Hereford United’s latest signing can boast an impressive junior pedigree and some even more impressive former team-mates.

“I started at Majorca in the youth team and at 15 I started to play with the national team with Spain under-15s, under-16s, under-17s and under- 19s,” said Guillem Bauza, who has joined the Bulls until January.

“I played alongside Fernando Torres and Andres Iniesta.

“I was really lucky to play alongside two great players and others – most of the other players from that team are playing in La Liga.

“I realised at the time that I was so lucky to play with them and enjoyed those years in the national team – but at that time, I wasn’t any less than them. I was a starter.”

From Majorca, Bauza moved on to Espanyol where, although he did not break into the first team, he came to the notice of a fellow countryman.

“ R o b e r t o Martinez gave me the chance to play in the F o o t b a l l League with Swansea,”

said the 25-yearold.

“ I w a s happy t o c o m e and I h a d t h r e e good years there, some better than others. But I was very happy the first two years with a promotion and the League 1 title.

“Last season, I w a s n ’ t lucky at the start a n d picked up an injury. After that it was difficult to get back into the team.”

Bauza, who speaks excellent English, is aware of the short-term nature of a sportsman’s life and is already making plans for the future.

Since his arrival at S w a n s e a , he has b e e n studying for a degree in genetics at S w a n s e a University.

“My family had always taught me that football is not everything in life,” he said.

“From my childhood, I always knew that I had to study.

“If I became a footballer then OK, but after football I would still have to be someone and so it would be better to get yourself into something that you like than have to think after your football career about what you have to do.

“I never stopped studying, once I finished my A-levels I started doing a degree.

“Football always came first but studying for the degree was not that hard – I could finish it in four or five years and then I came to Swansea.

“First, I learned English and then I had time in the afternoons to do something so I got into the university to a degree that I like a lot.

“I will finish either when I am playing or after my football career because I like it so much.”

He had, however, to brush up on his geography to work out the location of his new club.

“I’ve heard of Hereford because I like to follow football,” he said. “I knew that Hereford play in League 2 – I had never seen them play but I watched some highlights on TV.

“But I didn’t know where the city was so I had to look on the map.”

After his goalscoring start, though, Hereford fans will be hoping that the Spaniard gets an extended opportunity to get to know the city.

And the prospect of staying beyond January would be more than welcome if he can continue to show the excellent touch and eye for goal that Saturday revealed.

“I’m not thinking about January,” he said. “I’m just thinking that Hereford have given me a chance to play every Saturday, so I shall be trying to repay that confidence with games and with goals if that is possible.

“Friday was my first training session and my team-mates were good; they received me with open arms.

“I think they are a really good bunch of people and with those kinds of players, we can get better results and be where Hereford needs to be.”