Bellerin - My first memories of football

Hector Bellerin has described how his father played a key role in his earliest football memories.

The Barcelona-born defender grew up in Spain and, after joining Barcelona’s youth team as a boy, signed for Arsenal in 2011.

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Before becoming part of a club however, Bellerin would hone his skills under the watchful eye of his dad.

“My first memories are jumping over some fences to get into the school next to my house with my dad,” he told the Arsenal Magazine. “School would be closed at the weekend and it was the only chance I had to go and play football with him.

“I was very young, so my dad would help me climb and would jump over with me.

“Sometimes a janitor would come and say “what are you doing, school is closed,” but that’s an example of how supportive my dad was for me.

“He loved playing football with me and those are the first memories I remember.

“I’ve been back a few times and every time I walk past that area, those memories come back to me. Those are the times that you remember.

“He used to teach me how to shoot with the laces, because he used to love that. He always used to shoot with his.

“Those things stick in your memory. I think it shows that my family didn’t care what I wanted to do, they just wanted to help me with whatever.”