Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia has ruled out getting a tattoo to mark a possible UEFA Champions League triumph, despite being asked whether he might follow the example of Spain team-mate Marc Cucurella.
Garcia said he had not played in a 2026 FIFA World Cup match for Spain, but insisted that players on the bench should be regarded as just as much a part of the team’s success as those who start.
Speaking to Sport, Garcia said: “I think you sometimes suffer more on the bench than you do when you are on the pitch, and you feel that you are taking part to the same extent and are a champion like everyone else.”
The goalkeeper was then asked whether Barcelona supporters might call on him to have a tattoo of manager Hansi Flick if the club were to win the Champions League, in the same way that Cucurella had one linked to Spain manager Luis de la Fuente.
Garcia acknowledged the possibility had been raised but made clear that he had no intention of doing so at present.
“Yes, I know about that. But no, I have to say that I am not planning to do that at the moment,” he said.
He added: “I do not have any tattoos and I am not thinking about getting one. If we win the Champions League, we will have to think of something else.”
Cucurella became the subject of discussion among Spain’s players after his decision to have a tattoo connected with De la Fuente. Garcia was asked whether the squad had been surprised by news that Cucurella had moved to Real Madrid.
The Barcelona goalkeeper said the transfer had not come as a shock and argued that every player ultimately has to make decisions based on what they believe is right for their career.
“No, because in the end everyone decides what is best for them and for their future,” Garcia said. “Honestly, I think it is a good move for him. When it happened, he was subjected to some jokes, but in the end we were happy for him.”
Garcia’s comments also highlighted the different experience of players who are not selected to start, but remain part of the squad during major international tournaments. Although he said he had not appeared for Spain at the 2026 World Cup, he maintained that those occupying the substitutes’ bench can feel the pressure and emotion of the occasion just as strongly as the players on the pitch.
For Garcia, that sense of collective achievement is important whether a player contributes during the match or supports the team from the bench. His position was that every member of the squad shares the status of champion when success is achieved.
The goalkeeper therefore rejected the idea of copying Cucurella’s approach, saying he would prefer to consider a different way of celebrating should Barcelona lift the Champions League. For now, Garcia remains without tattoos and does not intend to change that.
