Ortolà, now with Alavés, extols FC Barcelona

Adrián Ortolà is coming back to Barcelona. The man who was the starting goalkeeper for Barça B for the last three seasons will be on the Alavés bench at Camp Nou this Saturday night when his new side, back in the top flight following a 10-year absence, takes on FC Barcelona in Week 3 of La Liga.

“Saturday’s match is going to be very special for me,” he told fcbarcelona.com in an exclusive interview. “And even though I’m coming as a visitor, I’ll remember it forever.”

The 23-year-old Ortolà signed with the Vitoria-based team this summer, leaving behind a three-season run at Barça B during which he appeared in 67 games.

But Ortolà didn’t just change teams. He changed divisions, making the jump from the Second Division B — where the Barça reserves played last season following relegation from the Second Division A a season earlier — all the way to the First Division.

“It’s a big step,” Ortolà admitted. “I’m very happy to be here and it’s a great opportunity.”

Now he’ll have the chance to go up against some of his former teammates, like Denis Suárez, who played for Barça B and went out on loan the past two seasons before returning to the first team.

“I think Denis made a great decision,” Ortolà said. “He left Barça to gain experience so he could come back and help the team.”

“Barça added some great reinforcements this season,” he added. “Improving the team is almost impossible because they already have the best players. And on top of that, they added players who are young and with experience.”

And on Saturday, Ortolà will have the chance to see them up close.