Xavi praises Barcelona forward Ferran Torres: ‘You need to be mentally strong to play here’

Ferran Torres has undoubtedly had his ups and downs in his Barcelona career, but what cannot be questioned is the Spaniard’s passion and his willingness to continue to fight for a spot in the team.

His Barça career seemed over after a bad finish to last season, but the forward came back with a vengeance for the 2023-24 campaign. He earned the nickname “The Shark” from his teammates and had a sensational start to the season for club and country, but like the rest of the team he had a bit of a dip in form towards the end of 2023.

But Ferran showed the mental fortitude to bounce back once again, scoring twice in the last five games and finding himself back in the starting lineup thanks in part to injuries and the struggles of João Félix. Torres may not be a fan favorite, but he always gives his all for the team and always seems to show up when his side needs him the most.

And that mental strenght is appreciated by his coach, Xavi Hernández, who praised Ferran’s attitude and recent performances and revealed a text message his received from Torres that gave him confidence in the player’s ability to rediscover his best football.

“Ferran embodies what a mentally strong footballer is. You need that to play at Barça. Sometimes they make you feel small or feel like you don’t have much value. Ferran has had to be very strong mentally. He wrote me a very important message and I thought that this kid was going to turn things around. He’s got eight goals this season and he’s feeling positive.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo

Ferran’s good run of form needs to keep going as long as possible as most of the forwards around him continue to struggle, and if he can continue to play well and score goals there’s no one who can keep him out of the side.