Fermín López: "I came to think that I would never return to Barça again"

BarcelonaFermín López (El Campillo, Huelva, 2003) has had a tough time because he missed a football World Cup where he would have been important due to an injury. He explains that he couldn't even watch Spain's first matches and had to reinforce his psychological work to recover emotionally. Now he is at 100%, will wear the number 7, and wants to win the Champions League with Barça.

As you see, awaiting more signings, the Barça 26-27 squad?

— I see it just as well as last year. The additions will give us an extra. We will improve, with these signings.

In what do you think you will improve? What needs to be improved compared to last year?

— In terms of squad depth. When we've had some important player injuries, we've lacked replacements. Now we'll be able to rotate more.

Without Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, who will score the goals, now?

— I don't know, but Gordon can also play as a center forward. And Dani [Olmo], Raphinha and I... If there's any more signings, I don't know either, but we have many players who can score goals.

Do you see yourself ready to play as a false new?

— I can adapt, yes. I have played as a false nine in the lower categories of Barça. It's a position similar to my favorite, which is attacking midfielder. I can also play wide on the left wing, but my best version is as an attacking midfielder.

Do you understand that Ferran has left for PSG?

— They are personal decisions and I don't have all the information either, but for me it's a shame because he has been a great teammate and is a good player. I wish him the best.

Did you try to convince him to stay?

— I wrote to him when he left to say goodbye to him. They are personal decisions. There was no need to be there bothering him to convince him. He has made this decision and I am happy if he is happy.

A year ago you had a very good offer from Chelsea. How do you remember those moments of uncertainty?

— It is always good that there is interest from clubs and that they speak well of you, but I have always been clear that I want to continue at Barça.

Do you like Julián Álvarez? He is the one who has been mentioned the most and who we are told is the main option for the forward line.

— I like him, he is a great player, but in the end he is an Atlético de Madrid player. I can't go into much more detail. I can only say that in our squad, the way we play, I think he would fit in very well, obviously.

And Adeyemi and Gordon?

— They are profiles we didn't have. Players who will give us other things. They are two great reinforcements.

What can Rodri bring? He's one of those signings that Barça hasn't been able to make for a long time...

— He is a great player. Ballon d'Or winner and world champion. I have him as a teammate in the national team and he is the best pivot in the world. He will give us a lot.

This season you will wear number 7 and Rodri number 16. The club has asked you to. How are you experiencing this change of number?

— The 7 is a number that I have always liked and that great players in our history have worn. Since it was vacant, I asked for it and I am very happy to wear it. I was a little sad to leave the 16 because I had a special fondness for it after these seasons in the first team, but I am convinced that it will be in good hands… [laughs].

As every year, the preseason has served to see academy players. Like yourself in the summer of 2023. We have seen Xavi Espart, Álvaro Cortés, Brian Fariñas... Is there any that has surprised you?

— They are all very good. The work done at La Masia is very good. If I had to choose two, I would tell you Orian Goren and Ebrima Tunkara. I had practically not seen them play, but they are very good and have a very high level.

What is it like to work with Hansi Flick?

— The relationship I have with him is very good. Since he arrived, he has helped me a lot both personally and football-wise. These two years I have grown a lot with what he asks of me on the field. I am performing very well under his orders.

What do you ask for?

— Break space, arrive at the area, shoot, make final pass, don't lose balls... He knows my qualities.

Any advice that has particularly marked you from him?

— Mentally, I am a very demanding person and when I miss a pass or things like that I get stuck on the mistake. He tells me that football is very fast and you can't dwell on mistakes, that you have to think about the next play. This advice has helped me improve a lot.

The one who gave you the opportunity to establish yourself in the first team was Xavi. You were returning on loan from Linares and it wasn't very clear what was going to happen with you.

— I am very grateful to him. I did well in training and Xavi gave me his confidence.

During that preseason there was a key match, a friendly Barça-Madrid in the United States. Weren't you nervous?

— I was shitting myself [laughs]. I didn't expect to play in a classic and when Xavi told me to warm up I was very nervous. When I entered the field he told me to shoot, to try, to be brave. I went in and everything went very well for me [he scored a great goal with his left foot].

Before that, you had to leave to be loaned out to Linares, in Primera RFEF. Did you think that was the end of your time at Barça?

— Four years ago I thought I would never return to Barça, to be honest. I was already thinking about other things, about growing and perhaps reaching the Second Division, but I wasn't thinking about returning to Barça and being a first-team player. Linares went very well for me. I scored many goals and improved a lot.

