JOSH FARRELL: FROM GRANADA TO GALES
[Image Credit: John Smith, FAW]
Lewis Sharpe
19-year-old Josh Farrell made his debut for Cymru U21s in their 2-0 defeat against Austria in late September.
Having played through the age groups for Cymru, Farrell differs to his teammates in one particular area – he was born and grew up in Spain.
Kieffer Moore, Hal Robson-Kanu, Ashley Williams – what do they all have in common? They aren’t Welsh-born but became some of our most influential players in recent times. James Chester, Dan James, Brennan Johnson; the list goes on.
But a Spanish-born Welshman pulling our famous red shirt must be a first, right?
Farrell is eligible to play for Cymru through his grandmother (of Blaenau Ffestioniog heritage), but certainly doesn’t lack passion towards the country.
‘’Obviously, you feel a lot of pride coming from a country like Wales,’’ Farrell explained with a smile on his face.
‘’It’s very fresh and it’s like a massive family in the country really.’’
‘’I think anyone who’s from Wales feels that pride to be Welsh and being able to play for them is just a massive achievement really. It’s just brilliant.’’
Farrell grew up supporting Cymru, and remembers our Euro 2016 campaign, when he was aged just 13.
‘’I remember Robson-Kanu’s goal, when he’s done the Cruyff turn and they got to the semi-finals. It was unfortunate that they lost to Portugal but they did really well,’’ he recalled.
‘’I mostly supported Wales over Spain. I never really supported Spain to be completely honest.’’
His first Cymru camp came with the U17s, and his first start came in an U19s fixture against Georgia in June 2021.
‘’It was a very long process. A lot of paperwork, I’m not going to lie.’’
‘’My dad knew Lee Trundle who has a good relationship with the FAW, so he put in a word for me and my agent knew Gus [Williams] as well, so in the end I got a call up for the Under-17s and the rest is history.’’
Farrell was couped by Granada’s academy in 2019 at 16 years-of-age.
‘’It’s been a wonderful last three years in the youth set-up [at Granada]. We had a really good year last year and I’m stepping into senior football now,’’ he described.
‘’I love it. I love the fact that they gave me a shot, gave me a chance and it’s the first proper club I’ve been at, and they stick with me through thick and thin, so it’s brilliant being with them.’’
‘’Every club’s different and Granada has got its unique ways. I think the really good thing they have is their work ethic and you can tell from the Under-19s to the first team, everything is just work, work and work.’’
The youngster is getting his first shot at first-team football on loan at Spanish fourth-tier – Segunda Federación - side Juventud de Torremolinos Club de Fútbol, based in Malaga.
‘’It’s a lot of learning as well because, in the fourth division in Spain, there’s a lot of old pros, and in my team there’s a lot of older players who are helping me a lot and you just learn off, in my case, strikers that have lived much more football than I have.’’
‘’You just learn different things that I don’t think a coach is able to teach you, you just learn it with experience.’’
Cymru U21s are currently starting a new era under the reign of manager Matty Jones following former coach Paul Bodin’s three-year tenure coming to an end. Jones opted to start Farrell up front in his first game in charge.
‘’The thing that stands out [when playing for Wales U21s] is the fact we were so good as a group. I’ve never met some of the boys and they were just top class.’’
‘’I think Matty really implemented that idea of being like the first team, being like a family and I think that’s what’s going to give us a lot of success in the future.’’
Farrell has great aspirations to represent his country at the highest level.
‘’One of my dreams is to be able to wear the number nine shirt for Wales. That’s a massive, massive dream. I’ll have to pinch myself if that ever happens.’’
‘’I couldn’t believe when I was wearing the number nine shirt for the Under-21s. I want to be able to make it in the professional world and make a name for myself, make my family and friends proud.’’
‘’It will be a dream come true. You just can’t really put it into words to be honest. It would just be a dream. There are things you dream about as a kid; you just dream about it. I’ll be so happy and I know I’ll be making my grandmother proud too.’’