Hector Bellerin left Barcelona for Arsenal seven years ago now, and he’s finally explained exactly why, in an interview this week.
Speaking to Wealthsimple, the 23-year-old explained that at first he expected to stay with his former club, but when they made him a contract offer, everything changed.
“When footballers in Europe turn 16, they can sign working contracts, which means they can go abroad,” he said. “I was playing with FC Barcelona’s youth academy, La Masia, and when I turned 16, I thought I would stay with Barca. But I wasn’t feeling like they were showing me on paper what they were saying — let’s put it that way.
“I’m not talking just financially, but also in terms of my path into the first team. Halfway through that year, I got the call that Arsenal were interested in me. So, I went to London, saw the facilities, met with the boss, and they made me an offer.
“Everything looked so great, and my path into the first team was clear — obviously as long as I worked hard and I was reaching my targets. I like challenges and adventures.”
In the end, of course, he chose to make the move to Arsenal. The defender spent a couple of years with the academy, then spent a year on loan at Watford, and after that he finally got his first-team debut with the Gunners.
He says that with his family returning to Spain, he owes Arsenal “a lot for the moral support and the guidance” they gave during those crucial development years, when he didn’t really have anyone else to rely on.
That’s probably why he was so willing to turn down the likes of Barcelona to sign a new long-term contract lasting until 2023, back in November 2016.
Planning for the future
Bellerin always strikes you as someone who thinks deeply about his life choices, even if they aren’t always choices you necessarily agree with.
From the sounds of things, he’s planning for the future in more ways than one. Firstly, he talked about his personal financial situation.
“What I’m making sure is that I have something for life after,” he explained. “My goal is to get to a point where I can play football without having to think about how much I’m getting paid — a point in which the finance is not in my head anymore.
“Some players, when they get to age 27 or 28, all of a sudden they get this thought in their head like, “I don’t know if I have that much time anymore, so I’m gonna have to start investing.” And sometimes they put so much risk into it that they end up losing money.
“I thought, instead of waiting so long, why don’t I just start taking care and managing my money and getting ready for the future now? It might be 15 to 20 years away, but the sooner you do it, the more ready you are when it happens.”
The Spaniard is also doing his bit for the environment as well, with everything from the cars he drives to the food he eats. Although, as he explains, the dietary decision was actually more for his own health than anything else.
“I decided to go green so I bought a Tesla Model S. I’m a very big fan of technology and taking care of the earth. It is amazing to see what a machine can do — and, of course, there’s the plus that you are not harming the Earth. That makes me very happy inside.
“I started a plant-based diet at the start of the season. That is great for the environment, and I would do it for that, but this wasn’t the main reason. Once you start doing it, you actually feel better.”
Hopefully he keeps making thoughtful choices, on and off the pitch.