From the Costa del Sol to Cymru: Josh Farrell, a Swansea City legend, and Wales

The path between Granada and Newport isn’t exactly a well-trodden one, but Wales U21 striker Josh Farrell is hopeful of completing his long journey on Friday night.

Farrell has been involved in U21 squads with Wales before, but his story might not be that well-known to members of the Red Wall.

Farrell has a Welsh mother and an English father but was born in Spain. The forward certainly had options on which country he could play for, but thanks to a Swansea City icon, Wales was his answer.

“The way I got my opportunity with the Welsh squad was through Lee Trundle. Lee has a very good relationship with my dad, so he put a couple of good words for me, and I came in on a trial at U16 level, and since then, I’ve been involved in more and more squads.

“Even my dad when he was a kid used to come on holiday to Wales. Wales has always felt like home to me. It’s in my roots, it’s in my culture, it’s in my blood, there’s something special about being here.”

Yet, for all his Welsh credentials, Farrell has spent his entire playing career in Spain, and on the Costa del Sol in particular.

Farrell started life at Granada, and while all of his Welsh teammates have familiar upbringings, the striker has certainly seen football in a different way.

“It is very different coming through the academy over there. The biggest difference is the rhythm of play. They always try and keep the ball and slow it down, and it’s a lot more technical as a result. It’s less athletic, but anywhere you go, football is football. The game is played the same way.

“There are parts that are different, but my dad loves football, and I guess he implemented a bit more of a British style inside of me, because playing football in the UK is very different to playing anywhere else.”

Farrell did have a loan spell with Torremolinos while at la Nazaríes, but he departed Granada for good in January 2023, joining fourth tier side CF Villanovense.

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For the forward on a personal level, it’s been a solid start to the campaign, scoring two goals in six appearances, and he explained how competitive the level is.

“This season, on a personal level, is going well. As a team, we do need to up our intensity in order to get a few more points on the board. Like anywhere in the world, the competitive level in our league is high.

“The standards are high, there’s plenty of good players in the fourth tier of Spanish football. A lot of old pros who’ve played for big clubs are in this division. It’s good to also play men’s football and play against those high calibre players.”

His good form has earned him a recall to Wales’ U21 squad ahead of their final qualifier against Czechia, and a place in the squad is almost a full circle moment for Farrell.

Farrell is coming off the back of an ACL injury that kept him out for over twelve months, but thankfully, the support system around him was nothing short of exceptional.

“ACL is probably nowadays the most common knee injury there is. Thankfully with the environment around me at club level, along with my family and friends, they made my recovery very easy for me.

“I did have a personal physio and rehabilitator too, and they were top quality, really professional, and they made my journey back very easy.”

Another big help for Farrell has been U21 manager Matty Jones. The manager has been in close contact with the Villanovense star throughout his recovery, and the player his eager to give back to his coach.

“Having someone like Matty around is very important. He gives me a lot of confidence, and you always want to come back and play for your country, but having people like him around, it makes you want to come back even more.

“To play international football for your country is massive and knowing that Matty trusts me by keeping in contact with me for all this time was massive for my whole recovery.

“I told Matty when he called me up, that it was one of my main objectives to get back in the national team. To be able to play and put on that red shirt would be huge for me.”

If he is to appear at Rodney Parade on Friday, it would signal a new chapter in Josh Farrell’s remarkable story.

(Featured Image: Ashley Crowden/FAW)