Anthony Gordon opens up on 'elite' Lamine Yamal, Raphinha relationships in Barcelona attack - 'It gives me more comfort'

Barcelona and England forward Anthony Gordon sat down with TNT Sports to discuss his new-found relationships with Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, as well as his hopes of joining Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane in the "top bracket" of world football.

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Gordon joined Barca from Newcastle United in a reported £69.3 million move this summer.

In doing so, he joined the likes of Gary Lineker and Marcus Rashford as England internationals to pull on the Blaugrana shirt, and has quickly developed into a key asset in Hansi Flick's three-pronged forward line.

The 25-year-old has been a part of the most prolific attack in Europe's top five leagues so far this season, with 57 goals in just 14 matches across all competitions and Gordon netting three and assisting five himself.

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Gordon only has to look over his right shoulder to see two of the finest attacking talents on the continent in Yamal and Raphinha, who have netted 29 goals between them so far this campaign.

And, ahead of hosting Aston Villa in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday - live with TNT Sports on HBO Max - Gordon spoke about how he feels playing alongside the sport's superstars.

"It gives me more comfort, of course, I get many more chances, so it definitely makes me a better player," Gordon told TNT Sports.

"They also make me a better player, through passing them the ball, and then they do something special. It obviously makes me look a lot better.

"But it gives me more comfort that sometimes if I'm not on the very, very top of my game, I have players next to me who are elite, and can change the game at any given moment."

Gordon admitted he "sometimes" cannot believe he is lining up for Barcelona, the club he dreamed of playing for in his early career, and even felt it was "quite difficult for people to understand" his ambitions of one day playing for the great Catalan club.

"If you speak to any of my family, friends, people who've been close to me, I've said this from very, very early," he said.

But Gordon prides himself on being "an extremely grateful person", and sets time aside to truly come to terms with how far he has progressed since coming through Everton's academy and making his Premier League debut for the Merseyside club in 2020.

He said: "I try and take time out of my day every day, 10-20 minutes, to just sit, visualise, meditate and be calm.

"I am truly grateful for my life, what I've created, but ultimately, now, like most humans, you get where you want to get to and then you just want more.

"So now I need goals, I need trophies, I need everything else that comes with it."

Gordon's Ballon d'Or hopes

This summer, Gordon became one of a number of English players to head abroad with trophies and team success on his mind, but the forward has never been shy in discussing personal accolades.

And after watching England team-mate Harry Kane become the first English winner of the Ballon d'Or since Michael Owen in 2001, Gordon feels his move to Barcelona could reap similar benefits to that of Kane with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.

"Yeah, I think the same with H [Kane], he was at Spurs for a long time and he had an unbelievable Premier League career, but because Spurs didn't win any trophies, it maybe didn't put him in, you know, that, that top, top bracket that he's in now," Gordon said.

"I think his move to Bayern Munich has put him on another level because he's been able to add trophies.

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"He gets to show his ability on the highest stages in the later rounds of the Champions League and that's what these clubs do.

"That's why I've always dreamed of playing for this club, because everybody watches Barcelona, we get to fight on every front for the biggest trophies, and when you perform in the biggest games.

"That's when the accolades and everything you want comes true."

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Gordon was a hero in the Newcastle United side who ended their 70-year wait for a trophy by beating Liverpool in last year's Carabao Cup final.

But he is now in an environment where silverware is an expectation. That does not faze him.

"I really enjoy this type of challenge," Gordon said.

"I really enjoy the pressure it comes with, but like I said, I'm here to win, I want to win, so I've still got a long way to go."

'Nothing affects him'

Barca head coach Flick was full of praise for Gordon when he spoke to TNT Sports.

The forward had to wait for his first goal in a Barca shirt, notching his maiden strike in the 3-0 victory against Getafe in October.

Gordon has since netted twice more, and Flick was happy to see his patience rewarded.

"I'm very happy in the last games after the international break he scored some goals for us," Flick said. "For him, I think it’s important because of his confidence.

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"Nothing affects him. When he has the ball on the pitch he always has the confidence he needs, and also what he can give us.

"It’s a little different for him I think, how we train. It’s totally different than he expected.

"We said this, after the game, normally they don’t train in Newcastle. So it’s so much different than here. But he’s doing good. I’m very happy about his quality and impact in this team."

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