Barcelona, Mar 17 (IANS): Former Arsenal star footballer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang affirmed that he did not expect to have any problems adapting to Camp Nou culture, saying he feels comfortable at Barcelona.
"This club has done so many great things. Winning the Champions League and a lot of cups. If I can give you a memory of Barcelona, it's their game against Paris. Everyone saw that game. I was watching Barcelona and the players they had in the past with Neymar, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho," he said.
"Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the world. I was so happy that the club was interested in me and that's why I chose to come over here and I think it's a big challenge for me and I'm happy to come over here," Aubameyang explained.
The Gabon international was allowed to leave on a free by Arsenal in January after being stripped of the captaincy in north London.
"It was easy to come in, everyone was welcoming me well. My father has been living here in Barcelona for three years, I am used to coming here. They welcomed me very well. This is a good group. I have known this since day 1. Going on with them is nice. Everyone has been very kind," Aubameyang said.
"As I said, it's a big challenge for me. I'm here to help the team and I know as well that they are in a difficult moment but at the same time, I know that it's a big club and they will come back to the best, that's why I did everything to come over here. It looks like how you see it from outside, it's a great club. I am enjoying every single day here," he added.
"I'm a guy that has traveled a lot since I'm a kid. So, I'm used to going everywhere, and trying to adapt really quickly. And I'm lucky about that to tell the truth. I think he's asking us to put a lot of intensity in the game to win, I think in 2022, you have to put intensity and this is what we do every single training every single day. And therefore, we get the result as well but also, he knows how to have fun as well at the training so then you can see it on the on the page when you are when you are playing games you enjoy playing you enjoy defending, you enjoy attacking so," said Aubameyang who won an FA Cup for Arsenal and finished as the league's joint-top goalscorer in the 2018-19 season.
Aubameyang lavished praise on Barca manager Xavi, saying he is one of the best coaches in the sport.
"Yeah, it's great. I think since day one, he talked to me a lot. we're watching a lot of videos to learn but also to improve. So yeah, I think it is great. He called me I remember before joining, and I was happy to have him on the phone. And, and obviously, I am happy to be here with him," he said.
El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be live on March 21 at 1:30am on MTV & Voot Select.