Dani Olmo has reviewed his career in “The Players Tribune”. The Spanish international has told from his beginnings in La Masía, his departure, the march to Croatia, the signing for RB Leipzig and the call-up with the National Team.
Photo with Messi: “Once, before even joining La Masia, I accompanied my father while he was directing a game in Castelldefels. I was 8 years old. I was playing alone and happy, when someone – I think it was a friend of my father – approached me and He said: 'Hey Dani, come here! You won't believe it. You can take a picture with Lionel Messi!'. Wow, Messi, right? In Castelldefels? What kid wouldn't want a picture with him? Well I said something like, “No thanks. I'm fine. I want to keep playing! It's just a picture, right?” But, against my will, they put me next to Messi and took the photo. “
I cry when I arrive at La Masía: “I was nine years old and wanted to stay with my friends at Espanyol. But my father made the decision and I have to say that he finally knew what was best for me. I have many incredible memories of La Masia and the club will always have a special place in my heart. It was a privilege to have played there. It is a reference point for the rest of the football world and any child would give anything to play there, where so many greats have come and learned the trade. “
Camp Nou: “At Barcelona I played in fantastic tournaments, I met incredible people and I learned a lot. I even had to play at the Camp Nou once. In that field. Holy land. The dream.”
Barça exit: “Nobody leaves Barcelona for Croatia. Nobody. It's just not done. But I did. As soon as my father told me about the offer, I said: 'I'm leaving.' As simple as that. I was not scared like when I left Espanyol for Barça. I didn't cry. I had already been living away from home in La Masia. I needed to get out of my comfort zone, and this felt like the natural step, even if I was only 16 years old. “
Dinamo Zagreb: “My father told me: 'This team, Dynamo Zagreb, wants to make their project for you. They want to bet everything on you.' That was all I needed to hear. I didn't care where I was, or that I was outside the big five I didn't know anything about Croatia, but I did know that at Barça I was running the risk of losing myself in the system, of becoming just another player, without a clear path to the first team. At Barça I was part of the same age group as Carles Aleñá, Marc Cucurella, Carles Pérez. Of them, now only Aleñá is still at Barça, although he has been loaned. The rest of my group is at other clubs, or at Barça B. “
More expensive transfer: “Dynamo are famous for bringing in young players and selling them at a profit to the big clubs in Europe. Until then, the biggest sale had been Luka Modric to Tottenham for £ 16m in 2008. As a teenager, to hear that someone puts so much trust in you, as to tell you that eventually you could be more valuable than Modric… “.
Selection: “I still remember my coach giving me the news at the end of a training session. I couldn't believe it. The only thing he kept repeating was: 'It can't be … It can't be!'. The rest of the teammates made me a corridor, with the difference that, you know, instead of making me an honor guard, clapping me… they beat me! “
RB Leipzig: “Dynamo also fulfilled that promise to make me the most expensive transfer in history, when I went to RB Leipzig. There began the next chapter of my project at RB Leipzig, where I have already experienced fantastic things, and I have had the lucky to work with some of the best in the world, like Julian Nagelsmann. “
Nagelsmann: “The coach contacted me personally, shortly before the January 2020 transfer. And I must say that he is one of those who convinced me to come to Germany. He is an intense guy, sometimes also peculiar. But also a very intelligent and passionate, and a great communicator. To be honest, I'm not so sure which adjective would be the best to describe him… He is Nagelsmann. Pure intensity, pure emotion. It's like… whatever comes to him, he lets it out. most important of all is that you know what he wants. “
Contact: “When he telephoned me, he told me how much he was counting on me and how he could help me grow and rise to the next level in my career. No other club did that. It reminded me of the previous five years at Dynamo, so I knew he was the correct project “.
Croatia: “It's a beautiful place and I still consider it my second home. On vacation, when I have free time, I have a choice: go to Spain, where my family is, or go to Zagreb … with my other family! Traces of the conflict that happened not so far back in time, and many people are still recovering from the war. This is much less visible in the larger cities, such as Zagreb, but when Dynamo was supposed to play in the smaller towns, nearby to the border, the aftermath of the war was still present. It's as if in those places … you breathe a different air. In some towns, you can still see the bullet holes in the walls and the kids playing soccer on fields in front of buildings damaged by the bombings. Those images were etched in my mind. They have impacted me. “
Zagreb derby: “The eternal derby. It's like the Classic but more intense! How to explain it to you? In Croatia, Dynamo and Hajduk are like father and mother. It's something huge. Everyone chooses a side. No one is neutral. When he went to the south in Split, even off the pitch, I felt like they were watching me. As if I shouldn't even be there. As if I was behind enemy lines or something. Sometimes they would say things to me on the street … And not pleasant! Let's say they didn't want to take a picture with me. “
Single expulsion: “The derby I remember the most was a league game, at home, at the Maksimir Stadium in August 2017, when I was just 19 years old. I was coming back from an injury and in and out of the team. We had played a game in Europe halfway through week and the coach had given me the chance to play to get back in shape … but they ended up sending me off. It's the only red card I've received so far. I couldn't believe it. They hardly ever even warned me! “
Solidary: “I wanted to get involved with the Common Goal movement. I am one of the 160 footballers (there are also coaches, like Nagelsmann) who joined the project and committed to delivering 1% of our salaries to help various football NGOs around the world His work supports youth soccer programs on five continents. My donation specifically supports a project in the Balkans called Cross Cultures Projects Association, which helps communities that are still dealing with the aftermath of the war. More importantly, CCPA helps children in the region have the right to a better childhood and education, regardless of ethnicity or gender. “