Seven years ago, Joan Luque was sharing a pitch with Alvaro Morata.
This summer, as Morata completed his club record £60m move
from Real Madrid to Chelsea, fellow Spaniard Luque was also starting a
new life in England - with part-time Heybridge Swifts, in the eighth
tier of English football.On Sunday, the 25-year-old former Barcelona academy player will attempt to make headlines of his own when the lowest-ranked club left in the FA Cup look to cause a shock at League Two Exeter City's expense (14:00 GMT).
"My dream is to play professional football in England or Spain," Luque, scorer of 14 goals for Essex club Swifts, told BBC Sport.
"I've come to England to see if I can achieve that."
Luque earned a deal with Isthmian League North Division Heybridge after impressing at a camp set up to give players from overseas a taste of the English game.
The 'England The Chance' initiative, set up by Swifts defender Guillem Ramon, saw 21 players from Spain, Andorra and Argentina spend a week at Heybridge in July.
Luque's technical ability stood out - and Heybridge boss Jody Brown signed him up.
Swifts' cup run has included seven matches, with a 95th-minute equaliser against Metropolitan Police in the second qualifying round and a penalty shootout win, plus £29,425 in prize money.
This is their first appearance in the first round for 15 years and they head to Exeter on the back of one defeat in 30 games.
Luque, who works as a waiter in a Chelmsford restaurant, has scored six of his side's 23 goals in FA Cup qualifying.
His CV includes a two-year spell at Barcelona's academy between the ages of 11 and 13.
While Marc Muniesa, a friend from his early days with the Spanish league giants, has gone on to appear in defence for Barcelona, Stoke City and Girona, Luque's career has struggled to take off.
He played in the youth version of the 2010 Copa del Rey for Cornella and helped the Catalonia club reach the quarter-finals before losing to a Real Madrid side featuring Morata and Dani Carvajal.
Having played semi-professional football in Ibiza and Majorca, Luque is one of three Spaniards in the Swifts squad, with Ramon and midfielder Elias Siligato.
"Hopefully we can help attract some new Spanish followers," added Luque.
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