‘I made a mistake’… Former Barcelona midfield prospect makes big confession following his departure back in 2021 | OneFootball

Succeeding at FC Barcelona is a dream that a lot of players around the world share. However, it is also a dream that a very special few manage to ultimately realize as well. After all, the demands and expectations at a club like Barcelona are unlike anything else in the world.

When it comes to youngsters in particular, an early career at the Catalan club can be make or break. While certain young talents manage to make a name for themselves at Barcelona, there are those as well who are unable to find the same level of success and consistency.

Stars like Pedri and Pau Cubarsi have become mainstays for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, and their recent contract renewals prove just how much faith the club has in their abilities. However, in the past, there have been players who have looked promising initially but ended up leaving the club for some other side.

One such player was Ilaix Moriba, a promising young midfielder who ended up transferring to RB Leipzig over in Germany. Since then, he has had various loan spells with a varying levels of success and progress. However, recently, he has made a confession about his departure from Barcelona.

As highlighted by SPORT, the 22-year-old Guinean footballer recently confessed that he now believes that leaving Barcelona was a mistake on his part:

“I made a mistake leaving Barça. I was very young and under a lot of pressure. At one point, I thought everything was falling apart.”

However, he also did say that he was now enjoying life at Celta Vigo, a team that he is currently representing:

“Luckily, now I’m happy at Celta.”

Interestingly, former Barcelona sporting director Ramon Planes had already assessed the situation two years ago and claimed back then that Moriba had made a mistake despite former coach Ronald Koeman showing faith in him:

“He’s a great example for young Barça academy players. I spoke to him a lot. I remember in the final weeks, Koeman called him into his office and told him, ‘Renew your contract, I’m counting on you.’ Ilaix made the wrong decision.”

Ultimately, the story between Ilaix Moriba and Barcelona was not to be. The club has managed to move on rather quickly since his departure four years ago in 2021, and are currently enjoying some of the best football that they have played in years, but Moriba’s progress since then has been full of ups and downs.