Communicating my idea

Life was great in every way. Then all of a sudden things changed.

I had just become a father. At the same time my coaching career was progressing at the Barcelona academy. One day, however, the club informed me that I would not continue there. I was close to taking over a team at a higher level, but changes in the academy’s management had led to the decision that my time was over. I will never forget the date of that call: July 17, 2019.

Leaving Barcelona was hard to take. It was an amazing place to work, but suddenly everything for me was on shaky ground. Fortunately, a year earlier I had started studying English. “If my career moves forward, I don’t want language to be a barrier,” I had reasoned.

After leaving Barcelona, during my time without a team, I sped up my learning of English, and enjoyed spending more time with my family. I also travelled to watch football, which was something I couldn’t do while working at Barcelona’s academy, due to the intensity of the day-to-day work.

In November 2019 I received a call from Al Rayyan in Qatar. It was Carles Martorell, head of the club’s academy: “I want you to come with us”, he said.

At the time I was expecting something of a higher standard, having come from Barcelona’s academy. But being without a team in July leaves you with few options, as most coaching staff are structured months in advance. Also, I didn’t think my English was good enough to work abroad yet. “This is the perfect place to learn and overcome your fears,” Carles told me.

“Everything happens for a reason – even when you are forced to confine yourself to a hotel room because of Covid”

Three days before Christmas I was in Qatar. With my family back in Barcelona, I lived alone in a hotel while managing Al Rayyan’s Under-19s. It bore no comparison to working in the Barcelona academy. Some days I didn’t even know how many players I would have in training, because some were going up to the senior teams. The facilities were very different, but I learned a lot.

I came of age and learned how to deal with players in a different culture. Over time, I started to see things from a different perspective. Everything happens for a reason – even when you are forced to confine yourself to a hotel room because of Covid.

The airports were closed and I couldn't go back to Barcelona to be with my family during the pandemic, so I had to spend all that time alone. It felt like endless hours ahead of me every day.

Fortunately, a French company contacted me to teach a course on positional play. It was a great motivation during confinement, because I prepared myself by watching top-level football, looking for perfect examples for the course. That tactical content, sometime later, would lead me to a destination that at the time I couldn’t even imagine.

But before that, in 2021 an opportunity arose to coach Kuwait’s Under-20 team. It represented a big leap in my career, surrounded by a high-level Spanish coaching staff. I led a great project and, with an improved command of English, I was able to connect more with the players.

While all this was going on, my course on positional play was very well received. So much so that someone at Toulouse got to know about it. They liked my approach and wanted to meet me.

“The first months as head coach were intense”

By the time they contacted me, I had already decided to go back home and wait for an opportunity in Europe. That opportunity turned out to be with  Toulouse. I became Philippe Montanier’s assistant with the first team and was also responsible for the club’s methodology.

The relationship with Philippe was very easy, and there was a good balance in place that made me enjoy the job. In the second half of the 2022/23 season, we ironed out some details and Philippe was always open to new ideas. The effort paid off when we won the Coupe de France, the most important trophy in Toulouse’s history. That experience helped me to better know the club, its players and French football.

When Philippe failed to reach an agreement with Toulouse on his contract renewal, the president called me directly and offered me the chance to become manager. It was a challenge I faced with respect, but also with conviction. I have always believed in a ‘why not?’ approach.

Ever since I arrived, Toulouse made me feel important and the players responded well to my work and that of the coaching staff. I prepared the pre-season with my assistant, Pol García. We had worked together at Espanyol’s academy, where I spent five spectacular years before going to Barcelona. And we coordinated everything with the club’s staff.

From the moment I left Barcelona until Toulouse called, my life had changed completely. And the first months as head coach would prove to be intense. We were playing in the Europa League with a new team, plus pressure to prove that the club's decision to choose me had been the right one. I was tense with the responsibility as we navigated some difficult moments.

The birth of my daughter Blanca coincided with a key match against Metz. We were in a difficult situation in the league, but in Europe we were doing very well.

“From the outside it may seem incomprehensible. What was I doing at a match when I was about to become a father?”

The night before my wife had felt contractions, but it was not certain she would go into labour. In the morning, when I was at the hotel, she called me to tell me that she was going to the hospital.

At that moment, we took a decision together. I didn’t want to miss the birth, but I was in Metz and the match was at 3pm. Even if I left immediately, I might not arrive in time. My wife, with admirable calmness, said to me: “Don’t worry, I’ll be with my mother. Stay with your team and come over after the game.”

When the first half was over, I ran to the dressing room. Normally I get straight to talking to the players about tactics, but that time I went even faster to check my mobile phone. “How is everything going?” I asked my wife.

From the outside it may seem incomprehensible. What was I doing at a match when I was about to become a father? But it wasn’t just my decision; it was taken by both of us. My wife understands the sacrifices involved in this profession.

Only managers know what this job means. It is 24 hours, seven days a week. Balancing personal and professional life is very difficult, even more so than for players, because any sense of stability is constantly changing. My wife and I have managed to find a balance between the sporting and family life, though.

During the second half, my assistant had the phone in case anything happened. Blanca had not yet been born when the match ended, so I rushed to the airport. While I was waiting for the flight, my wife called me: “Everything went well, Blanca is born.”

“What is important is what happens inside the club”

The victory over Metz (1-0) and the birth of Blanca marked a turning point for me. I said to myself: “Carles, that’s it. You’ve qualified the team for Europe, you’ve beaten Liverpool, you’ve played against Benfica, you’ve competed against big teams. You’re a Ligue 1 coach. You are at that level.”           

Over time, you learn to filter opinions that come from outside. Criticism can be useful, but what is important is what happens inside the club, with my players and my family. The key is to follow our ideas and convictions.

2024 was spectacular. We finished sixth in the league, which meant a great season. That gave me even more confidence in my idea and what I communicate.

Sometimes I talk to my wife and friends about how incredible this journey has been. From my village to Espanyol’s youth academy, then Barcelona, uncertainty, Al Rayyan, Kuwait… and suddenly Toulouse. Now we play in huge stadiums, compete in the Europa League and play against teams like Luis Enrique’s PSG.

I have been at the very top level for two years now and have confidence in myself. I know what I can bring. If I am calm I communicate better and, at the end of the day, that is what football is all about. Beyond tactics and technique, the essential thing is to know my players and connect with them.

If the players feel good and improve, my life as a coach improves, too. I focus on what I can control and not on what might happen in the future. Just as one day I was at Barcelona and the next I wasn’t, I don’t know what will come next.

Sometimes, when something doesn’t go well, I try to remember how lucky I am and enjoy the process. And, above all, I value the unconditional support of my family.