Lozano: It would be a dream to come to Barcelona

Jon Arnold

Lozano: It would be a dream to come to Barcelona image

Mexico national team and PSV winger Hirving Lozano says he was told of interest from Barcelona this summer, and he'd love to have things come together for a future move to the La Liga giants.

Ahead of PSV's opening Champions League group match against Barcelona, Lozano has reflected on watching the club when he was growing up. Lozano said of several football-related posters he had in his room as a child, one was dedicated to Barcelona. He's trying to make the most of his current situation and pin a loss on the Blaugrana but also is excited about the potential of wearing those colors in the future.

"The World Cup went well for me, and a lot of clubs went to see me. That's something really nice for me," he said in a news conference Monday. "The truth is, with Barcelona my agent told me there was interest. He'll see the options that come. For me, it would be a dream to come to this great club if God allows it in the future, but the most important thing right now is focusing on PSV and enjoy it as much as possible."

Lozano earned his nickname "Chucky" for his habit of jumping out of hiding places to scare teammates on road trips. He's since graduated to frightening defenders. Lozano scored 17 goals in 29 Eredivisie matches last tournament, helping PSV to the title, and already has four goals in five matches this tournament.

There is one player who strikes fear in Lozano's heart, though. Barcelona ace Lionel Messi could terrorize PSV in Tuesday's match, though Lozano said the team has worked on techniques they hope will limit his effectiveness.

"He's always been a great player. He's scary. For me, he's the best player in the world," Lozano said of Messi. "We're going to see how we might be able to stop him. We're working on it in training sessions."

That's not to say Lozano is overly concerned going into the contest. After scoring in each of his first two Champions League matches, he's looking to do the same now that the Dutch side is into the group stage.

"It's the most important game of my career thus far. It's a match against a great team with a great stadium and really good players. I'm going to enjoy it," he said, adding, "It's a dream come true. I never thought it would happen. Thanks to God, who has given it to me, it's a really important game for me and I want to take advantage of it."

Jon Arnold

Jon Arnold Photo

Jon Arnold covered the Mexico national team and Concacaf region in English for Goal until March 2020. His byline also has appeared in the Dallas Morning News, the New York Times Goal blog, FloFC and Pacific Standard. In addition to his written work, he serves as the Concacaf expert on the BBC's World Football Phone-In and has appeared on SiriusXMFC in English and Fox Deportes and Milenio in Spanish. Formerly based in Tijuana and currently living in Texas, Jon covered the 2018 World Cup, the 2015 Copa America, the 2016 Copa America Centenario and the last five Gold Cups.