Alejandro Balde: 'If we can win more trophies, better'

Barça defender Alejandro Balde answered fans' questions live from St. George's Park on the FC Barcelona YouTube channel on Wednesday during the squad's preseason training camp in England. 

'Room for improvement' 

One of the first questions put to the blaugrana defender was of his view of the upcoming 2026/27 season. The 22 year old admitted he still wants to "get better" and there "room for improvement" on a personal level. "We need to stay on the road we are on and if we can win more trophies, better," added the full back. 

On Friday's Hansi Flick's team face Birmingham City in the team's first friendly of preseason. Asked about his pre-game routine, Balde said: "I have long nap in the afternoon - two hours - then I go to physio and then to the stadium. Nothing unusual, I don't have a fixed routine." 

Good relationship with his team mates 

About his team mates, Balde revealed that he gets on well with all of them. Asked about Raphinha, the defender added: "I get on really well with him and his family, he's really close to the young players." 

Talking about his favourite moments as a blaugrana, Balde highlighted the win at Spotify Camp Nou in the Clásico in the 2022/23 season thanks to a late goal from Franck Kessié. "I provided the assist and I remember it well," said Balde before adding his own favourite goal was also against Real Madrid in the 2024/25 Spanish Super Cup. 

Eto'o and Jordi Alba, his role models 

When he was young, Balde admitted that striker Samuel Eto'o was his hero but as a defender he always admired Jordi Alba of whom he said: "I always watched him in games and I loved him, his passes and  his pace. For me, the best full back in Barça history." 

Finally, Balde revealed some of his favourite dishes to be from the Dominican Republic, the homeland of his mother, and from Guinea-Bissau where his father originates from, not forgetting Catalan classics such as calçots and crema catalana.