It’s been a long and satisfying journey for Josep María Comadevall Crous and Jesus Tato from the lush green fields of Barcelona’s La Masia training complex to FC Pune City’s Balewadi stadium.

It was in 2010 that La Masia accomplished a unique feat, becoming the first and only youth academy to have trained all three finalists for the Ballon d’Or – Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi.

Midfielder Crous, also known as Pitu, laughs when I ask him how he got this nickname. Pitu, 32, explains very patiently, “It’s not a nickname. In Spain, if your name is Jose, your friends and family call you Pepe. If your name is Francisco, they call you Paco. In Catalunya, if your name is Josep Maria, they call you Pitu. So Pitu is not the only Pitu in Spain.”

Both Spaniards have signed on for Pune, which has a significant Spanish-speaking contingent. Tato is especially happy considering that there are two others – Bruno Arias and Anibal Rodriguez – in Pune familiar with his mother tongue.

Thirty-three year old Tato, who can play as a winger or a striker, says that the need for a new challenge was the motivation for him to join the ISL. Compatriots such as Jofre, playing for FC Goa, were the first Spaniards to move to India. “I have played with Jofre in Genoa. Spanish leagues are very tough and competitive. The matches, training, the fans, media, it’s a crazy life there. But when you go back and think for a moment, you feel I need to have another experience, to feel other things. I played in Spanish leagues for 10 years, it was all the same for such a long period. And that’s why I am here. People here love football and want to grow with the sport. I believe even Pitu and Jofre think similarly.”

Pitu on playing for Barcelona

Pitu has played one senior match for Barcelona, coming on as a substitute for Ludovic Guily in a 3-1 loss to Athletic Bilbao on May 20, 2006, by which time Frank Rijkaard’s side had already been crowned champions.

“So far the best footballing experience of my life. Played first division of Spain and your teammates are Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Thiago Motta, Giuly...it is something that cannot be explained in words. Rijkaard is a great coach and always trusted me, and thanks to him, I could play in first division,” Pitu says, reminiscing about the experience fondly.

For Tato, representing the Spain U-16s and the U-20s was incredibly exciting, as many from that generation would go on to rule world football, winning two European championships and one World Cup between 2008 and 2012. Tato also has a bronze medal from his time with the Spanish youth Olympic football team.

On Andres Iniesta, the legend

Both players agree that the Andres Iniesta is the finest player that they played alongside in the Barcelona B team. “Andres Iniesta, no doubt about that. Today you see Iniesta as a complete package, good physique, great technique, but in our youth days, he was so small in height and body. But when the referee would blow his whistle, he would turn into a genius,” says Tato.

Pitu chimes in, “He is always a step ahead of any player on the field. He is always a second ahead of you. His physique may not be like some of the other players, but he was well ahead of anyone in the world technically.”

The influence of the coaches at La Masia is something that Tato and Pitu swear by. Pitu, who has been playing football from the age of five, was picked up by Barcelona scouts when he was 13. “One day, a scout saw me play and liked me. I went through almost all categories of youth football at the club until Barcelona B. I was in La Masia for nine years.”

Tato started his career in the Murcia region of Spain at a time when football was booming in the area. He recollects his beginnings fondly, “In Spain, every region has a regional team. I played for Murcia region and lot of players from our region went on to play for Spain and top clubs. There was a time when around nine players from the starting 11 of top clubs were from Murcia. I play to be happy. I played in Murcia because I was happy.”

"At La Masia, I became a man"

Soon Tato was about to experience his first test in the footballing world, “But all that changed when I moved to La Masia because you are playing against the best in the world and you have to up your game. In Murcia I was a boy playing football, after La Masia, I became a man.”

But Tato hails his time at La Masia for making him the footballer he was. “When you are young, you don’t want to get influenced by someone’s style. You want to play in your unique style. But it’s true the coaches from the national team and Barcelona influenced my game a lot. I love the short passing game of Barcelona. That taught me that football could be played better with technique and not only with a strong physique.”

Leaving Barcelona was one of the hardest things to endure for both. “One of the saddest experiences of my career was when we had to move out of Barcelona, because both Tato and I felt if we didn’t have a chance to play for the first team then it's better to move out,” says Pitu.

Tato would get another chance to play in the La Liga and come across some familiar faces, “I had an offer to play for Valencia’s second team, but the contract there had too many complications, so I came back and went on to play for Murcia. Two weeks later, the first team coach called me to play for the first team. A month after quitting Barcelona I went on to play in the first division. Then a few weeks later, we played Barcelona. Myself and Iniesta were warming up on the sidelines when he asked me, ‘Tato, what are you doing with this team?’ I replied, ‘Andres, I moved on a month back.’ He was surprised to know that. But yes, my experience with Murcia was superb.”

The success of Las Palmas

Las Palmas, a club now in the La Liga, had both players on their roster when they were in the second division. A couple of weeks ago, Las Palmas drew 2-2 with a star-studded Real team. “The team has worked hard to reach where they are today. Seventy-five per cent of the players are the same ones I had played with. At Las Palmas, we were all brothers, not only teammates,” Tato says fondly.

Pitu is very happy for his old team as well, “When I see them doing so well, I send them messages and call them and check with them how it feels to play against Ronaldo and Bale.”

Their experiences in India have been a positive one so far. Pitu says that the ISL is known to most footballers in the world, and there are players who have recommended the pair to play for this league. He adds, “It’s been three years since its inception and the league has done good to the sport in this country and is also recognised worldwide. I wanted to accept this challenge and play here. The experience till now has been pretty impressive.”

Tato says he’s sure that this is the right decision for him, “It’s an opportunity to play in a different country with different kind of players. Bruno (Arias) was the one who recommended that I play here. I knew about the league, but after the recommendations and talking to head coach Habas I was sure that I was doing the right thing.”