Txell Font: "I am convinced that there is life outside of Barça"

BarcelonaTxell Font (Tagamanent, 2004) enters a small cafe in front of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, where a large part of the Barça women's squad usually goes. She is the daughter and sister of Barcelona goalkeepers, so arriving between the posts has not been a surprise, even though her path has been unique. She started kicking a ball surrounded by boys at UE Centelles, the team from a small town in Osona, in all possible positions, until in one of the matches the goalkeeper was missing and by chance she ended up there between the posts. It wasn't until she was 12 years old that she joined the blaugrana team.

This season she has started the coach's course under Pep, her father and the main person responsible for her success. It was in 2007, when Gemma, her older sister and current substitute goalkeeper for Barça, was starting to stand out in the town's team, surrounded by boys. Faced with a locker room that didn't quite convince her father, he decided to gather several girls from Aiguafreda to create the club's first women's team. Years later, he repeated the same formula with Txell and UE Centelles. Even today, he continues to be involved in club tasks, the benches, and the world of women's football.

Dissent and rebellion: letting go to be able to fly

Those who know Txell describe her as a nervous, introverted, and mischievous person. Despite her youth, her record already includes World Cups and European Championships in lower categories with the Spanish national team, a Golden Glove, and several leagues with the Barça reserves. She is 21 years old, does not conceive of nonconformity, and possesses a maturity and insight surprising for her age. Despite being at the club of her life, in Barcelona she does not get the playing time she would like, which is why she is not afraid to leave what she considers her home in search of new opportunities. Her contract ends this summer and, while she is in talks with Barça, she has already attracted the interest of several clubs in the major European leagues.

“I am convinced that there is life beyond Barça. I have many friends who have taken this step and it has gone very well for them. Their messages are positive. Why shouldn't it go well for me? I am at the best club in the world, but I am not afraid to leave to achieve my dream”, she explains with determination. A dream that involves having a leading role in a top-tier team, without giving up – she says with a smile – the chance to close this chapter with a debut in goal for the first team.

All in the family

Tagamanent, a village of 300 inhabitants, can boast of having been the birthplace of two of the three goalkeepers of Barça. Immersed in the Montseny Massif, despite playing and training in Barcelona, they confess that it is impossible for them to abandon their homeland. Gemma and Txell have been in the academy practically all their lives. And it is that, since they were very young, at home they have breathed that love for football and Barça. Their father, also a goalkeeper, was one of the first residents of the old Masia. There, he shared accommodation with figures such as Àngel Pedraza, Guillermo Amor, Pep Guardiola or Tito Vilanova, among others. The youngest of the Font was one of the first nine female footballers to inaugurate the women's section of La Masia in 2021.

She takes the fact of training with her sister, five years older, in stride. “We are teammates, and for that reason there has to be a certain competition, but above all we are sisters and I want things to go well for her, for both of us to improve,” she assures emotionally. “In the beginning it was a bit strange, now I’ve normalized it, just like training with the rest of the best players in the world. I am a professional and I consider my day-to-day life as something normal,” concludes the young goalkeeper.

For her part, Gemma is starting her fourteenth season at Barça, her eighth in the first team, and besides being the older sister, she also acts as a chauffeur every day when they go to train together. Nevertheless, she sets recommendations aside. “We are very different. She has a very calm demeanor and never gets nervous, so I’ve always thought there was no need to give her any advice because I saw her very comfortable,” states the older sister, consulted by phone about what it’s like to live with a family member so close in the locker room.

“The coexistence in goal is excellent. All three of us are aware of our role and what we can contribute,” confirms Txell. She knows Gemma very well and only speaks wonders of Cata Coll: “Dealing with her is very easy. She has helped me a lot since I joined the first team dynamics, both on and off the field. She is a great goalkeeper and, above all, a great person, always willing to lend a hand,” certifies the youngest of the Fonts about the starting goalkeeper of Barça.