‘I’ve learned to compete’

Jorge Bermúdez receives the call from the Puerto Rico National Team after a season at Marcet.

“I was in the residence, lying on my bed and waiting for class to start, when I received a text. It was from the coach of the U17 National Team and stated that I had been selected for the qualifying phase of the World Cup. I was so excited… I couldn’t stop reading the message!”

This was how Jorge Bermúdez received some of the best news of his life. The Puerto Rican striker had spent months at Marcet’s High Performance Academy, where he was training precisely to get opportunities like this. The call from the National Team came at the end of the season, as a reward for all the hard work since September in Barcelona.

The good news did not make Jorge lower his guard. On the contrary, the forward continued with his training process at Marcet and, after a year, he also received an offer from Real Murcia, where he will play for the U-19 team in the 2020-21 season.

Question.- Why did you decide to leave your country to play football?

Answer.- In Puerto Rico football is still a developing sport. It doesn’t have the same importance as in Spain and it’s not easy to find quality formative training. There are many good players on the island, but they often end up wasting their talent due to lack of discipline. Talent cannot be perfected in Puerto Rico, and, if you don’t leave, there’s not much opportunity to show yourself to the rest of the world.

“WHAT I LIKE MOST AT MARCET IS THE CHANCE to play against big clubs and to face them at such a high level”

Q.- Was the football that different in Barcelona?

A.- The training sessions are very different, especially in organizational terms. At Marcet specific tasks are developed for the improvement of each player. The environment is also more demanding, as you share a changing room with many other students with the same objectives as yourself.

Q.- What do you like most about all you’ve experienced this season?

A.- Without doubt the chance to play against big clubs and to face them at such a high level. This year my team and I played against Levante, Oviedo and Zaragoza, in amongst others.

Q.- How did you fall in love with football?

A.- I started liking it when I was around 5 years old, but just as a hobby. It wasn’t until the 2010 World Cup came about that everything changed. My Grandma is Spanish and through her I got to experience all the excitement surrounding the sport. Iniesta’s goal in the final was what made me fall in love with football and what pushed me to start my career.

Q.- How did you find out about Marcet?

A.- It was through Juan Ignacio O’Neill, an ex-player from the Academy. He told me about his experience and formative process in Barcelona. ‘Juani’, who plays in the Puerto Rican National Team, loved this period of his life. As I have the same footballing aspirations, I knew Marcet would be a great place to improve for the future.

“Iniesta’s goal in the final OF THE 2010 WORLD CUP was what pushed me to start my career”

Q.- When watching you play on the pitch it seems you give 100% so as to not concede a single centimetre to your rivals. What are your strong points?

A.- I push myself a lot and I like to hold my own against rivals. I like forward facing play and making runs, as well as high ball game and fighting for loose balls.

Q.- What did you learn at Marcet?

A.- Many things. Although above all they have taught me how to compete.

Q.- What do you have left to improve?

A.- I would like to have more confidence in myself. I can feel quite insecure after a bad training session or a negative result in a game. I’m working on improving in this aspect. Now my aim is to keep training as a player and to keep progressing in all the technical details and tactics in order to gain my place in the U18 side, accumulating experience to be able to reach the next level.

“Signing for Real Murcia maDE me very happy. I want to face this stage with perseverance, but also calmly”

Q.- Your goal also was to be signed by an important team. Now you’ve got it, congratulations…

A.- I am very excited and satisfied, because I’ve been working hard during this season and in the end I’ve got the reward. Signing for Real Murcia means climbing a step in my sports career. It makes me very happy. I want to face this stage with perseverance, but also calmly. There’s really nothing to worry  for me right now. It is true that I will go to a new place, where I’ll have to start from scratch, adapt as soon as possible … But in the end it is to do what I like.