BERLIN, Sept. 16 -- Talking about himself is not something that comes easily to Paco Alcacer. The 26-year-old Spaniard is a humble person who is always respectful of others. Ahead of Borussia Dortmund's first 2019-20 Champions League match against Spanish giants FC Barcelona, Alcacer has been bombarded with questions over how he views his former club.
Instead of discussing the negative aspects of his two years at Barcelona between 2016 and 2018, the Spanish international prefers to focus on his current role as Dortmund's No. 9. Alcacer has scored five goals in four league games so far this season, and his side's convincing 4-0 win over rivals Bayer Leverkusen suggests that things are going better than ever at the Westfalenstadion.
Though Alcacer never talks in terms of revenge, there is a suggestion that he is enjoying his status as a starting striker, having had to play second fiddle behind Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at Barcelona.
In most of his 50 games for Los Cules he was a substitute, but still managed to score 15 goals. "There is nothing to be proved against Barca," he insists, adding that he is just happy to meet his old teammates.
Fans might only get behind the story when he talks about his present success. "It seems I never got as much trust as I have with Dortmund," he commented, adding that the statistics speak for themselves. He might have thought about his 10 latest goals for Dortmund and the Spanish national team.
After his Dortmund move, his value to the national team grew significantly. 12 goals in 17 games tell their own story. Spanish media speak of him as the most admired sportsman in Spain aside of tennis superstar Rafael Nadal, with sports daily Marca declaring that "Paco is the national team's true number nine."
His rising stock in the national team has been as remarkable as his progress at Dortmund. He might have scored 19 goals in his first year but had to take several injury-enforced breaks.
"He has improved as he has been working hard over the past months. He can go over 90 minutes without any problems and has proved his value both in the starting eleven and as a substitute," Dortmund's managing director Michael Zorc emphasized.
Spanish legend Fernando Torres said Alcacer might not be the fastest or most technically gifted striker, "but he is always scoring." Some at Dortmund feel reminded of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabon striker did not always involve himself heavily in play, but always delivered goals.
"I try to remember the positive things and forget about the bad memories," Alcacer said, claiming that he is entirely concentrated on his current club.