Barcelona’s new €80million (£69.3m; $93.2m) signing Anthony Gordon has always possessed a steely determination to make it to the top.Even as a child still finding his feet at academy level, he would often talk with striking certainty about his future.“When I play for Real Madrid” was one early goal he expressed, among many others. At his Barcelona unveiling, during which Gordon impressed reporters by answering some questions in near-perfect Spanish, he said he had dreamt of playing for the Catalan club when growing up.“I wanted to speak Spanish because as a kid, I believed that I would play for Barca, believe it or not,” he said. “I have a physio in Newcastle and we spoke every day, and I told him that one day I’ll play for Barca, so I want to learn Spanish.”Regardless of whichever side of the Clasico divide Gordon ended up, there have been times when those dreams of reaching the big time appeared a million miles away; moments at just about every step of the 25-year-old’s journey where others did not share that unwavering belief in his ability.Aged 11, Gordon dropped out of his boyhood club Liverpool’s academy. He was picked up by their city rivals Everton while playing for amateur team Whiston Juniors in the local St Helens League, but was initially sent to an academy development centre for further assessment. Those who believed in his talent had to fight to convince others he should join.Gordon was a late developer — “bony and fragile”, according to Ian Duke, the scout who brought him to Everton. But the talent was always there, as he first showed in a second-striker role and then eventually from the left, where many of those who have followed his journey believe he is now at his best.His Everton debut came aged 16 in a Europa League dead-rubber away at Apollon Limassol of Cyprus, and there was amusement when he came onto the pitch as a substitute with his Next boxer shorts on full display. It was then-coach Carlo Ancelotti who handed him his first Premier League start in the Merseyside derby.Anthony Gordon on his Premier League debut in January 2020 (Jacques Feeney/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Yet there were also battles to keep him on the straight and narrow — at Alsop High School, where he needed to be “shaped and disciplined”, and then at under-23 level and in the first team, where academy coach David Unsworth and first-team manager Rafa Benitez impressed upon him the need for a relentless work ethic and endurance across a whole 90 minutes.There was a lot to like about Gordon’s Everton story before it turned sour. He was the local boy made good, who was seen walking with his kit and boots from his home in Kirkdale to Goodison Park for one friendly match. A close bond was struck with former manager Frank Lampard, who took him under his wing.Yet Gordon quickly developed a sense he had outgrown the club, who had slumped from contending for Europe to battling against relegation. His natural confidence, in some cases, was interpreted as arrogance.A forlorn summer pursuit by Chelsea in the summer of 2022 came to be seen as a line in the sand. Gordon wanted the move, but could not force it through, with Everton rejecting bids in the region of £40m (about $54m at current exchange rates). From then on, relationships became frayed and strained.When Newcastle United came calling six months later, he and his camp pushed harder and finally got their wish. There was anger at Everton when he did not show for training. Gordon and his camp always insisted he had been in London with Everton’s owner Farhad Moshiri and the well-known intermediary Kia Joorabchian to finalise a deal, but the move left scars on all sides.Cash-strapped Everton needed the money to keep the lights on and almost certainly would have sanctioned a sale regardless. There is an acceptance now that the ends almost certainly justified the means, and that the rejection of the Chelsea bids probably conditioned what came afterwards, but Gordon remains unpopular with most Everton fans, who mercilessly jeer him whenever he faces his old club. For his part, Gordon will almost certainly have been upset by the reaction towards him since the move.But Everton have made around £50m from their academy graduate, factoring in the initial £40m fee paid by Newcastle, add-ons, their 15 per cent (of profit) sell-on clause and solidarity payments due now the Barcelona deal has been finalised.Few on Merseyside expected his career to develop in such a way, with the move to the Catalan giants prompting some raised eyebrows.Gordon was ideally suited to Newcastle manager Eddie Howe’s hard-running, high-pressing style. His underlying numbers, referenced in talks with Everton, were always strong, painting the picture of a profligate youngster who could mature into a regular contributor in the final third — provided he could iron out the technical side of his game.Anthony Gordon was perfectly suited to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)It took Gordon time to adapt at the north-east club. He responded angrily to being substituted at Brentford early in his first season, appearing to shove Howe as he came off the pitch. But he has always had a strong support team around him — from his long-term partner Annie to his agent Adam Dugdale at Unique Sports Group, who has handled his last two moves.He has long shown an insatiable desire to learn and get better, working with long-time performance coach Danny Donachie — who he first encountered at Everton and then with England Under-21s — to develop his mindset.There is some irony in that Donachie also coaches Barcelona’s Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford, for whom a permanent move to the Camp Nou now looks doubtful after his England team-mate’s arrival.Donachie gives all his clients a book called Way of the Peaceful Warrior, written by the gymnast Dan Millman. Part-autobiographical and part-fiction, it stresses the need for athletes to connect with their deep self while also striving for excellence. “The peaceful warrior” phrase regularly crops up in posts from Donachie and clients such as Gordon on their social media accounts.Gordon is a keen chess player, has been known to write down his short- and long-term aims in a journal and keeps himself in great shape away from football. During the pandemic, he spent three months locked away in a house, working with a personal trainer. He has undergone fitness camps on holiday and relentlessly works on his weaknesses — heading is one area of his game he has markedly improved.Writing on LinkedIn ahead of Gordon’s move to Barcelona, Donachie said the England international was “deeply curious” and has used “doubts as fuel”.“Life-long learning isn’t his only super-power,” he said. “He has an incredible capacity to embrace discomfort. His intensity is hard to maintain. There’s always a point when the mind says no. Ant doesn’t listen.“The way he’s transformed himself into the man he is today is a lesson for us all.”Anthony Gordon at his Barcelona unveiling (Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)Gordon’s key role in the England Under-21 side’s 2023 European Championship win, where he was named player of the tournament, was seen as another seminal moment in his career. He ended the following season as Newcastle’s best player, scoring 11 goals and providing 10 assists in the Premier League alone. He made his senior England debut in March 2024 and has gone on to make 17 appearances for the national team, scoring twice.There is a sense that his history at Everton repeated itself at Newcastle. Gordon’s head was turned by a potential move to Liverpool in the summer of 2024, prompted by Newcastle’s need to adhere to financial rules, and it took a while for those at St James’ Park to get him back in the right place.It was felt by some at Newcastle that his single-mindedness was both his biggest strength and greatest weakness — that when he is fully engaged and committed he can be exceptional, but that there have also been moments when he can waver.A move this summer was long deemed the most likely scenario and mutually beneficial, given Newcastle’s ongoing attempts at financial compliance. Unlike star striker Alexander Isak, Gordon never refused to play and it was Howe’s call to leave him out for the final four games of the season before a potential move.The Liverpudlian certainly made a positive impression at his Barcelona unveiling with his Spanish, while he was also seen engaging with fans in Catalan.None of that will have come as much of a surprise to anyone who has followed his story. He has always been articulate and thoughtful; bright and sociable.Now Gordon is where he believes he truly belongs.Additional reporting: Chris Waugh