Oscar Mingueza admits he failed to win over Xavi at Barcelona | OneFootball

Former Barcelona defender Oscar Mingueza has said that he had to leave the club because he was unable to convince head coach Xavi that he could play at the level required of him.

Mingueza, a product of Barça's La Masia youth academy, recently left the Blaugrana for fellow La Liga side Celta Vigo.

The 23-year-old, who is capable of playing anywhere across the back line, made 27 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona last season, but with the likes of Andreas Christensen and Jules Kounde coming through the Camp Nou doors, game time was going to be harder to come by.

Speaking to Cadena SER, Mingueza admitted he knew he would have to leave because he was not going to play - a matter that Xavi spelled out pretty clearly to him.

"My decision was clear when they told me I had to leave because I wasn't going to play much at all," Mingueza said.

"When Xavi arrived he told us what he wanted. You're playing and I didn't have my best games. But if a coach doesn't like you, it's hard to play again."

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Footage has emerged in recent days of match-going Barcelona supporters whistling and heckling Martin Braithwaite due to his unwillingness to leave despite the club's ongoing financial crisis. Mingueza said that Blaugrana fans are demanding and that there is always pressure when playing for the club.

"At Barcelona you have to act like a veteran, even if you're young," he added. "You have to go out and win and play well, having the ball. It was the maximum, the top. It was no excuse.

"The fans are demanding, I don't know if in the end they treated me excessively, but it doesn't matter anymore. I had a good season with [Ronald] Koeman and gave everything the two years I was in the first team."