Vermaelen highlights the level of Barcelona: “I think Barça is doing very well”

Published New:29/07/2025 - 20:17h

Updated New:29/07/2025 - 23:38h

Vermaelen took the opportunity to praise Barça's good performance during the past season. In addition, he highlighted the role that young players are having

The 2024/25 season of FC Barcelona, where they were champions of La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, has not left anyone indifferent, as is the case of the former blaugrana player Thomás Vermaelen, who surrendered to the current level of the azulgrana team.

"I follow European football a lot. I think Barça is doing very well. They did very well last season, also in the Champions League," said the former defender for the microphones of BarçaONE.

Similarly, the Belgian pointed out that although the team could not reach the Champions League final, it has something special, which are the young players who, in his own words, are "a pleasure to watch."

These statements come after the first pre-season match of the Catalan team, in which they defeated Vissel Kobe by 1-3, a team in which he played after his time at Barça.

Youth consolidates as the pillar of Barça

Although the Barcelona team has veteran references such as Robert Lewandowski, Iñigo Martínez or Marc-André ter Stegen, the structure of the first team relies on a generation of young talents who have earned an undisputed place in the starting eleven.

Under the direction of German coach Hansi Flick, players like Lamine Yamal, Pedri or Pau Cubarsí have settled in with authority, reflecting the club's determined commitment to the future.

In addition, the Asian tour is also serving for other young players such as Jofre Torrents or Pedro 'Dro' Fernández to start showing their potential, the latter scoring the third goal of the match against Kobe.

In this context, Vermaelen held nothing back and highlighted the maturity that characterizes them despite being very young, which is why, he considers, the matches are enjoyed more.

"They are very talented at such a young age, but with such mature behavior on the field. They have exceptional talent and, for us as fans, it is incredible to see such young players with so much talent. This makes us enjoy watching the matches more," he added.

Vermaelen's time at Barça, conditioned by injuries

Thomas Vermaelen landed at Camp Barça in the summer market of 2014, from Arsenal in exchange for around 15 million euros, although he could not debut until May 2015, due to the injuries that became recurrent during his time in the blaugrana team.

However, the Belgian central defender arrived at Barça generating high expectations. It was even believed that he could become a key piece of the defense. However, his physical problems prevented him from finding the continuity to consolidate in the team.

It is worth remembering that he signed with Barcelona until 2019, but only played 4 seasons with the Catalan club, since during 2016/17 he was loaned to Roma, but barely participated in 12 matches. With Barça he played 53 official matches and scored 1 goal, in addition to winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League in 2014/15.