Barcelona’s new signing Jordia Alba says he is delighted to be moving back to the club he played for as a boy.
After a brilliant Euro 2012 campaign with Spain, Alba was officially introduced as a Barcelona player on Thursday where he expressed his happiness at returning to the team of his youth.
“I’m happy to come home, with my family and my people. I’ve realised my dream,” Alba said.
Barcelona’s football director Andoni Zubuizarreta described the key attributes Alba possessed that convinced Barcelona to make their move.
“He has excellent technical ability. He’s good with both feet, he can play in different positions and he’s enormously competitive,” he stated.
Alba was released from the Barcelona youth ranks in 2005. While Alba admitted that leaving Barcelona seven years ago was not easy, his time away from the Camp Nou has helped him evolve as a player.
“No one likes to hear that they have to leave, but my conscience was clear and I left with my head held high. I believed in myself,” he shared.
“I’m going to play for the best team in the world and I want to adapt as quickly as possible. I know the philosophy and most of the players. I’ve changed the way I play, before I was a striker and now I’m a left back or an attacking midfielder.”