Marc Bartra has spoken of his enjoyment and satisfaction at making his first team debut for FC Barcelona last weekend. The 19 year old centre-back came off the bench during Barca’s first league defeat of the season against Atletico Madrid, but still insists it was an experience he will remember and cherish for a long time. Despite saying that he was “very nervous” before the game, he confirmed that he was very “happy” to have been called upon by the manager.

Speaking to Diari de Tarragona, Bartra said “You see peers like Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol, Andrés, Sergio Busquets, Pedro … you know that Barca is helping you and giving opportunities to people from La Masia and that’s good for the players, …The fate of the team and the key to success is the closeness that there is in the locker room.”

Speaking of that closeness and the atmosphere of togetherness within the squad the Tarragona-born youngster explained how the youth team players are treated as “just one of the team,” and singled out Thierry Henry for special praise. “It’s unbelievable that a player who has won everything is so humble and always ready to give you advice. I could not imagine the humility that each of these players has.”

With injuries ravaging the Barca backline, Pep Guardiola says he a strong belief in the youth system: “La Masia is the undisputed star of the team’s successes and we can bank on this model, so we have to be thankful for young players like Marc Bartra.”  It seems we may be going to see a lot more of the young centre-back in games to come.