man the posts for the next decade, if not more.