At the Generator Hotel, on April 15th, I had the privilege of being invited by Impactus, a company that brings young people from all over the world to Barcelona to experience studying and playing football.
David Sánchez reached out to me months ago, and by the time the day came, I was more than ready. The purpose of the talk was to motivate them, share my story, and give them an insider’s perspective—one from someone who’s been a professional footballer. But I didn’t want to do it alone. I invited my friend and former teammate Albert Crusat, because I knew his story could inspire the kids too… and honestly, I also thought it might be good for him to share it.
Albert and I started together in the youth ranks of Espanyol. We shared a locker room until we were 19, and from there, each of us took a different path: I went to Southampton, he went to Rayo Vallecano. I went from more to less; he went from less to more. And over the years, we crossed paths again, both recognizing that even though our journeys were different, the best years were those early ones—our formative years.
Even though I’ve been dealing with a hoarse voice for a few winter months, I managed to speak clearly enough. I did drink an entire bottle of hot water from the hotel machine to loosen up my voice. Albert couldn’t believe it.
The talk was in Spanish with a translator, but I felt so comfortable that I ended up translating myself… and most of the time, Albert too. When I got tired, I passed the phone to the translator, but I didn’t let go of the mic. Well, I did—to hand it over to Albert. But I was able to speak directly to the families, to the kids, and tell them that they’re living through a magical time.
What comes next isn’t necessarily worse, of course. But these years are special. Their dreams are intact, their hopes are huge, and everything is still to be discovered. I encouraged them to enjoy the tournament, the trip, the process… because there’s nothing like playing football when you still believe anything is possible.
And to Albert’s surprise, I prepared a presentation with unseen photos and videos of his best football moments. It gave him goosebumps. He didn’t expect it. It was my way of helping him reconnect with football, of letting go of the bitter parts and getting back to the essence. I knew he was going to enjoy it.
He was worried he’d be nervous… but at times, we had to take the mic away from him because he just kept going. I told him—you always have to keep something for the next one. But he was truly honest with the kids, and he earned everyone’s admiration.
We received a lot of love, thoughtful questions, and above all, the feeling that through this, we were giving something back to football—a small piece of what it gave us. Sharing our experiences, truthfully, is the best way to say thank you.
And it’s funny… how you can sometimes think your career wasn’t much. But when you share what you’ve lived, others help you see how far you really went.
