Douglas:

Douglas: "It’s as a full-back that I want to find my place on the world stage"

In an interview with Barça TV, the Brazilian has explained how eager he is become an even better player

Nothing has stopped surprising the Brazilian full-back since he arrived in Barcelona. It’s all new for him, or “on a different level” as he puts it: the city, the club, the facilities and so much more. Douglas Pereira was speaking in an interview with Barça TV, in which he discussed his past and, just as importantly, his present as an FC Barcelona player. “What I have to do is work hard for when the manager needs me” he says. “It is hard to know whether I’m ready or not. I have only just left Brazil and in order to keep adapting to Barça I’m going to have to work on assimilating the group dynamic … European football is much faster, but I’ll be ready for this as soon as I can be.” To adapt to Barça I’m going to have to work on assimilating the group dynamic

The former Sao Paulo never made it a secret that his dream had always been to play for Barça one day, and although he feels truly grateful for the situation he finds himself in now, he hasn’t forgotten how hard it was to get here. “When I was 12, I’d go with my dad to Goias to play football” he explained. “I always dreamt of a chance like this.”

He also explained that “I played for eight months as a striker, but then I became a midfielder, which is where I stayed until I was seventeen.” But then one of his coaches decided to try him out at full-back, his current position not only at club level but for the different Brazil youth teams. “At Sao Paulo I got the chance to play as a winger now and again, but it’s as a full-back that I want to find my place in world football” he admitted. “That’s where I like playing best.” I’ll listen to everything Luis Enrique can say to make me better

He is an attack-minded player, and claims to still have a lot to learn about the art of defending. That’s why “I’ll listen to everything Luis Enrique can say to make me better. I want to develop my sense of tactics at FC Barcelona … But I like working hard. In football, you earn your chances by working hard in training.”

He knows that he’s going to face stiff competition for a place in the starting elven, and one of his most direct competitors happens to be one of his childhood heroes, Dani Alves. “I want to take the very aspects of Dani Alves or Cafú” he says in reference two of his strongest role models. “They both have something different to offer and so much quality to their game. I have to learn from both of them if I want to earn my place at FC Barcelona”.

[[BOTOVERMELL::Player profile++::http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/staff/players/douglas-s::HOR::NF::NO-TRACKING::::::]]

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