How Marc Guiu’s Parents, Sister and Grandpa Support His Football Dreams

The last few years have been a dream come true for Marc Guiu in every sense.

It isn’t surprising that the 18 year old forward is grabbing the headlines as the latest addition to the ever growing list of Chelsea’s acquisitions, being a La Masia graduate.

The same academy that has nurtured some of the greatest talents to ever grace the game of football; Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez, to name a few.

His journey through the academy to the Premier League has been one of pure passion and destiny.

Being born in a quiet Catalan town on the outskirts of Barcelona, he comes from a culture that is distinct and proud.

The Catalonians have a long history of fighting for their autonomy from Spain and have always displayed a uniqueness in their linguistic and cultural traditions.

FC Barcelona has become a symbol of this cultural heritage staying true to its motto, “ Mes que un club” (“More than a club”).

Being a product of La Masia from the age of 7, the Catalonian identity was deeply ingrained into him and football became a way of life for the little boy from Granollers.

In a few years, he became a key figure for the Barcelona B team as a strong center forward with unconventional traits.

While the club’s philosophy endorses a high possession, skill and passing game, he was blessed with incredible tenacity and physical prowess.

In addition to his powerful Catalonian Identity that takes pride in its footballing philosophy, he also appears to be closely connected to his religion.

His deep Christian roots were on full display when he made an Insta post citing the verse from the Holy Bible, “ God is making a way (Isaiah 43:19)” which many people construed as an attempt to address the rumors regarding his move to Stamford Bridge.

He made a historical debut for the Blaugranes last season, scoring the winner for them with just 23 seconds on the clock since he came off the bench.

His family’s display of raw emotion to the goal was something that made all of us teary eyed. 

In an interview after the game, Marc’s father, Manuel Guiu expressed his elation: “I am the happiest man in the stadium. We couldn’t have expected it even in our wildest dreams, a debut like this is the dream debut for any player.” 

Anybody could have sensed the pride in Manuel and Marc’s mother Eva’s face while  watching  their son’s dramatic rise in the club that means everything to them. 

His sibling, Martina, whom a few of them misunderstood as his girlfriend on social media, was seen crying along with her mother when all of this was unfolding.

While she seems to stay private and outside of the limelight, she is an active part of the support system for her brother .

It was, however, his grandfather’s dream that the striker completed by making his move to the Premier League.

His grandad was a footballer himself, but unfortunately had to retire early. Ever since, he has put all his efforts into making Marc the player that he is today. 

The new Chelsea forward acknowledged the same in an interview alongside him saying, “I started playing football because of my grandad. You were a huge inspiration to me as a child playing on the pitch all day.”

The vision and dedication that the both of them had was evident when his grandfather added during the same interview that, “I was convinced because he would always say – ‘I want to play in the Premier League’ and I would say that you will get there but you need to make sacrifices. If we had to train for an extra hour, we had to train for an extra hour. And that’s what we did.”

As his grandfather rightly said, this is definitely not the end of the dream for Marc.

With the constant support of his parents and the undying spirit of his grandfather, the sky’s the limit for the young lad.