Gordon’s Spanish surprise falls flat at Barcelona press conference

Anthony Gordon abandoned plans to answer questions in Spanish at a media conference before Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Aston Villa after feeling overwhelmed by the size of the press gathering.

The England forward had been preparing to speak Spanish after learning he was set to join Barcelona. He had also started studying Catalan, alongside Spanish, in anticipation of his move to the club.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Gordon had hoped to use Spanish during Monday’s press conference, a decision that would have attracted considerable attention. He had identified the event as an opportunity to demonstrate his progress and had spent the previous evening preparing possible answers.

The preparations were carried out with the help of his public relations team and his language teacher. However, when Gordon took his place in front of about 100 journalists, he became nervous and asked to respond in English instead.

Gordon had expected that he might be selected to face the media because he was the only English player in Barcelona’s squad. He had planned the language challenge after realising he could be involved in the conference linked to the match against Aston Villa.

Once he saw the size of the media presence, though, he decided the occasion was not the right moment to attempt the interview in Spanish.

Despite the setback, Gordon has promised to continue working on his Spanish and hopes to complete the challenge in the near future. People close to the player believe he is making significant progress with the language.

His efforts are understood to represent more than an attempt to show respect for Catalan culture. Gordon also sees learning Spanish as a reflection of his desire to spend many years wearing the Barcelona shirt.

The source article also lists Manchester United and Aston Villa in the Premier League, and Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga, with fixtures dated 08 November 2026.