‘The best of my life’

Diego Kochen celebrates his arrival at FC Barcelona: “It is an honor and a responsibility”.

Diego Kochen always wanted to be a goalkeeper, but it was difficult for him to convince his coaches to put him in that position. “I started playing when I was 5 years old, but it wasn’t until I was 8 that I made my debut as a keeper,” recalls the young soccer player from Miami. “The only thing I remember from my childhood is that I wanted to be a goalie. I had to insist a lot until my coach gave me the opportunity to participate in a tournament as a substitute goalkeeper. However, the starter got sick before the competition and I ended up playing the whole tournament. Everything else is history. “

The story had a happy ending, with Diego signing for FC Barcelona U-16 team. “Coming to this club has been an exceptional experience. I really appreciate the support Barça is giving me in all aspects. This is the best thing that has happened in my life,” explains the American goalkeeper, who arrived at Barça after his stay at the Marcet High Performance Academy.

Question.- How did you get to Spain?

Answer.- I was playing for West Pines United, in Florida, when one of my teammates’ father organized a trip to Madrid to attend the ‘Clásico’, go sightseeing and play several friendly matches. There we had the opportunity to go to Barcelona to play against a Marcet team. In addition to the game, as part of the visit we also had some training sessions. I still remember that very well. We were all very impressed and my father decided to start enrolling me and my brother in this academy’s summer camps.

“My entire stay at Marcet was a unique experience. It was many hours of hard work, effort and dedication”

Q.- What did you do at Marcet?

A.- I started in 2016 with a summer camp in Barcelona. Then I participated in several intensive courses and even in international tournaments in Switzerland, Italy, Romania and Germany. In 2018 my parents decided to move to Barcelona for work related reasonsand that allowed my brother and I to sign up for the Professional Program, where I was until May 2019. 

Q.- What were the most significant experiences you had while in Marcet?

A.- The truth is that my entire stay at Marcet was a unique experience. I have excellent memories. I have experienced many beautiful things, such as making friends from many different countries, traveling abroad and playing in international tournaments… But perhaps the most important thing was to compete and win the league. It was many hours a day of hard work, a lot of effort and dedication. Not only from me, but from all my teammates and also the coaches, especially Rubén Yegba, the keeper’s trainer.

Q.- What did you learn in Marcet?

A.- Many things! I improved in technical, tactical and emotional aspects. I remember the hours spent working to improve my aerial game, saves, reaction speed… Also all the additional support I received off the field helped me a lot to understand the essence of the goalkeeper position and how important it is. Above all, I understood that the only way to improve is with perseverance, discipline and dedication.

Q.- When did you know that Barça was interested in you? How did they recruit you?

A.- The truth is that I don’t know where and when the Barça scouts noticed me, but it must have been in one of the games I played with Marcet. What I do know is that I was the last one to find out about Barça’s interest, since my parents didn’t tell me until the end. They finally told me at home, right after a training session at Marcet. Obviously I felt a great joy. I couldn’t believe it! I was speechless for a few minutes. Being part of the best team in the world is like a dream. It is an honor, but also a great responsibility.

Q.- What are your goals now?

A.- My main objective is to keep working hard, keep learning every day to improve and be able to stay at FC Barcelona.

After finishing his time with the U-16 team, Kochen moved up to the U-19 team at the Catalan club for the 2022-23 season. During that year, the American goalkeeper of Peruvian descent also had the honor of making his debut with the Barça B team, Barça Atlètic, on December 29.

In the 2023-2024 season, Diego took another step forward, starting to be included in the first-team call-ups, despite being in his second year as a youth player. He made his first appearance in a matchday squad under coach Xavi Hernández on August 20, in a Barcelona-Cádiz match in the second round, and debuted with the first team in a friendly match in Dallas (US), where he played the last half hour of the game against Club América from Mexico.

This way, the goalkeeper from Miami made history by becoming the youngest debutant in Barça’s history and one of only three Americans to have played for the first team of the Spanish club, alongside Sergiño Dest and Konrad de la Fuente, another former Marcet Football University student who boosted his career thanks to his time at this football academy. Given all this, the international press quickly took notice of him. In October 2023, the British newspaper The Guardian included him in their list of the 60 best young talents in world football.

Four months later, the goalkeeper renewed his contract with Barcelona, extending it until 2028. “I am very grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity. It’s every child’s dream to renew and stay with such a big team. I couldn’t be happier,” Diego said after the new contract was signed.

“Kochen has continued to grow since joining FC Barcelona,” explained the Spanish newspaper Marca after the renewal. “The catalan club is very pleased with his performance, and there are great expectations for the young goalkeeper, who is seen as having the potential to make it to the first team in the coming years.” Not only in the ranks of the Spanish club but also in the United States national team, for which the goalkeeper has already been called up several times for the youth categories. The most recent call-up, as of this edition, was in March 2024, when he was selected to prepare for the U-20 CONCACAF Championship.