The week that marked Joan Garcia
The most notable experiences of the goalkeeper from Sallent in his first year as a blaugrana
BarcelonaThe adaptation of Joan Garcia went faster than they imagined, they confess to ARA from the heart of the Barça dressing room. There was a conviction within Hansi Flick's technical staff and the sporting management led by Deco that he would be a signing "for immediate performance", but the parameters recorded in the first training sessions confirmed the success. The German coach was quick to state in a press conference that Joan had come to be "number one" in goal, and thus ended any rumors about a dispute for the position with a Ter Stegen who would end up experiencing a ordeal with injuries.
With everything put together, he has earned a place in the World CupWith all this, he has earned a place in the World Cup and Álex Remiro (Real Sociedad) is left out, a decision that has annoyed some in Madrid.
The one from Sallent has closed the season as the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets (15) in the League, followed by Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), with 13 in 32 matches. According to data provided to ARA by the specialized company OPTA, only David Raya (Arsenal), with 19 clean sheets in 37 matches; Jean Butez (Como), with the same records as Raya - but in 38 matches - and Mile Svilar (Roma), with 18 in 38 duels, surpass him in the five major leagues in Europe.
The quality of Joan Garcia's saves
Joan also arrived at Barça as the goalkeeper of the 2024-25 season who had saved the most expected goals in the entire competition, nine. In fact, he was the league's guardian who saved the most, followed by Sergio Herrera, from Osasuna, with seven. The one from Sallent was a key player for Espanyol's survival, which materialized on May 24 after the white-and-blue victory against Las Palmas on the last matchday (2-0).
At Barça, despite being shot at much less, he has not only maintained this statistic but has increased it: he has saved ten expected goals this season in the league. If we broaden our view to European football, only goalkeepers from teams that have not been champions are better – and who also receive many more shots – which highlights the quality of Joan's saves. Only Hervé Koffi (Angers), Alexander Nübel (Stuttgart), Moritz Nicolas (Mönchengladbach), Mike Maignan (Milan), and Nikola Vasilj (St. Pauli) have better records in this parameter.
Joan is no longer the goalkeeper with the most saves in the League. This title is held, according to the official championship data, by Aarón Escandell (Oviedo), with 148 saves in 36 matches played. The Barça goalkeeper is sixteenth in the ranking: 74 saves in 30 matches. If the prism is set on the average of fewest goals conceded per match - having played a minimum of six games -, Joan and Raya have the best record in the five major leagues in Europe: 0.7 goals conceded per match. The Barça player has conceded 21 in 30 duels and Raya, 26 in 37.
A decisive week for Joan Garcia
It's barely been a year since Joan's life turned upside down. There was total conviction in the sports management and technical area that the purchase option of 25 million euros that would release him from Espanyol had to be activated. The transfer was not a problem, but registering him within fair play was. This made Barça consider signing him no matter what, but putting on the table the possibility of loaning him to another First Division club if the registration could not be finalized.
The blaugrana entity set the bureaucratic – and persuasive – machinery in motion from May 25, 2025, to seal the incorporation, once Espanyol had guaranteed their survival. However, it wasn't until June 18 that the club made it official that they had deposited the amount of the termination clause with La Liga. Joan became the property of Barça until 2031. It wasn't until August 16, taking advantage of the 80% of the salary freed up by Ter Stegen due to a serious injury, that the registration was resolved. Switching from Espanyol to Barça automatically made Joan persona non grata at the RCDE Stadium.
There are two episodes that have particularly marked him in his first year as a blaugrana, as they explain at ARA from the Ciutat Esportiva. The first was the match at Cornellà-El Prat. Joan spent almost a month preparing himself to suppress the environmental pressure. He excelled with an excellent performance. The second would arrive seven days later, when he won his first title with Barça in his first Clásico in the Super Cup final. Winning La Liga at the Camp Nou, also against Madrid, and keeping a clean sheet, completes the special moments of the year that have changed his life.