May 29 (Reuters) - Anthony Gordon's long-held dream of playing for Barcelona became a reality on Friday, with the England winger even showing off a surprise skill, answering questions in Spanish, as he was unveiled by the LaLiga club.
Barcelona have signed Gordon from Newcastle United on a five-year contract, the Spanish champions said on Friday.
Financial details were not disclosed but British media reported that Barca offered an initial 80 million euros ($93.14 million) plus add-ons for the 25-year-old.
"I was excited to play for Barca (since) I was three years of age," Anthony said, fielding parts of the media conference in fluent Spanish to the surprise of journalists.
"I wanted to speak Spanish because, as a kid, I believed I would play football for Barca, believe it or not. I have a physio in Newcastle, and we spoke every day, and I told him 'One day I'll play for Barca, so I want to learn Spanish.'"
Gordon netted 17 goals for Newcastle in all competitions this season, including 10 in 12 Champions League games.
"He comes to the club after being top scorer with Newcastle United last season and the player who took on most dribbles," Barcelona said in a statement.
"Gordon impressed in his three appearances against Barca last season in the Champions League."
However, Newcastle struggled to make a mark in the Premier League, where they finished 12th and failed to qualify for European competition.
Earlier this month, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted Gordon may have played his final game for the club when the winger was linked with Bayern Munich, saying there were "discussions that potentially might be happening".
However, it was Barcelona who swooped to sign Gordon, who is part of England's World Cup squad.
"To play with Lamine (Yamal) and the rest of the players is very exciting for me," Gordon said. "The more players with quality you have around you, the better you're going to be. These players are at the very top level for a reason, they're the best players in the world.
"They have so much quality, and I'd seen this when we played them at St James's Park. We could not switch the ball."
Newcastle drew with Barcelona 1-1 in the Champions League round of 16 first leg at home this season, before losing 8-3 to the Spaniards on aggregate.
Signed from Everton in January 2023 for 45 million pounds ($60.37 million), Gordon made 152 appearances for Newcastle, finishing with 39 goals and 28 assists and helping guide them to League Cup success last year to end a 70-year trophy drought.
Gordon's England teammate Marcus Rashford joined Barca on a season-long loan from Manchester United and helped the Catalan club retain their LaLiga title.
Rashford provided 14 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for Barcelona, who have not yet made his move permanent. The Athletic reported that Barca hold a €30 million option to sign Rashford but it runs out on June 15.
Gordon joins a list of England internationals plying their trade abroad, including Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and Al-Ahli forward Ivan Toney.
($1 = 0.8590 euros)
($1 = 0.7454 pounds)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Ken Ferris and Christian Radnedge)