We have talked about Barça's signings, but Madrid has strengthened even more. Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Konaté, Diomande... Which of them would you see for Barça?

— No [smile] at all. We are doing very well, honestly. But I do understand that Madrid will be more dangerous this year. They haven't won any titles in two years and obviously they want to win again. They will be harder to beat, but we have to maintain our line. And in the Champions League, I hope that when the knockout rounds arrive, we will be ready. Hopefully we can give Barça its sixth.

How are you personally after not being able to play the World Cup? It was supposed to be your own World Cup.

— It has been complicated. Playing the World Cup was a dream for me. I was in my best moment. But I have already turned the page. I am very eager to play again, to score goals again...

What lesson do you take from the last two or three months of your life? What learnings have you extracted for the future?

— A lot. When you are injured, you learn a lot. You see yourself so alone, so apart... This loneliness makes you value the day-to-day that when you are healthy you often don't value. I think it's the best lesson I take away from these months. Now I'm really looking forward to doing what I want again.

During recovery, what routines did you have for being with yourself?

— At first I could do little because I was on crutches. But I took the opportunity to be with my family and my partner. I also started reading, which I didn't do much before.

Did you support watching the World Cup matches?

— At first no, it was very difficult for me. But when I could move more, I had overcome it a little and I watched the games. I cheered for Spain, obviously.

Are you undergoing any kind of psychological therapy?

— Yes, I was already doing it before and the truth is that it helps me a lot. I have a coach. Even if you are well, there are always things to improve or to bring out from within. These months, obviously, have been very difficult for me and I needed more sessions that have helped me get out of the slump.

You seem like a very calm person, but on the field you are very intense. You celebrate goals with fury, you have a lot of character... How do you explain this transformation?

— I'm a bit like two different people. Off the field I'm quieter and when I get on it I compete like this. It comes naturally to me. I think it's also nice to celebrate goals with passion, whether they're mine or my teammates'. In the end, they're Barça goals.

Besides football, what do you enjoy most as a hobby?

— I don't have many because I don't have time. When I do, I try to be with my partner, with my dog, my family and do normal things that I can't do in everyday life.

How has your life changed since you started playing for Barça's first team?

— At first I could still go out around Barcelona normally; now it's a bit harder for me. But I'm also very grateful because it means I've achieved my dream. Being stopped by people in the street means I've achieved it.

What do you miss most about anonymity?

— Privacy, obviously. That you can go to a coffee shop and not be recorded or asked for a photo and these things. But I'm used to it and I'm also happy with it.

Have you reached the point of asking them to stop recording you?

— It depends on the moment. There are times when I'm with my parents or my partner [in a restaurant] and I don't like being recorded while I'm chewing, you know? But if they ask me for a photo, I try to be kind to everyone.

What use do you make of social networks?

— The truth is that I use them a lot, especially TikTok, which is a bit addictive.

And news, do you read them?

— No, things reach me because my environment does read them, but I don't stop to look for news.

Because you don't like it or because it makes you feel more at ease?

— I am calmer without reading the news.

Besides Barça, do you watch more football matches?

— Yes, many. My partner doesn't like it much [laughs], but on weekends, when we're not playing, I watch the Premier League, other League matches, and also the Second Division, where I have some friends playing.

You have just spoken about your family. You come from El Campillo, a mining area in Huelva. In fact, one of your grandfathers was a miner. Your father worked as a postman, your mother worked in a fruit company... And you, a professional footballer.

— I am a privileged person. I work playing football, which is what I like most. They had a slightly more difficult life, but I believe they have instilled in me values such as effort and humility. I try to put them into practice every day.

What is your best virtue as a footballer?

— Intensity. Well, and the goal.

And as a person?

— I am humble, familiar and very simple, the truth.

You are Andalusian, but you have done this entire interview in Catalan. You have always prioritized speaking it.

— Well, it's just that at the beginning of being here, I had to learn it because otherwise I didn't understand anything in class. But afterwards, it's a language that I've always liked speaking and I think it's also a way to integrate into Catalan culture and show respect towards Catalans.

Besides interviews like these, when do you use Catalan the most?

— Not at home because my partner is from Seville. But when I'm out on the street, if someone speaks to me in Catalan, I usually reply in Catalan. And in the locker room, some speak Catalan among themselves, and I do too. Especially with Cubarsí.