Bengaluru: You can take players out of Football Club Barcelona, but you can’t take the Barcelona out of the players. “Barcelona’s my pick for the Champions League and La Liga,” says Jesus Tato.
A true Barcelona man at heart. And FC Pune City, who roped in attacker Tato and fellow Spaniard midfielder Josep Crous aka Pitu, will be hoping that the duo also bring the same Catalan flair into the ground as they look to challenge for the Indian Super League title.
The duo brings with them a wealth of experience playing across all the divisions in Spain and have their roots firmly ingrained at the famed La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy which has produced the likes of Xavi, Andreas Iniesta and Lionel Messi to name a few.
“The experience of training and developing players at Barcelona was larger than life. I came across many big players during my Barcelona days and it taught me so many things that matter, even off the field,” revealed Tato. “The philosophy (there) is simply to create the best players in the world and nothing less.”
“Recruits are trained under some of the best coaches in the world, they are put in situations where they have to play it smart during practice sessions. If the player wants to be the best, he/ she can learn lot from smallest sessions too,” added Pitu on their years at the academy.
The Pune side go into the third season of the competition with new head coach Antonio Habas at the helm, a presence that cemented Tato’s decision to move to India.
“It’s an opportunity to play in a different country with different kind of players. Bruno Arias was the one who recommended me. I knew about the league but after the recommendations and talking to coach, I was sure that I was doing the right thing,” stressed the 33-year-old.
Meanwhile, for Pitu, the league is more than just a competition. “I want to explore and get deep into how the game is played here. This stint in India will play an important role in my life as it’s my first experience in this country. I promise to give my 100%. I will concentrate on understanding different dynamics of the game,” revealed the midfielder.
