Hector Bellerin 's remarkable rise this season has been a surprising , but important component of Arsenal 's recent form , and the Spanish youngster says it justifies leaving Barcelona . Bellerin has played 19 times for the Gunners this season because of injuries to Mathieu Debuchy and Calum Chambers , his first taste of top-flight football since joining from the Catalan club as a 16-year-old . And the full back admits he might never have been handed top-level football if he 'd stayed in Spain rather than travelling to North London . Hector Bellerin has stressed that he was right to leave Barcelona at the age of 16 to join Arsenal . Injuries have seen the Spanish defender play regularly at right back this season for the Gunners . ' I got the chance and I took it ' , he told Spanish paper Marca . 'Wherever you are , you have to work . If I 'd stayed at Barcelona , I do n't know if I 'd have made it to the elite , you just never know . ' I 've worked as hard as I could and always had the mentality of reaching the top . Whether I was in one place or another , I 'd have done the same . ' Although he knows breaking through at Barca would have been tougher than in the Premier League , Bellerin refused to accept that English football is that far behind La Liga , despite our teams ' failure in the Champions League this season . Bellerin was on loan at Watford last season , but is now a Premier League regular under Arsene Wenger . ' A lot of people in Spain watch Premier League games and know what kind of a league it is , he added . 'It would be madness to say that it is n't among the best leagues in the world . 'The Spanish league is also at a very high level , with Barcelona , Real Madrid and Atletico . In the Champions League maybe we should have done things better . Perhaps we underestimated Monaco . '
Hector Bellerin has been a key player for Arsenal this year . The young defender left Barca as a teenager to join the Gunners . Injuries have given Bellerin a chance in the first team this season . CLICK HERE for all the latest Arsenal news .