Anthony Gordon – one of the stars of England’s football team at the 2026 World Cup – surprised many when he was presented as a new Barcelona player at the end of the 2025-26 domestic football season: he answered a question at the press conference in confident Spanish. Gordon explained that he had been learning the language for years with the hope of one day playing for Barcelona.

I research motivation, particularly when it comes to learning languages. Gordon’s ambition to learn Spanish was fuelled by what motivation researchers would refer to as an intrinsic goal.

Intrinsic goals include skills development (for example wanting to get better at Spanish), the development of positive personal relationships (such as wanting to form close bonds with team-mates) and long-term personal fulfilment. This is where Gordon’s motivation appears to sit.

Learning Spanish was something he was able to sustain because it supported him in achieving a long-term personal goal. This type of goal is generally associated with more positive forms of motivation, because they are better aligned with things we personally value. Extrinsic goals, such as appearing impressive to others, tend to be much less........

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