Before Nico Gonzalez evolved into a fine midfielder for City, there existed a story which is deeply rooted in his family’s football DNA. Truth be told…, the Spaniard is a fine footballer who evolved from his father, a man with a legendary status. This article unveils the growth path of Nico Gonzalez, the son of the Legendary Fran, a retired footballer who is regarded as one of the best left-footers in Spanish football history. Beyond Nico’s excellent abilities exists a tale of a boy who evolved from his father’s greatness, and we are glad to tell you this story.
Francisco Javier González Pérez enjoying a great time with his son, Nico.
The Beginnings:
Nicolás González Iglesias was born on the 3rd day of January 2002 to his father and mother, Gema Iglesias. He grew up alongside his sisters, Carlota and Macarena, in A Coruña, Spain. From an early age, he developed a passion for football but did not begin practicing like most kids do, from the ages of 4. Nico began playing football relatively late, at he age of six. From that moment, Fran began laying the foundation for his son to carry on his legacy. Nico fondly remembers the moment when he went to his first training session. In his words;
The first day I went to training, when I was six or seven years old, I was in the car crying all the time.
At that time, there were children of active footballers whose dads made them kick the ball at the tender age of three. Two examples of those football Dads we know included the likes of Diego Simeone and Srđan Bajčetić (Stefan Bajčetić‘s Dad). Even after his first training, Nico surprisingly wasn’t that interested in football. He would cry all the time, stressing that he did not want to go for training. Thankfully, having friends at the training ground helped change his mind. Nico ended up going to training at his first club, Montañeros, because his friends wanted him to be around. To those who knew him down to his roots, it was a great thing that Fran’s son finally adapted to football, a sport he saw as his calling.
Young Nico González in his early days with his first club, Montañeros. Source: MundoDeportivo.
From his first weeks of accepting football as his future profession, Nico knew he had to take a step forward from the rest of his teammates. It was quite easy for people to distinguish him from his teammates simply because he is “the son of” the legendary Francisco González. Being the son of a famous football figure in the game helped him, as well as placed some pressure on him.
How Barcelona found Nico:
Thanks to the teachings of his Dad and his dedication to give his best on the pitches, FC Barcelona youth coaches discovered Nico when they faced his Montañeros team at a friendly tournament in Isla de Arosa (Galicia). The Montañeros starboy performed so well at the tournament that they led to Real Madrid’s interest, who wanted him at their academy.
Just after the tournament, Barca pushed things faster and quickly invited Nico for a trial. That trial involved Nico joining their La Masia team to play in Andorra with the Barça under-10s. It ended in victory, and Nico helped his team win big. While FC Barcelona pushed to get him quickly registered with La Masia, Nico’s Dad and mum opposed it initially. Gema and her husband, Fran, considered that it was too soon for their son to change teams. Nico’s parents agreed that the decision would be Nico’s, and that became the case.
The relationship with his father, Fran, the historic Deportivo and national team player, propelled Nico into adapting to the new chapter of his life, including catching up with his teammates. Fran, his Dad (born 1969), was a big football name in Spain and a man who wasn’t just known for raising a fine footballer. Did you know?… Nico’s Dad, alongside names like Lionel Scaloni, the Argentine 2022 FIFA World Cup winning coach, were among the members of Deportivo La Coruña’s Super-Depor that stood up to Barça (his son’s club) and Madrid in the nineties and early 21st century.
Francisco and Gema gladly accepted their son’s decision to join La Masia, the name for FC Barcelona’s youth academy. This academy had become globally recognized at that time, having produced great names like Andres Iniesta, the Great Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas. Fran, the historic Deportivo player, gave his son all he needed to lay a solid foundation for his career at La Masia.
Francisco, pictured alongside his son, Nico, in his early days with La Masia. Image Credit: MundoDeportivo.
Nico’s Journey to Fame:
Unlike left-footed Fran, Nico is right-footed, and he excelled at his Barcelona early days playing as an inside midfielder. Nico’s best memory with Barça’s La Masia came when he played under Marcel Sans ‘ U14 B team. That team, which had players like Ansu Fati, were branded as one of the best teams in the history of Barcelona’s youth academy. His team won the Torneo Ciudad de Miranda in Miranda de Ebro after beating Real Madrid in the final (4-1). Nico’s La Masia team were among those who flew abroad to show off their talent in Japan, where they won the World Challenge in Tokyo after trashing Liverpool in the final (5-0) and finishing the tournament with 28 goals.
When Nico began his journey with La Masia, his parents, Fran and Gema, decided to move to Barcelona and live in Sant Cugat. The González family, including Macarena and Carlota (his two sports-loving sisters, who changed their schools), settled at Sant Cugat. At their new home, Macarena and Carlota followed the sporting footsteps of their Dad, Fran and nephew, José Ramón. Nico’s sisters practiced all kinds of sports at a very high level, namely rhythmic gymnastics, basketball, skiing and triathlon. On the other hand, Nico did only football, and he, during his first days at Barcelona, found himself a bit under some added pressure.
Young Nico González in his early years at La Masia. Image Credit: Mundodeportivo
During his early years at Barca, young Nico would always ask himself if he was going to be better than his Dad. In his mind, back then, he always said YES. Even now that Nico is older, he still says he is better than his Dad, which is his own way of teasing him jockingly. While Nico played for Barcelona youth, he, a high-scoring student, performed well in terms of his education. Nico did quite well in high school, and after graduating, he began studying business administration, which he later put aside to focus on his football career.
In his teenage years, it became clear to Nico that he wanted to succeed at Barça as a senior player. In no time, the little blond boy grew up and started knocking on the door of the Barça first team. He became very committed to the Barcelona crest, so much so that in the past, Nico rejected a great opportunity, no thanks to temptations from a Barcelona Legend.
