Sergio Gomez opens up on La Masia love, Alex Remiro to Barca talk & that ‘amazing’ Lamine Yamal claim

Sergio Gomez has lifted the lid on his Barcelona past, telling exactly why he’ll never forget La Masia and then dropping a huge claim about Lamine Yamal that’ll have every Barca fan nodding along.

The Real Sociedad left back, once a bright spark in Barca’s youth ranks, sat down with SPORT this week and opened up on his winding road from the famed academy to the top flight. And despite leaving for Borussia Dortmund way back in 2018, it’s clear the Catalan giants still hold a piece of his heart.

“Absolutely,” he said when asked if he still feels like a La Masia product. “I spent eight years there, from the under 12s right up to Barça B. I’ll always be grateful to Barça.”

What’s funny is how Gomez has ended up as a left back, because that was never the plan. Not even close.

“The truth is that it’s a position I’ve gradually adapted to over the years,” he admitted. “At Barça, I played as a winger on both flanks or as an attacking midfielder. I even played as a false nine, but never as a full back.” A false nine to full back? Only at La Masia, eh.

He was quick to namecheck Franc Artiga as the coach who shaped him most during those formative years. No hesitation there.

The chat then turned to his Sociedad teammate Alex Remiro, who’s been whispered about as a potential Barca target. Gomez was respectful but firm: “Remiro is a top class goalkeeper. He’s been a regular in the national team squad over the last few years. That’s quite an achievement, given the high standard of goalkeeping in Spain.”

As for a return to Camp Nou himself? Don’t hold your breath.

“I’m quite happy at Real Sociedad, and until they call you, you don’t think about it,” he said. “Barça is the club that has given me everything to get where I am now. But as I said before, until they call you, you don’t even think about what you’d say if they did. I’m very happy at Real Sociedad.”

But here’s the bit that’ll get Barca fans purring. Gomez has seen Lamine Yamal up close both as an opponent and in Spain training and he’s absolutely convinced the kid is the real deal.

“I’ve had to face him on several occasions this season. Lamine is really showing what he’s made of,” Gomez said. “I was in the squad with him when I was called up to the senior Spanish national team and he really impressed me in training. I’d seen him in matches, but watching him train is amazing.”

Then came the big one: “He’s got fifteen or more years left in his career at Barça; he’s bound to succeed and, if he puts his mind to it, he’ll go as far as he wants.”

Fifteen years. That’s a hell of a shout for a teenager. But coming from someone who’s been inside both La Masia and the Spain setup, it carries weight.

For now, Gomez focuses on life at Real Sociedad, where he’s become a key figure while Barca’s academy keeps churning out gems. But his words on Yamal? They’ll echo around Catalonia for a while yet.