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“The excitement is ever bigger than nan fear,” says Jana Fernández arsenic she tries to explicate a summertime of upheaval erstwhile she near Spain and Barcelona to move nan UK and London City Lionesses.
“I didn’t cognize it was going to beryllium this soon, but I knew I was going to travel here. I’m personification who wants to observe caller things. I’m truthful funny astir life and caller cultures. It’s not astir conscionable a club, it’s astir being portion of a community, a style. I conscionable arrived like: ‘Give it to me, I’m fresh for it.’”
Fernández, now 23, joined Barcelona aged 12. She expected to enactment astatine nan nine for a spot longer. However, nan net limit enforced by La Liga caused a financial situation for nan Barcelona men’s broadside and affected nan full club. An exodus of summertime transfers from nan women’s squad near them starting nan run pinch 17 registered first-team players. Fernández was 1 of six high-profile players uprooted.
“I’m nan personification and subordinate I americium coming because of Barcelona,” she says. “It’s difficult to talk astir because fans sewage a spot upset pinch me. I consciousness sorry astir it, but it wasn’t what I wanted.
“People person to cognize it wasn’t players’ decisions; it was thing else. Hopefully, astatine immoderate point, they will understand, because I emotion Barcelona. I don’t want anyone to deliberation I wanted to leave. It wasn’t for illustration that; it was thing bigger than america and people’s knowledge of nan situation.
“But it happened, and you person to judge things. I’m happy here, but it was a difficult clip for everybody.”
ISome mini familiarities person remained. She has family successful nan area, but location is besides a Barça-to-London expat community. Kiera Walsh, Lucy Bronze, Laia Codina and Mariona Caldentey person made nan move and María Pérez, different Barcelona younker graduate, joined nan Lionesses successful 2024.
“We person a group chat, we spell retired for dinners, it’s really nice,” Fernández says. “We were saying we should spell to immoderate gigs aliases musicals soon. Having a group of girls you knew location and having them here, speaking your ain connection pinch them, it makes it consciousness much for illustration home. I miss people, I miss my family, but I americium good surrounded here.”
She is passionate astir musicals, dancing and singing – she chose shot complete jazz astatine aged 7 – and that does not travel arsenic a astonishment from personification who radiates energy. She speaks endearingly astir Barcelona, but her excitement and curiosity astir her caller metropolis is genuine. “I emotion to locomotion around,” she says. “The different time I was adjacent Hyde Park and I emotion that area. Being successful quality makes maine smile.”
Despite reminders of location and nan eagerness to make a 2nd one, location are ways successful which nan moving situation could not beryllium much different. From La Masia’s playing style and homegrown roots, Fernández arrived arsenic 1 of 17 signings astatine London City during a spending spree funded by nan owner, Michele Kang, aft promotion from nan Championship. After seasons spent mostly 2nd to Ona Batlle astatine right-back for Barcelona and Spain, she has played successful each Women’s Super League crippled for her caller club.
The Lionesses person started well, winning 5 of their 9 gamesand followed up a connection 4-2 triumph complete Tottenham by beating Aston Villa past Sunday. “Seventeen caller players is crazy to deliberation astir for immoderate different club,” Fernández says. “Everybody comes from a different place, different cultures and languages. That’s difficult arsenic a caller team.”
She has won 2 Champions League titles, but she is still successful childlike awe of nan players pinch whom she has shared a dressing room. She fizzes disconnected nan names of Alexia Putellas from Barcelona, Saki Kumagai, Daniëlle van de Donk and Nikita Parris astatine London City, earlier stopping for fearfulness of forgetting someone.
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“That’s nan beautiful point astir football; you tin meet caller group and everyone tin make each different better,” she says. “That’s nan typical point astir London City astatine nan moment.”
What did she study astatine La Masia, location of 1 of nan astir unique footballing cultures successful nan world? “They showed maine nan bully values you person to beryllium a bully player, but besides a bully illustration for nan adjacent generations. We tin show them what a bully jock tin beryllium disconnected nan transportation arsenic good arsenic connected it. That’s nan work we person arsenic players. I’m trying to bring that everyplace I go.”
She has group up a coaching field company, moving for a week each year, to replicate nan emotion of younker camps she loved astatine nan opening of her journey. She recalls waiting for nan commencement of summertime to inquire her parents to go, to meet caller friends, spot caller places.
They are ever by a beach, she says, and ever astir learning shot successful a fun, societal environment. It is easy to get nan emotion that, moreover pinch nan burdens of professionalism, she sees shot arsenic 1 agelong puerility summer.
Football, however, is simply a master business. Fernández denies location is simply a ample spread betwixt London City and nan precocious echelons of nan convention and says that having Kang successful complaint of nan nine is simply a boost. “She’s personification truthful passionate astir women’s shot and making it grow, which is nan aforesaid for america players.
“Being nan only independent women’s nine [in nan WSL], it’s amazing. It feels for illustration we are really master players and I really for illustration that astir this league. The teams are physically stronger, they request more. It’s requiring thing different from my game.
“If I’m dreaming, and I’m ambitious, we want to beryllium successful nan Champions League spots. We’re going to spell for everything.”
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