Anthony Gordon open scoring for Barcelona against Getafe for second minute of dia clash on Saturday for Spotify Camp Nou, for eighth round of Spanish league. The goal na individual brilliance. Gordon jink past three defenders on edge of box before im fire shot wey deflect off opponent and enter net.
That strike carry English winger to nine goal contributions in all competitions this season: four goals and five assists.
Barcelona enter game without captain and top scorer Raphinha, wey injury rule out. Hin absence hand fellow Brazilian Gabriel Jesus first start since im join club, with Hansi Flick name am for XI. Flick side kick off top of La Liga on 21 points, two clear of second-placed Atlético Madrid. Getafe arrive 12th with eight points.
Anthony Gordon dey enjoy im first few months as FC Barcelona player. E dey perform well for im new club and for England, and e don adapt well to club culture. E speak small Spanish at im unveiling and admit recently say e dey try learn Catalan.
Eric Garcia don help am well well because e speak perfect English. Gordon understand small Spanish, but when dem speak very fast or among demselves, e find am harder to follow. Dani Olmo also help am well well, e talk for interview.
On pitch, one player dey help am plenty: Pedri. Gordon talk say e don make many runs throughout im career wey nobody see, but now e get Pedri, who sees absolutely everything. Pedri na Barcelona midfield maestro, known for vision and ability to execute eye-of-the-needle passes.
Gordon come Barcelona for summer transfer window from Newcastle United. E talk say adapting easy because at Newcastle dem already play similar style—pressing hard and attacking with team pushed high up pitch. With ball as well, because now e play surrounded by some of best footballers in world. Gordon dey aim high with Hansi Flick at helm. E look history to set im marker. Gordon talk say best Barça side e ever see na Pep Guardiola own—the one wey win UEFA Champions League with players like Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. E want this team to be remembered forever.
For England, e feel like long time ago Anthony Gordon place for line-up no dey assured. E take until final pre-World Cup warm-up with Costa Rica, where Gordon score one and set up another, to finally nail down im spot for tournament opener with Croatia. Even then, many Sky Sports writers yet to fully won over.
But barely three months on, e don become integral name on Thomas Tuchel team-sheet and one of im most valued attacking players. Since slow start to that World Cup, something click. Blanks in England first two games against Croatia and Ghana see am dropped for must-win final group match with Panama, but on im return e set up both Harry Kane goals in comeback win over DR Congo. Another assist against Norway plus crowning goal in England biggest game, semi-final with Argentina, don bring country and perhaps Gordon himself along too.
Barcelona winger now dey on four-game international scoring streak—longest of any player in current set-up and of anyone not called Harry Kane in almost six years. That go be impressive run for any player, not least one whose attacking output dem openly question right up until eve that summer tournament. Gordon struggle to recreate im best moments for club in England shirt until this year showpiece, but now e get 10 goal involvements in last 10 games for country as part of most in-form front four in international football.
Im reputation no help by difficult final year at Newcastle under Premier League microscope, where e manage just five non-penalty goal involvements in top flight. E inevitably frame judgement over im ability coming into World Cup—with fact say e don produce four times that figure in first campaign on Tyneside long forgotten. E frustrate am sufficiently to tell ITV ahead of this camp say im quality and football IQ no dey respected by fans in England before moving to Barcelona.
Certainly, talent always dey there. Im first two years at Newcastle, and bits of im time at Everton, show am. But consistency, rather than talent, long be biggest concern for Gordon coaches. There was enough belief in Barcelona say dem fit get Gordon back to im best even before World Cup, say sporting director Deco and head coach Hansi Flick follow Tuchel lead and look beyond im Premier League struggles to sign am ahead of Marcus Rashford. That come despite paying more than double wetin im England team-mate for cost.
E go under radar more widely say only Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe net more than im 10 goals in 12 games in last season Champions League, including against im future employees in League Phase. E no go unnoticed at Nou Camp. Perhaps e ironic say in Gordon recent interview e complain say dem only value am for work-rate and speed before moving to Barcelona, days after Deco tell RAC1 in Spain say na winger intensity attract dem to am first place.
But the 25-year-old don undoubtedly take im game to next level and prove himself in ways e no do before over these last few months on domestic and international stage. Prior to that Costa Rica showing e don produce only two goals and an assist in im first 18 England games. With wetin we don see since, no question say e fit step up in biggest games. When England need answers, e deliver, both in World Cup semi-final as well as im strikes in Nations League against Spain and Czech Republic wey both be match-changing interventions.
Gordon always get self-belief. That clear the moment e reveal at im Barca unveiling say e feel e go play for club since age of three, and e clearly prepare long enough to deliver im speech in assured Spanish. That World Cup run fit only build im confidence further, plus tag of becoming first Englishman signed permanently by Barcelona since Gary Lineker, 40 years ago.
E don hit ground running at Nou Camp, with fans interactions already going viral on social media as dem immediately warm to player wey manage four assists in im first six LaLiga matches—double number e lay on across im final season in Premier League and joint-most in division this season. Deco don make point publicly encourage Gordon to improve im finishing.
