FC Bayern announced the signing of Marc Roca on Sunday, a player with exceptional technical skills, the heart of a true fighter and a real awareness of where his teammates are on the pitch. "He fits into our team perfectly in terms of football and character," said board member for sport Hasan Salihamidžić, who was delighted with the transfer. fcbayern.com introduces the 23-year-old Spaniard and shows what the fans can expect.
Youth and professional debuts at Espanyol
On 28 August 2016 Marc Roca made his debut for the Espanyol senior team, playing for 87 minutes in a 2-2 draw with Malaga.
Marc Roca Junqué, to give the Reds' new signing his full name, grew up 60 kilometres west of Barcelona and started out playing for his home club Atlètic Vilafranca. It didn't take long for his talent to be discovered, and the then twelve-year-old was accepted into the Espanyol youth academy. There the central midfielder progressed through all the youth teams at the La Liga club and made his professional debut in 2016 at the age of 19.
2019 European U21 winner
The moment of his greatest success: just after the final whistle of the U21 final in 2019, there was no stopping Marc Roca.
Roca made a stream of appearances in his first two years there, and by the 2018/19 season had progressed to become an absolute first-team regular, pulling the strings in Espanyol's game. But even he couldn't stop the team's relegation to the Segunda División last season. The 1.84 metre tall midfielder celebrated his greatest success at the 2019 U21 European Championship in Italy, when he won the trophy with Spain. At 1-0 down in the semi-final against France he scored the important equaliser, after which Spain went on to win 4-1. And in the final, the Iberians beat Germany, who were led by Alexander Nübel 2-1.
Here are the best images from Roca's arrival in Munich:
From the Mediterranean to the Isar
And now Roca will meet the keeper again in Munich, because after 121 games (3 goals) he's swapped the Espanyol shirt for the red one of the reigning Champions League winners. "This is a dream come true for me. I think FC Bayern is the best club in the world and has strong tradition. I'm really looking forward to wearing the colours of this great club", said the German record champions' new number 22 after putting pen to paper.
Roca and the decisive pass
The left-footed player prefers to be used in a central midfield position, where he can impress with strong tackles and a very refined technique. With his skilful game, he's regarded as a technically good distributor of the ball, who always wants to play with pace, opening up space for his strikers with a good overview and accurate passes. The fans, who have already had positive experiences with Spanish midfielders like Xabi Alonso, Javi Martínez or Thiago, can therefore look forward to enjoying watching a new playmaker.
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