There are certain things that light up Thomas Vermaelen’s face as he talks about football and family in Barcelona ahead of his return to London in the Champions League next week.
One is the video of his two young sons Raff and Ace jumping up and down in front of a television screen on seeing their dad in the starting line-up to face Real Madrid in the Clasico last December.
Another is looking back on a career that has seen him play for Ajax, Arsenal and Barcelona — ‘three very beautiful clubs’ according to the elegant defender.
Former Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen returns to London with Barcelona next week
The Belgium defender takes on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League
He has been restored to the Barcelona line-up since excelling in El Clasico in December
And another is the mere mention of Lionel Messi, or the suggestion that there is anyone quite like him.
‘What amazes me is that he does what he does everyday,’ Vermaelen says. ‘I came here and thought that he maybe saves the best stuff for games, but he does it day-in day-out.
‘He’s unbelievable in training. If you gamble that he’s going to go one way then he’ll go the other and when he comes at you on the diagonal at the speed he moves at it’s very difficult to stop.
‘You might know that he’s probably going to shoot off his left but he’s always quicker than you so knowing doesn’t help. He doesn’t get too emotionally involved with the player that’s marking or tackling him either. He never gets distracted.
Vermaelen hailed team-mate Lionel Messi and said the Argentinian was amazing in training
He said it was impossible to mark him despite knowing what he might do in any situation
Vermaelen previously spent time in England as an Arsenal player and captained the club
‘He is just getting on with the job. It is pure talent and it all comes naturally. I think for him it doesn’t even feel special.’
Messi will be the biggest threat to Chelsea next week but do they have their own mini-Messi in the shape of Eden Hazard? Vermaelen is well-placed to judge his Belgium team-mate.
‘There are similarities,’ he says. ‘They are both quite small with that low sense of gravity so they can turn and twist very quickly.
‘They have that element of surprise in their game and they can move so fast.
‘And especially in the form he is in now, I saw the goal he scored recently against Watford, for example, he’s a world class player.
‘To compare him to Messi is so difficult but he is up there with the very best.’
The 32-year-old also made a comparison between the diminutive Messi and Eden Hazard
It’s clear that Vermaelen is an avid, intelligent watcher of the game. He has had more time to do that than he would have wanted since he arrived from Arsenal in 2014.
But this season injuries have been kinder and when he played eight full games consecutively over Christmas he reminded everyone what an impeccable defender he is.
He was faultless in the Clasico and that reaction to him starting the game from his two young boys went viral in the Barca dressing room.
‘My wife filmed it,’ he says of the moment they spring up from the floor in front of the telly and begin shouting ‘Daddy’ at their top of their voices as his picture appears in the starting line-up graphic on the screen.
Of his English wife Polly Parsons he says: ‘She posted it without thinking about the power of social media and I think was a bit shocked that all of sudden it was everywhere.
‘But it was a nice video and people were still talking to me about it when the squad came back the week after Christmas.’
A video of Vermaelen’s children reacting to his selection in El Clasico went viral last year
Vermaelen should be fit to be in contention to face Chelsea after recovering from a hamstring strain, although Gerard Pique will start ahead of him if he overcomes a knee problem.
The Belgian’s ability to anticipate and distribute so cleanly make him perfect for the way Barcelona defend. He believes it is a misunderstood art: ‘Some people have the wrong idea about what it’s like to defend for Barcelona. They think it’s an easy job because the team is all about attack.
‘But the demands they have here, and with the previous coach Luis Enrique as well, are very high.
‘You are defending very high up the pitch. The fact that we play so much in the other team’s half, that doesn’t just happen by itself.
He will start against Chelsea after recovering from an injury — unless Gerard Pique is fit
Vermaelen also flagged up how difficult it can be to play as a defender in Barcelona’s system
‘It’s because we are keeping the opposition under constant pressure. And defending high means that you have 50 meters of pitch at your back.
‘And the playing out from defence too. Sometimes it would just be easier to kick it forward but that’s not the way we play.’
The unprovoked mention of Luis Enrique is interesting in light of how high up Roman Abramovich’s wanted list the Spaniard is. Vermaelen’s respect and affection for his former coach is striking.
‘I wasn’t always playing but the relationship with him was very good,’ he says. ‘The way he talks to players is excellent. He knows how to make a player feel right. If you asked me about the best managers I have worked with I would always include him.’
Chelsea are interested in naming Luis Enrique as their next manager after Antonio Conte
And Vermaelen believes he could be the right person to bring a Barcelona style to Chelsea
Abramovich has long craved a Barca-style Chelsea. Could Luis Enrique bring as radical a change there as Pep Guardiola has at City?
‘I think so,’ he says. ‘I think it would be similar to what you are seeing with Guardiola at City. It might take some time but I think it can work very well.’
Vermaelen could benefit directly from Guardiola’s influence if a supremely confident Kevin De Bruyne inspires Belguim against England at the World Cup.
‘He is a clever player and his game suits the way Guardiola plays. He’s technically very good with an unbelievable passing range and a great shot.
‘And don’t underestimate his physical qualities either, he can cope with the English game. He is looking like player of the season.’
He suggested that Enrique could have a similar impact at Chelsea to Pep Guardiola in England
A player that Guardiola has influenced is Kevin De Bruyne (middle), a Belgium team-mate
The World Cup draw divided the Vermaelen household. ‘I asked her straight away who’ll she’ll be supporting and of course she gave the right answer: me,’ he says of wife Polly.
‘I know in England you are all very negative about your national team but I think there is a lot of quality there with the young talented players that you have.’
De Bruyne, of course, could have been facing Barcelona next week for Chelsea had patience not run out with him in London. ‘When I first saw him in the national team I was already impressed with his qualities,’ Vermaelen says. ‘He has developed because he is playing every week for a massive club.’
Chelsea will have Alvaro Morata who Vermaelen knows from La Liga. ‘He impressed me when he was at Madrid and Juventus. He’s a complete striker,’ he says.
Vermaelen also spoke about how impressed he has been by Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata
If he does start next week’s game, will sons Raff and Ace be watching?
‘They know I play football and they are excited to see me on TV. But they are too young. They see me and sometimes they confuse me with another player. Which is fine, as long as it’s Messi.’
Everything at Barcelona in the end comes back to the man who wears No 10. Messi brings out the big kid in most fans and Vermaelen is no different.
‘There are moments when you see him do something and you just laugh,’ he says. ‘Even sat on the bench during a game, you watch what he’s doing, and you just laugh.’
He still laughs occasionally at what Messi does — and hopes his kids confuse the two players