A terrific progression

“Now I only think about what is coming.” That was what Arnold Barahona claimed at the end of 2016, when an injury forced him to miss the match between Marcet and Atlético de Madrid. However, the disappointment at not having been able to play such an important match was short-lived. A few days after the expedition to the Spanish capital, Arnold received a call from Honduras: “You are called up for the U-17 team.” It was only the beginning of a path that would lead him to play in the First Division of this country.

“Arnold is one of the best players who have come to Marcet”, explains Alberto Martín, the young footballer’s coach for two years: “When I saw him for the first time, he caught my attention because of his ability to do things differently.

Since that summer, back in 2015, the progression of the Honduran midfielder has been terrific. But successes never sprout on their own. The call to the National Team was a prize for the sacrifice of a teenager who decided to leave his land to start a path of hard work. Arnold had followed in the footsteps of Jonathan Toro, another Honduran who signed up for the Marcet Professional Program and ended up playing in the First Division (in this case, in Portugal).

“Being in Barcelona was important for my training, because in Marcet I had the opportunity to face big clubs”, recalls Arnold. “That allowed me to compete at a high level and learn a lot, especially in the tactical aspect. It was also in Marcet that I understood that in order to get where I wanted to, I had to work very hard. At the Academy I was surrounded by great professionals, coaches and physical trainers who helped me improve every aspect both on the field and personally. ”

“marcet gave me the chance to face big clubs and learn a lot”

After the call of the Honduran National Team, Arnold stayed two more years at Marcet. After completing a training cycle of three seasons, the midfielder began training with various Portuguese and Spanish teams, including Leganés. However, due to bureaucratic reasons, he wasn’t able to sign for any of them and he decided to return to his country, where he immediately joined Real España.

“I started in the lower categories, but little by little I worked my way up to the first team and made my debut in the First Division,” explains Arnold. “That day I felt nervous, but also happy to have achieved a goal that I had always longed for. In Honduras we are skilled, we have nothing to envy other countries in this regard. Of course, in Europe there are better facilities, opponents’ level is bigger and trainings are better”. And with Arnold’s career being the result of that kind of training, no one can say it better than him.