ON-LOAN STRIKER HELPING DORTMUND TO FLY HIGH

forward, who had always been tipped as a player of great promise, but who looked to have blown his shot at the big-time following his failed move to Barca.

He began his career with hometown club Valencia, where he progressed through the junior ranks before making his debut as a teenager in 2010.

Tragedy struck a year later when his 44-yearold father collapsed and died while leaving the stadium, having watched his son score in a friendly win over Roma.

"I was hit hard and out of nowhere when I was 18. I couldn't even say goodbye to my father, it was so tough," Alcacer told El Pais. "But that gave me the strength to keep fighting and see things in a different way."

That matured Alcacer quickly and he was given the Valencia captaincy by former coach Gary Neville at the age of just 21.

"Everyone knows their limitations and what defines us. If I have a teammate next to me in a good position to score and whom I can pass to easily, I do that rather than try an overhead kick and it goes wrong," Alcacer said. "If you score and the team loses, it's pointless. There's reason to be happy when you help a teammate score.

“Anticipation is one of the things I do best. I like shooting first time. In the penalty area, you have to think quickly, know intuitively where the goalkeeper is and look around so that you have a full view of the goal."

He might not have cut it at star-studded Barca, but Alcacer is showing that he is a quality forward and helping Dortmund in their bid to break Bayern’s six-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga title.