Panaji, Nov. 28 -- FC Goa's 35-year-old defender Marc Valiente is finding his feet comfortably in India, saying that the playing style and environment here is similar to what he has been trained for right from his time at Barcelona's academy as a teenager.
The Spanish defender was in Barcelona's youth setup, where he captained a breakthrough talent
and now a modern day great - Lionel Messi.
The defender talks about the early days when Messi had first been brought to the academy. As the team were being trained in playing the fast-paced touch football that has become synonymous with Barcelona, Valiente said that Messi's quality at the time had stood out immediately.
"When he came to our team, I think he was 13-14. It was not easy for hi...