‘The right decision’ – Marc Bernal glad he rejected loan move away from Barcelona

Marc Bernal has no regrets about turning down a January loan switch to Girona, insisting the choice to remain at Barcelona has already been vindicated by a dramatic upturn in both opportunity and output.

The 20-year-old midfielder saw only sporadic minutes before the winter window, yet when Michel’s side came calling he never wavered. “From the beginning, it was clear to me that I wanted to stay,” Bernal told Sport. “I’ve been here for many years, it’s the club of my life and I’ve made the right decision. The moments I am living now I would not have lived anywhere else. And the titles that we can get, feel unique here.”

Since opting to stay, Bernal has scored five goals across all competitions, forcing his way into Hansi Flick’s plans and catching the eye of Spain’s Under-21 selectors, who included him in their latest squad. The academy graduate credits his resurgence to full fitness after a previous serious injury and to the daily competition inside Barça’s first-team bubble.

Competition will intensify when Frenkie de Jong returns after the international break, but Bernal welcomes the fight for minutes. “When you’re in the first team of FC Barcelona, the best club in the world, the competition is what it has to be,” he said. “We have the best here, our group goes beyond competitions and in the end, those decisions are made by the coach. I have a very good relationship with Frenkie and with everyone. I felt a lot of affection and appreciation from my teammates.”

Having already contributed to Barça’s push for silverware, Bernal is determined to keep proving that resisting the temptation of regular football elsewhere was the smartest move of his fledgling career.