Football
ESPN staff 7y

England better than Spain for youth player development - Hector Bellerin

England is a better place for young players to develop than Spain because of a higher level of professionalism, according to Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin.

Bellerin, 22, moved from Barcelona's La Masia academy to join Arsenal's youth team when he was 16, and he believes the change of scene benefitted him greatly as he developed as a player and a pro.

"I remember doing hydration tests, body fat tests, mobility tests, looking at the data after the games, during training sessions, everything," Bellerin told the Arsenal website.

"When I was at Barcelona it was all about the football. It was a completely different mentality."

And Bellerin, who is with the Spain U21 team at the European Championship in Poland, added that the opportunities that young players have to travel in England also give aspiring pros a better taste of what life will be like as their careers progress.

"Also the league was way different in Spain. You play against the other teams in your region. For us that meant Catalonia and we only had a couple of games each season that were difficult for us. That was against Espanyol, the other top-division team in the city.

"But here playing for Arsenal we used to play all around England against other Premier League teams. So the difference was really big in loads of senses.

"I also think in England you have to travel a lot and spend nights in hotels from an early age. That gives you a really good taste of what it is like as a pro footballer.

"You learn early on that it can be a lonely life. Of course you are with your teammates, but you find out early that there a lot of things that you cannot do, and there are a lot of family events that you cannot attend.

"You need to realise that from a young age and the fact you have to travel so much to play against teams far from home, it gives you an early taste of how it is at the top level."

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