"The top three should be all Barça players" — Eric García isn't being diplomatic. The Barcelona and Spain defender said it plainly in a radio interview, naming Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha as his personal podium. "It's incredible to me that they aren't nominated," he added. That's not a captain doing PR. That's someone who watches those players in training every day and genuinely can't believe the wider world hasn't caught up yet.
He also flagged Cubarsí and Dani Olmo as players who could have a case. For anyone pricing up the Ballon d'Or market, Barcelona's collective output this season is impossible to ignore — if the results continue to match the performances, the argument only gets louder as the year goes on.
Flick Has Unlocked a Different García
The interview covered more than awards season takes. García was candid about how much Hansi Flick has changed his game. The German coach warned him before the season started that he'd be playing more at fullback — a position that demands more running, more defensive recovery, and a different kind of reading of the game than García had spent his career developing at centre-back.
He's not just adapting. He's thriving. García even joked that Flick compared his centrally-oriented fullback role to Philipp Lahm — one of the most intelligent positional players in the history of the position. "I'm not going to argue with him," García said. Wise.
Playing behind Lamine Yamal simplifies his attacking brief considerably. "It's about trying to give him the ball, not getting in his way too much and seeing what he does." That's an honest summary of what fullbacks at Barcelona need to understand right now — the 17-year-old is the priority.
The Mask, the Captaincy, and a Dig at Szczęsny
García also returned to action wearing a protective mask after another nasal fracture — the second in six months. He expects to wear it for two months. Last year he kept it on once the results were good, then ditched it when the discomfort wore him down. This time, he sounds more resigned to the process.
On the captaincy vote — players submitted names on paper after Flick appointed the first two — García was quick to note that if anyone slipped in a joke name, "it was definitely Szczęsny." The Polish goalkeeper, on loan from Juventus, is apparently already embedded enough in the squad to be the prime suspect for dressing room mischief.
- García fractured his nose for the second time in six months and expects to wear a protective mask for two months
- Flick pre-warned him this season would involve more fullback minutes — with heavier physical demands
- His Ballon d'Or top three: Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha
- He kept Ronald Araújo's No. 4 shirt free out of respect, taking No. 24 instead
- New arrivals like Gabriel Jesus, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have immediately impressed in training
On the Champions League, García was measured rather than bullish. "It can sometimes come down to the flip of a coin." LaLiga, he insisted, has to be treated as an equally serious target. That's the kind of grounded thinking you want from a captain — not the kind of guarantee that comes back to haunt you in February.
