Luis Garcia has played in a few big games over the years. From the 2005 Champions League final to a handful of Clasicos, the former Barcelona, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid attacking midfielder knows what it means to step on the pitch when the stakes are high.
And this weekend, the games don't really get any bigger. Garcia's former club Barcelona are flying this year, and with a win in El Clasico Sunday, could put Real Madrid's title hopes to the sword while also, presumably, reclaiming the Spanish first division. It would be a monumental weekend for the Blaugrana.
But Garcia hasn't been surprised by their strong showing this year.
"I think that we could expect them to do well, because the team is there," he tells GOAL. "They had the talent last year, they did a good job, even though they didn't with La Liga. They did well in the Champions League and European competition. But you can see that there was something there."
Chief among the talent is soccer's rising star Lamine Yamal. The Lionel Messi comparisons have been frequent for the 17-year-old, who already looks like one of the best players in the world. Garcia is loath to buy into that exact rhetoric, but he thinks that the Spaniard has "no ceiling."
"We can continue praising him. I think he's fantastic. He's got a lot of room to improve, of course, but I think that we need to let it be and enjoy the ride," he says.
The other side of El Clasico isn't looking too kind. Madrid were supposed to win everything when they signed Kylian Mbappe last summer. The reality has been different, as Los Blancos have struggled for chemistry and structure all season. Sunday's game could be their last chance to win something this season. Garcia suspects their voodoo might be drying up.
"For Real Madrid," Garcia says, "it's been quite a few years and we haven't seen an idea or philosophy or something that you could say, 'OK, this is a Real Madrid team.' We have got used to this 'They're gonna come back because of the history or the background or the badge or whatever.' "
It's a massive match, and Garcia will be part of the coverage, offering his perspective as an analyst. The game kicks off at 10:15 a.m. ET across ESPN, ESPN+, in English and Spanish, and ESPN Deportes.
With the league surely to be decided in a massive fixture, Garcia discussed Barcelona, Real Madrid, Lamine Yamal and more in Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts, and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity
