Anthony Gordon says moving from Newcastle to Barcelona has allowed him to show the intelligence and technical ability he believes were undervalued during his time in England.
The 25-year-old made 152 appearances for Newcastle, scoring 39 goals and providing 21 assists, before joining the La Liga champions over the summer.
Gordon has made an immediate impression in Spain, registering four assists in his first six La Liga appearances as Barcelona pursue the title. The England international believes his performances have changed how he is viewed by people who previously associated him mainly with pace and aggression.
“I think I’ve become a different player in the eyes of a lot of people because in England I always felt that I was respected for being fast and pressing, but they never really respected the quality and intelligence with which I play,” Gordon said.
“Only the players I played with seemed to realise that.
“I don’t think I was ever fully respected in England. People just see me as someone who’s very fast and very aggressive, whereas in Spain they really appreciate my intelligence and my quality.”
Gordon said Barcelona’s style has made those aspects of his game more visible, in contrast to the demands placed on him at Newcastle.
“At Barcelona, if you’re not skilful or intelligent, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb straight away,” he said. “I used to play for Newcastle, who were a very high-tempo side, so running and aggression were always on display.
“Now I play in a completely different style where my other qualities can be seen.”
The former Newcastle player added that demonstrating his ability outside the Premier League was an important reason for pursuing a move abroad.
“I felt I had more to offer than people thought I did, and I wanted to prove it on the world’s biggest stage,” he said. “Going abroad was very important to me.”
Gordon scored against Spain last week and is expected to have a greater role for England in their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures.
England face Czechia on September 29th before playing Croatia on October 3rd.