Anthony Gordon Is Already a Camp Nou Favorite, Just Three Months In

Some players dream about playing for Barcelona and leave it at that, a childhood fantasy that never goes anywhere. Then there's Anthony Gordon, who as a kid growing up in Merseyside pictured himself wearing that shirt and, against all odds, actually made it happen. Last summer Barcelona paid Newcastle United 70 million euros for him, a fee that raised plenty of eyebrows. Three months later, he's already one of the fans' favorites at Camp Nou.

Getting here was anything but a smooth ride. Gordon fought relegation battles with Everton, his boyhood club, went out on loan to Preston North End in 2021, and went through goalless stretches early in his Newcastle career. None of it made him doubt himself. "I'd never been seen in a system that brings out these qualities," he recently told ESPN, clarifying comments of his that had been read as a dig at England. "People hadn't seen me before in this type of system, which I think helps them appreciate me more."

From Premier League Tormentor to Starter Under Flick

He left his mark at Newcastle. Maxime Estève, now at RB Leipzig, still remembers him from a 2-1 loss his then club Burnley suffered at St. James' Park: "I told them, this kid is really good, really sharp, he's got an excellent right foot and he's great in one on one duels. I like that type of winger: they always want to beat the right back, and even if they lose the ball four times, you know they're going to beat you twice and create danger. "That's exactly why, for Estève, seeing him at Barcelona now isn't a surprise at all.

His best season at Newcastle, 2023-24, backed that up: he finished as the club's top performer with a goal contribution of 0.65 per 90 minutes, form that earned him a place in the England squad. Later, in the Champions League, he hit his peak: 16 goals last season, 10 of them in Europe, including four in a 6-1 win over Qarabag. After a 3-0 thrashing of Benfica, Jose Mourinho leaned in and told him "you're just too much," which, coming from him, is quite the compliment.

At Barca he found exactly what Hansi Flick had been asking for: forwards capable of pressing as a unit and winning the ball back quickly. Sporting director Deco explained it this way: "We're very clear on what we're looking for. One of the things that hurt us last season was that the team's energy dropped off. It got lost." The club chose Gordon over triggering Marcus Rashford's 30 million release clause, and moved fast to beat Bayern Munich to the signing.

A World Cup That Changed Him

Before arriving in Barcelona, Gordon had his breakout moment at the 2026 World Cup. He came off the bench against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the round of 16 and set up both of Harry Kane's goals. Then came his standout performance against Mexico, where even Javier Aguirre himself shouted something at him from the touchline that ended in laughter, and his contribution in the semifinal loss to Argentina. "The World Cup changed me, because it left me with a scar from that defeat," Gordon told ESPN. "But I feel more experienced, a lot calmer."

Thomas Tuchel sees him as a fixture: "I see a player full of confidence, full of belief. He's reached another level." Kane himself described him as someone who "belongs at the very top level, both for Barcelona and for England."

"Antoni Gros" Already Has His Own Chants

At Camp Nou you can already hear the "Goooooordooon!" and fans have even given him a Catalan nickname: "Antoni Gros." It all started with an assist for Fermin Lopez on his debut against Elche. "I love it," Gordon said this week. "They've made me feel so welcome. I didn't expect this kind of connection after three months. I don't think that's normal."

With three goals and four assists so far, he knows he has more to give for a team averaging four goals a game and already sitting at 60 in 15 matches. He rated himself a "7.5 out of 10" ahead of the 3-0 Champions League win over Aston Villa. "It'll take me time to settle in and mature," he admitted. "When that happens, you'll see the best of me, which you definitely haven't seen yet." On Sunday against Atletico Madrid in LaLiga, he'll get another chance to prove it.