Blackburn to Barcelona – Dolan’s ‘unbelievable’ journey

Warning: This article contains discussions of suicide and mental illness.

Marcus Rashford might not be the only Englishman on the pitch when Barcelona play their first La Liga game following the winter break.

Just five years ago, Tyrhys Dolan was playing for non-league side Clitheroe.

He is a key member of the fifth-place Espanyol team now, age 23, and he is a key member.

He will first-time ever experience the intensity of the Catalan derby on Saturday, just like Rashford.

It is another step in a remarkable journey marked by multiple rejections, periods without a club, and dealing with the devastating loss of his best friend to suicide.

By the time Dolan orders his coffee in Spanish, there is already a sense this move is about more than just adapting to a new league.

He says, “I don’t want to come here, and what I can take away is that my pitching skills will improve.”

“I want to let the supporters know that I’m really interested in the culture and the language, and that I want to connect with them so they can understand me both as a player and as a person,” he said.

Dolan, who is from Broadheath in Greater Manchester, joined Espanyol in July after turning down a new contract at Blackburn. A five-year stay at Ewood Park was ended by a difficult choice.

After being released by Preston, Dolan joined Blackburn without a team, and the forward developed strong bonds with team-mates, staff, and supporters.

“They weren’t just colleagues”, he says. They were “family,” they said.

However, Dolan was aware that making sacrifices was required if he wanted to advance.

When asked why he joined Espanyol, Dolan explains that he liked the passion of the club’s fans, which his father’s videos showed him. It was one of the first football leagues to be founded in Spain in 1900.

Dolan says, “I can’t really count how many people have moved from the Championship to La Liga,” adding that it is undoubtedly one of the best leagues in the world.

“For me, that was a statement in itself – a reward for all the hard work I’ve done.

I wanted to pit myself against the best. And when you have such a strong self-assurance, you want to demonstrate your abilities to others. La Liga has the platform for me to show that. “

Espanyol fought back from the end of last season by spending a lot of time battling relegation, but things are different this time around.

Dolan started 13 of Espanyol’s 17 games starting on the wing in 16 of the team’s 16 games. They have won 10 times and are fifth, 13 points behind leaders Barcelona.

He claims that it has been very positive. Everything feels good when the football is playing well. You meet people in the street and it’s all positivity. I’m just embracing it all.

After spending time in academy at Manchester City, Burnley, and Preston, where he signed a scholarship but did not sign a professional contract, Dolan was playing seven leagues below England’s top flight.

Releases, rejections, and lingering uncertainty followed.

” It’s been an unbelievable journey, “he says”. I’m proud of the challenges I’ve overcome.

When you had to navigate the more difficult route through non-league, I believe it makes the outcome sweeter. You’d come in at half-time and players would be eating Haribos for energy… it’s completely different now”.

Dolan claims that leaving them was one of the hardest aspects of his decision to join Espanyol, and that there is a strong family bond that underlies that resilience.

He claims that because of how deeply committed I am to my family, it was a big sacrifice.

That encouragement extends to a friendship that he has kept shaping up.

Dolan grew up alongside Jeremy Wisten – a team-mate and close friend from his academy years.

Dolan says, “He was the best person you could meet, and we did everything together.”

“I was aware of what football meant to him and how it affected his soul.” He lived and breathed football”.

Wisten and Dolan both sought scholarships at the same time, but Manchester City released Wisten after suffering from injuries.

Dolan says it was important because you had to be consistently playing at the time.

“Jeremy kind of knew himself at Manchester City that he wasn’t really going to get a scholarship but he just struggled after that”.

Wisten was 18 when, less than two years after the club’s approval, he committed suicide at his family home in 2020.

Dolan says it was “knowing that he didn’t have that footballer logo,” but for him, it was facing the world.

“When you’re younger, people don’t even say your name. They say, “Oh, there’s the footballer Tyrhys,” or “there’s the footballer Jeremy.” You are a player, not just a human.

” And once you strip that back, you think ‘ well if I’m not that, then who am I? ‘

“It must have been really difficult for him because I know many people around him were playing football well, earning scholarships, signing contracts with organizations, and making their debuts, I suppose, which is one of them.”

When someone is suffering so much and you are succeeding, it’s difficult to tell. It was the most heartbreaking moment of my life. “

Dolan wears the number 24 at Espanyol in Wisten’s honor. He accepted the fact that it was the day his close friend passed away, so he thought it was more than coincidence that it was one of only two squad numbers that were available.

” He’s with me, “says Dolan”. He has realized his ambition. He made it because he plays the same way I do.

Wisten’s death led Dolan to become an ambassador for the Go Again charity, which supports young footballers dealing with the emotional impact of being released from academies.

He wants to provide perspective and reassurance after having experienced that.

Life in Spain has brought new challenges for Dolan.

He says, “The knowledge you’ve got going on the pitch and how much you need to remember are very different.

You have to perform all the set pieces and different routines. You’ve got to remember eight different sequences. I’m constantly thinking, “I don’t want this to go wrong.”

It has opened up a lot of eyes,” she said. It makes you realise you’re not the finished article”.

Dolan has already had some unforgettable experiences.

He felt that he shared his feelings with everyone he knew by playing against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

“A boy from Broadheath at the Bernabeu”, he says, smiling.

The Catalan derby, one of the fiercest games in Spanish football, is now a landmark.

Dolan can tell when anticipation is building.

“They say you feel it even in the warm-up”, he says. It will be very special, the author declares.

And he won’t be the only one at RCDE Stadium. His dad has been busy fielding ticket requests from friends and family.

He claims that “at the moment, it seems like we have about 25 people coming over.”