Joan Garcia is leaving Espanyol Barcelona to join their big neighbor Barca. Which is obviously not going down particularly well with his previous club.
Espanyol Barcelona has announced the departure of its goalkeeper Joan Garcia with an extremely short statement. The Spanish first division team dedicated one whole sentence to its homegrown player, who will soon move to local rivals FC Barcelona.
“Goalkeeper Joan Garcia has paid his release clause – 25 million – and ends his time as a player at RCD Espanyol,” the minimalist statement reads.
The Spanish newspaper As spoke of a “cold statement of farewell,” which is probably still a bit of an understatement. After all, Garcia has been with the club since 2016, went through several youth teams and was recently one of the most important players for the professionals.
Garcia expects no understanding
But the not yet confirmed step to the local rivals in particular apparently leaves deep wounds.
Garcia himself also spoke up on Instagram, but as a precaution, he preferred to switch off the comment function under his post.
“I gave everything I had in me to help the team, to represent this crest with the greatest commitment and to live up to what it means to wear this jersey,” said the 24-year-old in a video message.
Garcia continued: “I know that this decision will not be easy for everyone to understand; I don’t ask that either, but I want you to know that it was a very well-considered decision in which I not only thought about my career, but also about what is best for the club, my family and me.”
At FC Barcelona, the keeper will be a competitor to German national goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.