Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Hector Bellerin opens up on switch from Barcelona to Arsenal

The right-back has broken into the Gunners' first team this season following 2011 switch

Simon Rice
Monday 30 March 2015 11:46 BST
Comments

Hector Bellerin admits it is impossible to tell if he would have broken into the Barcelona team had he not opted to join Arsenal instead.

The Spaniard left the Nou Camp in 2011 as a 16-year-old and his decision to move to London appears to have paid off with the right-back experiencing a breakthrough season at the Emirates during which he has made 19 appearances in all competitions.

The decision to leave Barcelona can't have been easy having joined them as an eight-year old, but without making any first-team appearances he left for the Gunners where he signed his first professional contract.

"I got the chance and I took it", he told MARCA. "Wherever you are, you have to work. If I'd stayed at Barcelona, I don't know if I'd have made it to the elite, you just never know.

“I've worked as hard as I could and always had the mentality of reaching the top. Whether I was in one place or another, I'd have done the same.”

The 20-year-old has played a major role in Arsenal's recent impressive form that has seen them close the gap on reigning champions Manchester City to just a point. However, during that run the Gunners were eliminated from the Champions League by Monaco - a tie that Bellerin thinks Arsenal may have taken too lightly.

"A lot of people in Spain watch Premier League games and know what kind of a league it is. It would be madness to say that it isn't among the best leagues in the world,” he said.

“The Spanish league is also at a very high level, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético. In the Champions League maybe we should have done things better. Perhaps we underestimated Monaco.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in