Gonzalo Garc\u00eda couldn\u2019t have picked a better moment to deliver the performance of his young Real Madrid career. A flawless hat-trick in a 5\u20131 demolition of Real Betis put the academy striker firmly in the spotlight, but in the mixed zone afterward, Garc\u00eda was keen to shift the focus away from himself and back onto the collective.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a special afternoon,\u201d Garc\u00eda said. \u201cI\u2019m very happy about the goals, but even happier with the team\u2019s performance and the victory.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the noise that inevitably follows a hat-trick at the Santiago Bernab\u00e9u, the 20-year-old made it clear he remains grounded \u2014 and fully aware of his place in the squad hierarchy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t read the press,\u201d he explained. \u201cThis is Real Madrid, the competition is fierce here, and I know I\u2019m Mbapp\u00e9\u2019s natural backup\u2026 but the manager and all my teammates always give me the confidence to do my best.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s true that I\u2019m getting few minutes, but that\u2019s because Mbapp\u00e9 is ahead of me and he\u2019s having a spectacular season,\u201d Garc\u00eda said. \u201cHe\u2019s practically scoring a goal per game. He\u2019s the best player in the world, so what I have to do is focus on myself and give my all in every training session. Work as hard as I can so that when these opportunities arise, I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ready is exactly what Garc\u00eda was against Betis. All three of his goals were thunderous finishes, leaving fans debating which one stood out most \u2014 a question he refused to answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been asked the same question before and it\u2019s really difficult to choose,\u201d he smiled. \u201cThey\u2019re all three special goals, so it\u2019s impossible to pick just one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond the individual brilliance, Garc\u00eda made a point to highlight what the night meant for La F\u00e1brica as a whole. With Ra\u00fal Asensio and Fran Garc\u00eda also getting on the scoresheet, it was a statement evening for academy graduates.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of today\u2019s goals are an example for all the academy players working at Valdebebas,\u201d he said. \u201cNot only mine, but also those of Asensio and Fran Garc\u00eda show that with hard work and effort, anything is possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garc\u00eda also addressed the inevitable comparisons to club legend Ra\u00fal \u2014 comparisons he treats with respect rather than pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said it at the time, while acknowledging the differences with Ra\u00fal, who is a legend at this club, it\u2019s an honor to be compared to him,\u201d Garc\u00eda said. \u201cBoth Ra\u00fal and Arbeloa have been great coaches and have helped me a lot to become who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gonzalo Garc\u00eda couldn\u2019t have picked a better moment to deliver the performance of his young Real Madrid career.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":388987,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[829,64725,84439,403,99],"class_list":["post-388986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-soccer","tag-latest-news","tag-real-madrid-cf-la-liga","tag-real-madrid-cf-players","tag-soccer","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=388986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/388986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/388987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=388986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=388986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=388986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}