Returning Barcelona player Oriol Romeu is revelling in his second chance at the club.
The Catalan-born midfielder came through the youth ranks at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and broke into the first team set up in 2010.
However, as part of a stream of generational talent already in the senior team, including his new boss Xavi, Romeu only made one senior appearance.
After spells with VfB Stuttgart and Southampton, Romeu returned to Spain, and Girona, in 2022.
As part of a solid Girona midfield last season, Romeu developed a reputation as a selfless operator, and Xavi highlighted him as a summer transfer option last month.
With Romeu willing to have a another go at being a Barcelona player, the deal was struck with relative ease, despite Girona’s determination to keep him.
The prospect of representing his boyhood club is a dream for Romeu and he admitted the preseason trip to the USA has been a surreal experience so far.
“The feeling of returning to Barca has been immense. Wearing this shirt again means a lot”, as per reports from Marca.
“Now I have the challenge of helping the team have a great year, adapting as quickly as possible to what the coach asks of me, and giving a great performance from the first minute.”
