Joan García: “I was really eager to be called up”

Joan García Pons will cherish the date of Spain’s first training camp of 2026, as it marks his first opportunity to join the senior national team. His merits for earning a place in Luis de la Fuente’s squad are both numerous and evident, but it is best to hear from the player himself.

On Monday, 23 March, we welcomed the goalkeeper at the airport and followed him throughout his first day with the team. “I was really eager to be called up. I’m very happy and full of excitement,” Joan García said.

The goalkeeper from Sallent de Llobregat explained how he found out about the call-up: “I was in the gym training because we had a session, and one of the physios came over with his phone, showed me the news that I had been called up, and gave me a hug.”

Reflecting on his beginnings in football, the new addition to the national team recalled looking up to his older brother: “I have an older brother who was a goalkeeper, and like all younger siblings, I used to go and watch him. One day I decided I wanted to do the same.” He also admitted that you have to be “a bit crazy” to stand in goal and face powerful shots, although he combines that with being “a very calm person” in his daily life.

There are four goalkeepers in this training camp under Luis de la Fuente, and Joan García was full of praise for his teammates, stressing that for him the most important thing is “to help the team.”

“If you get called up in a World Cup year, you feel closer to going. But you have to keep working and improving. If the opportunity comes, it would be a dream for me,” he said with a smile.

“My family has made great efforts and sacrifices so that I could do what I love,” he added, and now Joan García hopes to repay them through success.