Gavi has spent the past few seasons rebuilding both his body and his standing at FC Barcelona, and in a wide-ranging interview he has now put words to the shift he has felt since first breaking into the first team as a teenager. The Andalusian midfielder reflected on his evolution at Barcelona and with the Spain national team, admitting that the weight of expectation feels heavier now than it did when he was still a wide-eyed 17-year-old finding his feet among senior professionals.
The comments came in an interview with Men’s Health, with Diario AS identified as the source of the material, which Tribuna published on 22 September 2026.
“I feel much more pressure now than I did at 17. Back then, I wasn’t really aware of where I was; the younger I was, the more I enjoyed football.”
Gavi explained that overthinking the outcome of a match tends to strip away the enjoyment of playing, and said he now tries to compete as he always has, letting results follow naturally rather than forcing them. That mentality, he said, has been shaped in part by his rehabilitation, which forced him to be more patient, set himself step-by-step goals, and take on habits that stretch beyond football. He noted that he now looks after himself far more diligently than he did as a debutant, a point echoed in his recent comments on standards expected of younger players arriving at the club, and in step with the confidence he has shown in high-pressure Barcelona fixtures.
On the physical side, Gavi said his knee must remain strong regardless of whether he is playing, stressing that he cannot afford to slack off because problems can resurface at any moment. He credited his family for helping him through difficult stretches, saying he isolated himself with them during recovery and found real comfort in that support. He also spoke openly about mental health, calling a psychologist a good idea whether things are going badly or very well, and admitting he has never seen one himself but would like to.
Gavi closed by reaffirming the mentality that has carried him since his earliest days at the club, describing himself as someone with a strong head who knows what he wants. As he continues pushing for minutes within the current Barcelona squad, that blend of competitive instinct and hard-won self-care looks set to define his next chapter.
