Speaking at the club’s week-long pre-season training camp at St.George’s Park, Barca’s Sporting Director outlined his admiration for England’s evolving playing style, announcing the four-time European Cup winners regularly look to these shores to ensure their own methods are in tune with the modern game.
“We are always looking for players who can play with the Barça team style and we are sure that in the future we will see in English football these type of players. Who knows maybe one day those players will be playing for Barcelona team in the future.”
“The football [we play]is universal and we also look at other teams and styles as well. We learn from others teams and styles. We learn from English football also.
“We are always looking for players who can play with the Barça team style and we are sure that in the future we will see in English football"
Andoni Zubizarreta
“They [England] were not lucky in the last World Cup, but they showed a different style like Liverpool and Man City. Football moves very fast and we have to be on top of the game learning and improving day by day.”
There are few better positioned to talk about the importance of the blaugrana’s culture, style and tradition. “Zubi”, as he is affectionately known, enjoyed a glittering eight year spell at the Nou Camp in the late 80s and 90s.
The former goalkeeper and captain was part of Johan Cruyff’s ‘dream team’ winning many honours including four consecutive Spanish league championships, two Spanish Cup titles, a European Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup.
The 52 year-old also holds the record number of appearances in Spanish football and played in four World Cups.
Before taking the role of Sporting Director in 2010, Zubizarreta was a key figure at the La Masia, the club’s renowned farmhouse football factory which has sculpted generations of tiki-taka disciples.
“Our football style is identified with players like Xavi, Iniesta, Pique, Puyol, Pedro, Messi or Valdes. We like playing good football so the people who come to see us can enjoy it as well. Also our players have the same philosophy and mentality.”
“We know that we can't create two identical players like another Xavi or Puyol. But we have got players with the same mentality and the same way to see the football and we think if they understand the philosophy of FC Barcelona they can play a similar football as the players mentioned before, but with their own personalities.”
Barcelona opened a new multi-million pound La Masia training complex in 2011 with the aim of developing the next generation of home-grown Catalonian talent and Zubizarreta points to the importance of a bespoke facility, like The FA’s own £105m national football centre, as a space to help develop a football identity.
“Having great facilities, like here at St George's Park, works for us as a meeting point where managers meet up with directors, footballers, coaches and talk about football and how to improve the football style and how to discover new talents in the academy.
“We decided to come here to St George's Park because we were looking for a place where you could feel football from day one and this has got everything with superb facilities. Also it is the home of The FA and it means a lot for us.”