Although it was a difficult decision, Nico rejected advances from Pep Guadiola in 2017. Pep had just signed for Manchester City as their manager at that time and wanted the Spaniard to join him at the Etihad. Nico rejected that great opportunity to accept a City contract that, according to the player’s father, was around 10 times higher than what Barcelona gave him. He was 16 at the time Pep made his first attempt to get him at Man City.
Instead of joining Man City, Nico remained with FC Barcelona. He signed with Laporta’s team during the COVID pandemic. It was a proud moment for the youngster who celebrated joining the FC Barcelona senior team, along with his sister (Carlota), mother (Gema), and father (Fran).
All we see is a very close-knit family around Nico. On this day, the Spaniard renewed his contract with a whopping €500 million buyout clause. Credit: Instagram/nico14/
In just 24 hours after he signed the contract, as displayed in the picture above, Nico’s Instagram account increased by many thousands of followers. At that time, the name “Nico González” became no longer unknown in Spanish football. It wasn’t because he had just won a trophy with Barca. Did you know?… It was because his three-year contract renewal with Barcelona had a release clause of 500 million euros. With this huge figure, Barcelona sent a message to other clubs, including Pep Guardiola’s Man City, telling them their La Masia factory star jewel wasn’t for sale.
Rising to Fame:
Upon joining Barcelona’s first team, many saw Nico as the natural replacement for Sergio Busquets. He showcased his skills, which revealed that he was indeed blessed with positioning, anticipation, composure, and physique. A few sections of Barcelona fans considered him to be an improved version of Sergio Busquets. Nico was compared to Sergio Busquets because he was the first team player to play in that position in a different way from how Busquets did. Some fans felt Nico was better than Busquets in terms of being able to adapt well as an inside midfielder.
Under Ronald Koeman’s command, Nico showed he was capable of doing things that Sergio Busquets couldn’t. He established himself as a number 6, the type who could join the likes of Pedri to play further forward. Nico, like Gavi, had that ability to get in and do the final pass. From the first moment, Ronald Koeman placed his full trust in him. He didn’t only believe in Nico but gave him the opportunity and put him in many games.
At age 19, Nico faced two new challenges: first was making his name with Barcelona’s first team, and the second was living alone. His mum, Gema, and sister, Carlota, supported him with all he needed to be comfortable. Gema had no doubt that her son would do well at home. Fast-forward to 29 July 2023, the fast-rising Nico, who played under Xavi, signed with Sérgio Conceição‘s FC Porto team, with his club, Barcelona, having a buy-back clause. The rest, as we say, is history.
Personality:
Nico is someone who never gets upset, as he prefers to live in a state of permanent calm. Usually disciplined on the pitch, the midfielder has two sides to his personality. The first is the calmness he displays, and then comes his moment of rage, which can give his coaches a heart attack.
It doesn’t matter if Nico has an important match or not. Even when he wants to play an important match, Gema Iglesias, his mum, revealed that the rest of his family members are usually more nervous than he is. Nico behaves like it were a normal day, and his mum highlights his calmness and clear ideas as one of the qualities that best defines her son. Those who know the combative midfielder often say that he has a lot of faith in his abilities and knows how to fight hard.
My son has potential, and he always wants to take advantage of it. Nico said from the start that he wanted to play for Barça. And there you have it, he is looking to come here. Explains Gema Iglesias.
Gema Iglesias, his mother, once had concerns and fears about her son leaving home to join Barcelona at a tender age. She revealed that it was more difficult to be Nico’s mother than Fran’s wife at that time. This was simply because the worries at that time about her 11-year-old son were greater. She notices that her son, despite his young age, has always shown signs of being very independent, mature and with clear ideas. At a tender age of 11, Nico accepted to leave his family to join Barca’s academy. It is so clear that, as his parents, Gema and Fran always remember, that it was their son’s decision to go to Barcelona and not theirs. Thankfully, Fran and Gema agreed to relocate to Sant Cugat, which is closer to Barcelona.
Nico González SOFIFA Profile:
Except for Nico and a few others like Teun Koopmeiners and Manuel Locatelli, you will hardly see a midfielder who tags themself as a complete footballer. What do we mean by a complete footballer? Someone who lacks in no department of the game before the 50% average mark. This is Nico’s FIFA stats displayed below, and the fact that he was 22 when he accrued all these stats surely makes him one of the brightest box-to-box midfielders in the world. Short passing and strength are two of his best footballing strengths. Hence, it is no surprise to Man City fans that Pep Guardiola made him the chosen one to compete with Rodri and Mateo Kovačić.
These days, it is rare to see a footballer at age 22 who is blessed with all football abilities – above the 50% average mark. Nico González had these stats at age 22. Source: SOFIFA
How much does Nico Gonzalez earn at Man City?
At the time of writing, the Spaniard has unconfirmed earnings of £60,000 weekly and £3,120,000 annually. This report, published by Capology, a trusted source for Man City players’ earnings, reveals the earnings of most members of Pep’s team. When you compare player earnings at City, Nico falls in the lower end of the salary table when it comes to his wages as compared to top earners like Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne (KDB), Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish and Omar Marmoush.
Nico González’s unconfirmed salary puts him among the below-£100k earners in Man City. Source: Capology
Words of Appreciation:
Thank you for taking the time to read Nico González’s story. We care about fairness and accuracy in the quest to deliver football stories about the game’s fast-rising stars. Kindly reach out if you notice anything that doesn’t look right in our write-up about the mini-Rodri, who is determined to help City return to their best days.
