Pablo Torre ‘happy’ after long-awaited La Liga debut: “Playing at Camp Nou is special”

When Pablo Torre joined Barcelona in the summer, the expectations were quite high considering that he had enjoyed a spectacular campaign with Racing Santander last time out, even though it was in the third division.

Fans expected another midfielder to break through in a similar vein to what Pedri and Gavi had done over the past couple of years. However, that has not been the case for Torre, who has had to bide his time.

The intense competition for places has meant that the 19-year-old had to wait until Sunday night to make his official La Liga debut for Barcelona.

The teenage prospect came on in the 77th minute to replace star man Ousmane Dembele, with the game already won.

It was only his second senior appearance for Barça, after his UEFA Champions League debut against Viktoria Plzen, which came more than two months ago in early September.

In between that, the youngster had played just one game for Barcelona Atletic and has largely had to warm the bench.

So, when his opportunity came against Athletic Club last night, naturally Torre was very pleased to finally make his long-awaited La Liga debut.

“I’m very happy,” acknowledged the player after the game (h/t SPORT).

“It’s not easy being at Barcelona because having minutes is very complicated, but you have to keep working and, on days like these, you remember your family and friends. Playing at Camp Nou is very special and I’m happy to do it in a league game,” he added.

Torre also revealed that the senior players in the squad help him a lot, saying: “The veterans are very close to me and help me learn and improve.”

On the advice Xavi gave him before he entered the pitch, Torre said: “He told me to play easy, in the squares, not lose the ball and try to shoot when I reach the edge of the area, I have a good shot.”

It will be a memorable occasion for Torre and with games coming thick and fast for Barcelona, he will hope to get more minutes under the belt in the next couple of weeks.

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