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“I felt very comfortable and happy”

Joan García expresses his pride at wearing the captain's armband for the first time in the Copa del Rey win

Tuesday’s Copa del Rey win over CD Mensajero was a special occasion for Joan García, not least for making his first appearance of the season.

The academy goalkeeper, who started in the first round tie in La Palma, wore the captain’s armband in the closing stages when Leandro Cabrera was substituted. A win, a clean sheet and a first outing as skipper caps off what was a memorable day for the 22-year-old.

Speaking after the game, García said, “I felt very comfortable and happy, the Cup is a competition that we are very excited about. We already have an eye back on the league though, because on Friday we have a very important game at home [against Eibar]”.

On the captaincy, the keeper explained, “I did not expect it, but the usual captains were not on the pitch, so I received the armband with pride. I am an academy graduate and our dream is to play in the First Division, so it is easy to imagine what it means to wear the captain's armband because of everything it entails historically”.

García played the full 90 minutes at the Estadio Rosendo Hernández, as Espanyol overcome Mensajero of the Spanish fourth tier. He concluded, “They were a difficult opponent, even if they are in a lower league than us. We knew it could have been difficult for us, but we have worked well all week and it turned out well”.