‘An honor’ – Marc Bernal proud as Barcelona start nine Catalans against Alaves

Barcelona beat Alaves 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday and started the game with nine Catalan players in the starting XI.

Eric Garcia, Marc Bernal, Gerard Martin, Pau Cubarsi, Joan Garcia, Dani Olmo, Marc Casado, Lamine Yamal and Alejandro Balde were all born in Catalunya and played their part in the victory.

Bernal admitted “it’s an honor” to have been part of a team containing nine Catalan starters, adding “Barça is a Catalan club and many of us players feel that.”

Martin was also a proud man, telling reporters: “Casado told me this before we started. It says a lot about what Barça is all about. The nine of us who were here are from here and we’ve shown that we can compete on equal terms. It really defines Barça.”

The win returns Barcelona to the top of the table, although Real Madrid will aim to respond on Sunday when they face Girona in La Liga.