Ex-Man City starlet Joan Roman: I have unfinished business in England
As a teenager Joan Roman Angel knew he wanted to play in the Premier League, jumping at the opportunity to join Manchester City when it arose aged just 16.
The Spaniard spent his youth watching English football, so thought it was a natural step to move to the Etihad from Espanyol after impressing scouts.
It seemed the perfect time to leap into the relative unknown, as he had also just been called up by Spain Under-16s, making Roman even more confident in his own abilities.
“I had always watched the Premier League and always went on about it, and I felt there was something special about it when I was watching it on TV. I remember being sat down by my parents in our apartment and they told me about the offer from Manchester City and how I would have to go alone for the first year, and it was up to me to make the decision," Roman told ITV. "It wasn’t hard to choose to go to England and the Premier League, it was a dream, but it was hard to go on my own at just 16. I was very excited and thrilled about it.
“I always felt really good in England, I liked the lifestyle and the way they are. When I saw football in real life, the atmosphere and the fans were amazing and, for me, the Premier League is the best league for sure.”
Roman became a key part of the youth and reserve teams at City, as he looked for a big break. His natural dribbling ability, eye for a killer pass and calmness in front of goal made everyone at the club sit up and take notice after the Spaniard settled quickly into Manchester life.
He was called-up for first team action by Roberto Mancini, spending time on the bench for a Europa League clash with Sporting Lisbon.
Like with many youngsters at the club in the Mancini era, the door to the first team was closed.
“At first it was a bit hard as it was a different rhythm and a little bit more physical, but I had a good time. Once I got into the rhythm and into the team, it made it a very good year. In my second year I did pre-season with the first team and I trained with them a lot.
“I was training with the likes of [Carlos} Tevez and [Mario] Balotelli. It was really good, I was a little bit shy and overwhelmed at the start, but once I’d done a couple of sessions I was fine. I wanted to do the best to ensure Mancini wanted to bring me up to the first team. I became great friends with Pablo Zabaleta as he one of the only Spanish speaking players, and he took me in – and we still have a good friendship.
“I think I deserved a chance in the first team, that’s why I went there but things change and it wasn’t possible. I spoke to Mancini for his view, and it wasn’t what I was expecting so that’s why I decided to leave.
“I have great memories from the three years at Manchester City and inside me I have unfinished business in England and I will work hard to finish it.”
Getting so close to becoming a Premier League player instilled a permanent determination in the Catalan to ensure one day he would achieve what he set out to do all those years ago.
There was no doubting his talents, even though City did not elect to utilise them, as Barcelona stepped in to take the forward from England, making him a key part of their B team, as well as offering an unparral football education.
“Barcelona has something unique, it has the same philosophy from the kids to the first team. It’s a great way to do things, as if you make it to the first team, it’s automatic. It’s a style of play I like, as it’s a lot of short passes, one-twos, pass and move. I got to be trained by Tito Vilanova and Luis Enrique, and to train next to Xavi, Messi and Iniesta is a completely different world, and you get to learn a lot from them.”
Roman shone back in his homeland, ensuring he would put himself in the history books by scoring the first goal of Luis Enrique's managerial career.
His form in the B team earned interest from Villarreal, who gave him his La Liga debut during a loan spell, as Roman made his first two appearances at that level against the impressive opposition of Real and Atletico Madrid.
“It was good, but at the same time, for a young player trying to develop in La Liga you cannot have your only two games to be against Real Madrid and Atletico and don’t play anymore. I thought I would have more game time to show my full potential but it wasn’t like this. I enjoyed it, I learned a lot and it was a good experience overall.”
Once his time at the Nou Camp came to an end, Portuguese giants Braga showed great interest in acquiring Roman’s services as they looked to compete in the Europa League.
A debut goal gave the impression his move was made to be, but an injury ensured things quickly turned sour and he joined Polish side Slask Wroclaw on loan, following a similar spell with Nacional.
“Things didn’t run as I expected, I scored on my debut, I put in some really good performances but then I got an ankle injury, which didn’t heal properly, I had to train with pain and could not be at my best, so eventually I had to stop playing. Braga seemed to lose faith in me because of one injury, they never helped me recovery, they never showed me confidence in me, they never appreciated that I’d done well.
“I decided to go [to Poland] there because Braga weren’t making things easy for me, and the coach wanted me, I thought the football would suit me. I wasn’t sure about it, to be honest, but I needed to play and show my potential. The first six months were difficult as the coach changed his mind about his style of play. In the second half of the season Jan Urban came and he had a Spanish style, he trusted me and showed confidence in me, helping me get to one of my best levels but then I was injured again and needed the operation.”
Now he’s fully fit and focusing on the future after two tough seasons, knowing he’s got a couple scores to settle around the globe, and he certainly has the determination and focus to do so.