Marc Roca Junqué (Vilafranca del Penedès, 11/20/1996), current Leeds United player, former Bayern Munich player and first to wear ’21’ at RCD Espanyol after the tragic death of the eternal Dani Jarque, passed on Twitch of Mundo Deportivo to review his successful career.
It is always important for any footballer to know where he comes from. How are your beginnings?
“I have two older brothers: Eric and Pere. Ever since I was a kid, going to the field, watching them play, playing with them little by little, going out in the middle of the game to play a little bit… The thing that was breathed in my house was football. I was good at it and at the age of 12 I had a chance at Spanish. From there ups and downs, like everything in life. Better moments, worse… Thanks to my family and my perseverance I climbed the categories, with a lot of work and you start to dream. It has been an incredible learning for my life, every year is the first and the last. Every season finale there are 7-8 teammates who don’t follow through. You’re afraid they’ll say ‘no’ to you.”
A child of that age must live with great tension in these situations…
“You saw that there are 7-8 who will continue saying yes or yes, but from Infant to Youth I was there, I don’t know if I will continue or not. I was slowly climbing, years with more fame, years with less, but looking back helped me trust myself and know that things are not easy. From the second Juvenile year I started to stand out a bit, I started to feel important within the team. I had two years in the subsidiary and made my debut with Quique in the first team. From there, what you know: first year very well, second year I hardly played anything, but I learned. And until now.”
At what point do you start to see that your dream of reaching the first team can become a reality?
“When I really say: ‘I’m on the road’ it’s in the second-year youth team, when I see myself closer to Espanyol B. That time I had David Gallego, and I learned a lot with him. He understood the way I play and we have a great connection”.
You athletes have an incredible level of competitiveness but… Is it a natural thing or is it planned by clubs like Espanyol?
“Spanish helps you have spirit and passion. You have Barça, which is like your rival. They always beat us until Juvenile. But I think it’s also natural, I don’t know how to lose. I carry it inside: it’s passion, competitiveness, wanting to win… I think it’s important in life to have that hunger”.
Who was your key in Spanish?
“Rubi is the coach who has the most marks for me. This comes at a difficult time for me. The first season with Quique I made my debut in the First Division, it’s all nice words, dull… But the following year, when one says ‘this will be my year’ you see you’re not playing . On top of that, they give you ’21’… And there’s no way around it. I played four games in ¾ of a year, which is tough for a young player. It’s not easy to assimilate, you want to play and you think a lot. The season ended, I had a lot of doubts, and Rubi arrived. I finish the season with Gallego playing four games at a good level and when Rubi comes everything changes. From the first week of training I feel very good, I see a connection with the coach, I like what he suggests at the level of the structure of the game, at the level of the dressing room… It’s all smooth sailing. He is the coach with the most scores at the professional level and for me he is a top and top worldwide coach. He works very well and he deserves it, besides that, he is good in the work team”.
What does wearing the number 21 mean?
“It’s a gift. It’s a very important number within Espanyolism, we all know what it means. Being the first player to be given the opportunity to wear it means a lot to me. It’s an honor and I always try to it defends my values, with Spanish values and I think it is a gift that life has given me. I wear it with pride and with the utmost personality.”
In the second season, before Rubi left, I thought that going through the lack of opportunities crossed your mind.
“When I’m not playing with Quique, he calls me Rubi from Huesca. At that time he wanted to go to Huesca, but the situation did not end and after half a year he arrived in Espanyol. And I feel, he will give me a chance. When I wasn’t playing, with Quique, I spent a lot of time in the gym, constantly training and strengthening your mind. And I feel ready, I came to the preseason, I was at a very good level and when the League starts everything is fine. We created an amazing campaign. It’s been an incredible year for me.”
How did you experience his departure then?
“Complicated, to be honest. I felt that as a club we were moving forward, that the structure of Rubi’s game suited the Spanish nature of football. And I think that was the key to his success, all the homegrown players he put in gave our best version. His departure is a pitcher of cold water, but you have to accept it. And Gallego came, who is a coach who helped me a lot and he will definitely help us”.
Gallego arrives, with whom you have already been, but he is given a little time. Maybe with more patience it will boil over, like it did with Rubi…
“It makes assumptions. He is a top coach, he has confidence in the dressing room. I don’t know if it was a right choice or not, but things always happen for a reason. It has to be like that and it has been a difficult year for everyone, with Covid, the relegation, many coaches… But in this life everything is a learning experience and in the end you can always get positive things “.
You’re young, you start to stand up and talk about the interest of Madrid, Barça or Bayern. How did you live those moments?
“Emotional ups and downs. Bayern will come, now yes, now no, now we have to wait… It’s been two summers. After the European Under-21s, talks will begin with Bayern, revealing an offer the Spaniard rejected. These were tense summers, with many calls, uncertainty… Time did not pass. But I learned a lot to be able to separate myself from everything that does not depend on me. Bayern was a very good apprenticeship”.
Do you remember the day and how you felt when, now yes, there was an offer from Bayern on the table?
“I remembered my representative calling me. I had euphoria, a feeling of happiness, but also uncertainty because until it’s all over you don’t know what will happen. I remember a feeling of happiness, of many feelings and desires, but also of saying, don’t worry, keep practicing, focus on you!
On the one hand, happiness, but on the other hand, having to say goodbye to Spanish…
“It was not an easy step for me, I was at home all my life. But I took it with great enthusiasm and it was a brutal experience for me.”
You are related to Barça. Would you sign in the future if it came knocking on your door?
“In the future you don’t know. You don’t know what will happen in life. It’s a difficult question to answer, but I’m from Spain, I feel like I’m from Spain, I’m very grateful to the club and say I tell you, what I want is, in the future, to be able to retire from Espanyol, which is the club that gave me this. It gave everything, the club that gave me the opportunity to play in the First Division, which saw me grow and the club I love”.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
