Anthony Gordon: England star reveals Barcelona 'belief' after sealing £69m Camp Nou transfer

Anthony Gordon has revealed he always "believed" he would join Barcelona after he sealed a £69.3m move to the Catalan giants. 

The England international had been linked with Liverpool and Bayern Munich before Barcelona recently entered the race for his signature.

The Blaugrana made swift progress to agree personal terms with Gordon and strike a deal with Newcastle United for €80m (£69.3m), with a sell-on clause included. 

Barcelona confirmed Gordon's arrival in a press conference on Friday evening, nine hours after initially scheduled.

While the media had to wait for Gordon, they were treated to his Spanish-language skills when he eventually spoke at his Barcelona unveiling.

Anthony Gordon speaking in Spanish at his Barcelona unveiling after making the move from Newcastle ?? pic.twitter.com/pNZAT9DIpv

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 29, 2026

Gordon reveals reason behind Spanish-speaking skills

The 25-year-old revealed he had learned Spanish due to his clear belief that he would one day represent Barcelona.

"I wanted to speak Spanish because, as I kid, I believed I would play for Barca, believe it or not.

"I have a physio in Newcastle and we spoke every day and I told him that one day I would play for Barca, so I wanted to learn Spanish."

Gordon, who has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, explained that his interaction with Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has only made him more excited to join. 

"Yes, I spoke with Hansi Flick," Gordon said. "I was already excited, but after speaking to him, I'm even more excited.

"He seems like a very nice person, an amazing man-manager. What he has done at Barca in a very short time has been amazing. He's brought the club so much success."

"?? ? ????? ???? ????"

?️ Gordon’s first words as a culer pic.twitter.com/P3kCCnwzYz

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 29, 2026

Why have Barcelona signed Gordon instead of Rashford?

There may be some eyebrows raised at the fact Barcelona have spent just under £70m to sign Gordon from Newcastle when they are reluctant to activate the £26m buy option in Marcus Rashford's loan agreement.

However, Barcelona appear to view Gordon as someone who is better suited to Flick's high-intensity style of football, despite Rashford contributing with 14 goals and 11 assists in 49 competitive appearances.

Gordon proved at Newcastle that he is willing to press high and contribute out of possession, while his willingness to run in behind will allow him to reap the rewards of through balls and crosses that will come his way from the likes of Pedri and Lamine Yamal.

The attacker is also comfortable moving from his usual left-wing position to play as a centre-forward, and at the age of 25, Barcelona may feel they can make a profit on this transfer in the future.

The Blaugrana have not ruled out the possibility of bringing Rashford back to Camp Nou, but the arrival of his England teammate has undoubtedly impacted the chances of a return.

Rashford's hopes of another stint in Catalonia may depend on whether the club are successful in their pursuits of Bernardo Silva and Julian Alvarez.