On March 16, Marc Casado suffered an injury during the match against Atletico Madrid. A challenge from Antoine Griezmann caused a partial tear in his right lateral ligament. Initially, it seemed his season was over, but he is now on the verge of a comeback.

Marc Casado (born in Sant Pere de Vilamajor, 21 years old) is in the final stages of his recovery and recently celebrated signing a sponsorship deal with Under Armour. He spoke to AS, expressing his hope to fully recover and be included in Barcelona’s squad for Sunday’s El Clasico. Below is an excerpt from the interview:

Why did you want to see the questions before the interview? Did you already know them?

(Laughs) Yes, I read them. They are good questions.

Do you tell the goalkeeper where you’re going to shoot before taking a penalty?

That’s related to the agency I work with—we always operate this way. Don’t tell me you’re planning to change the approach!

Let’s get to the point. How is the recovery going?

Very well. I’ve been training on the pitch for a while, and my body is responding well. The physios, doctors, and recovery staff are all satisfied. I can say I’m fully recovered and just need to get match-ready.

Had you been injured before, or was this your first experience?

I was almost never injured, so this was a tough experience. I missed the most important part of the season, and that weighs heavily on you. You feel like your future is at risk.

Did you focus solely on recovery, or did you try to distract yourself with other activities?

My mind was entirely focused on my knee. I became obsessive about it.

How does it feel watching games from the stands?

It’s very hard.

But as a kid, you also watched games from the stands…

It’s not the same. Back then, I enjoyed watching games—now it’s just torture.

Do you control yourself a lot?

I try not to act out of line. At home, I complain more when watching TV. When my parents come to the stadium to watch me play, I ask them to be polite and represent us well. If I ask that of them, I must also behave.

When did you start playing football?

From childhood—I always played with my dad in the park. One day, he said he was starting a team with some friends in the village and asked me to join. I agreed.

Did you approach those early games the same way you do professional matches today?

It’s not the same, but I always took it seriously. When I’m playing, I don’t pay attention to the crowd. As a kid, the weekend match was the most important event—that hasn’t changed.

Are all opponents the same to you?

No, definitely not.

Is Real Madrid special?

Not just Real Madrid, but El Clasico is a very special match.

For you, it’s beautiful, but for many, it’s torture.

No, these are the matches you enjoy. I really enjoyed both games I played against them, just like the match against Bayern Munich. In these games, you must stay focused and give your all—if you lose concentration, they’ll beat you.

Did you collect jerseys as a kid?

Every Christmas, I asked for a Barcelona jersey—that was enough for me.

Now they pay you to wear jerseys and boots!

It’s an incredible change. I just signed with Under Armour, and they’ve been amazing.

What does Hansi Flick mean to you?

He changed my life. He promoted me from the B team to the first team.

But weren’t you already with the first team before, or just training with them?

No, I was a B-team player and only played three matches with the first team.

Is that why you tried to play for the B team again?

Yes, there were discussions because they didn’t want me to go back, but all I wanted was to play, especially in this jersey. If I wasn’t playing with the first team, I wanted to play with the B team.

Next target: Real Madrid?

First, I’m thinking about my knee.