Stoke City forward Bojan Krkic revealed his struggle to cope with the pressure of playing for Barcelona when he began his career and he was even too nervous to pick up a bottle of water while training.
He was predicted to rise to the top as the latest player coming through the La Masia but his battle with anxiety got in his way.
“The Barcelona Bojan was a real football player but was not prepared to cope with the global impact,” he said.
“I was 17 and playing at a club like Barcelona, it was a big shock, I was in a dressing room with players like Eto’o, Puyol, Maxwell, Iniesta…but at the same time each day was a dream.
“I remember my first day, I was sat five metres from where the bottles of water were kept, I was thirsty but I never went up to get a bottle as I was scared of doing something wrong.”
His international career with Spain got off to a bad start when he was called up for a game in February, 2008, but he had an anxiety attack and the federation claimed it was due to stomach problems.
“That is where it all happened, I felt uncomfortable and had to stop,” he explained.
“Everything exploded and I wasn’t even an adult. Afterwards I decided to not go to Euro 2008 as I needed to disconnect from football and away from the media. I never will regret that decision.”