Fermín López interview: The midfielder on motivation and aiming high in the Champions League with Barcelona

After a spell on loan at third-tier Linares, midfielder Fermín López was expecting to leave Barcelona for a second division side, but instead found himself promoted to the senior side. This season, he was Player of the Match in two Champions League games, after scoring a hat-trick against Olympiacos on Matchday 3 and two more goals at Slavia Praha on Matchday 7.

The 22-year-old tells UEFA that his younger self would be delighted to see just how far he has come since his time in Barcelona’s La Masía academy, but as chilled as he seems on the surface, Fermín is determined to get better and win more.

On his personality

Off the pitch, I would consider Fermín to be a calm, simple person, a family person. I like to relax. I do simple things. I think I transform myself on the pitch. I’m a little bit more competitive, more intense, maybe even a little bit aggressive in my playing style. I think I change a lot from the personal to the professional.

On his start in football

When I was little, I wasn’t into it, but from the age of seven or eight years old, my friends used to play on this small pitch in my hometown, and after that I got the football bug and it became a daily thing for me, and still is today.

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On being promoted to the Barcelona first team in 2023/24

After my time at Linares, when I came back here, the idea was to leave the club as I had a couple of offers from the Second Division and felt like it was the right step. They convinced me to do pre-season with the first team and that was a dream come true. I worked with Xavi [Hernández] and my team-mates during the first week and it worked really well.

I was kind of nervous at the start [of my debut at Villarreal], but once I got on the pitch, I tried to relax and play as well as possible. It was incredible to see that I was sharing a pitch with players such as Frenkie [de Jong], Pedri, [Robert] Lewandowski, Raphinha. Playing with such great players makes you even better.

On the secrets of his success

You need a bit of luck in football, and maybe I had that, but I think I worked hard. You always have to think about going further, improving. I’ve won a lot with the national team and with Barça, and I’m really happy about that, but I’m always thinking about winning even more and getting even better.

When I was at Linares or La Masía, I would have loved and dreamed of experiencing what I’ve experienced. And I think that helps me on a day-to-day basis because I always want to do my best, to learn and improve game by game. I think I still have a lot to learn, and I hope I can keep doing great things.

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On Barcelona coach Hansi Flick

I’ve really improved a lot since Hansi arrived. I think he’s helped me develop many areas of my game. And I think I’m having a good season with him. He’s a very demanding coach, but he’s also very approachable.

He’s helped with decision-making and also scoring goals, always being focused during the match, and in terms of defence as well. I think he’s helped me in almost every area as a player.

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On playing in the Champions League

It’s a dream come true for me to achieve these things for Barça; to play in the Champions League, to be named [Player] of the Match and score a hat-trick [against Olympiacos]. I’m really happy with what I’m doing and hopefully I can carry on like this.

The Champions League is a really difficult competition. Every team makes it difficult for you, but I think I have the confidence and my team-mates help a lot on the pitch, and so does our coach. It all just helps me perform, and I just think about helping the team and I think that’s what is happening.

On losing to Inter in the 2024/25 semi-finals

That day was really tough, but we learnt a lot because we got so close to the Champions League final. We learned from that and we learned about where we needed to improve so that hopefully we can reach the final and win it this year.

We really need to stick together, both on and off the pitch. Ultimately, the Champions League comes down to small details – seconds of play. We're all confident in ourselves and in our abilities.

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