"I cried with emotion, I'd been dreaming of my debut since I was a child"

Barcelona beat Osasuna by 1-2. This was Chadi Riad's first win in a Barca shirt, as Xavi put him on in the 89' minute.

The centre-back, who normally plays in the second team, made his debut with the first team and explained to the media how it was. "I cried with emotion. It's something I've worked for for a while. I was so happy, I've been dreaming of it since I was a kid", he commented.

"They congratulated me. I want to thank Xavi for the trust he showed in me to give me the minutes", he added.

Chadi Riad said he was really surprised when he knew he was getting the call-up: "I was on the bench and I wasn't expecting it, and I was told to go out and warm up. I did for 20 seconds".

"Honestly, I was really nervous, but my teammates helped to calm me down and they helped me a lot, on and off the pitch. I'm really grateful for it", he went on to say. 

He went on to say what he felt when he stepped onto the pitch for the first time: "I thought about God for him to help me as much as possible during the last few minutes. Also about my family, who have supported me throughout my whole life and have been the ones who have supported me the most".

"Making your debut is a little prize, but now I'm thinking about my team and the matches coming up", he added. Chadi Riad hopes to add more minutes to his account after this start.

 

November 9, 2022