"He preferred to stay in Catalonia with his mother" - Barcelona veteran could've joined Real Madrid in youth days, reveals ex-scout
Former Real Madrid scout Manolo Romero has revealed that Los Blancos were interested in signing Barcelona veteran Sergi Roberto as a youngster. Roberto used to play for Gimnastic de Tarragona at that point in time.
Romero further revealed that the player decided to stay in Catalonia with his mother instead of chasing a move to Madrid.
He told Cadena SER (via SPORT):
“He preferred to stay in Catalonia with his mother and soon after, Barça took him away."
Roberto became a veteran at Barcelona instead. Since making his senior team debut in 2013, he has made 345 appearances for the Catalan club, scoring 16 goals and providing 40 assists. He has scored four goals and has provided three assists in 29 matches this campaign.
Romero, however, revealed that Roberto found it hard to get going for Barca during the initial stages of his career. He said:
“The first years he had a very bad time, he barely played for a minute. His father asked me what he should do and I always answered him the same, continue training with the best.”
Roberto has also proven to be a menace against Real Madrid when the Catalan club have faced Los Blancos. He has scored one goal and has provided six assists in 20 matches for Barca in El Clasicos.
Barcelona are currently 13 points clear of Real Madrid in the La Liga title race
Barcelona could only manage a goalless draw in their latest La Liga clash against Girona at Camp Nou. Despite the result, Xavi's side are currently 13 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid. The Blaugrana have 72 points on the board from 28 matches.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, suffered a 3-2 defeat against Villareal in their latest La Liga clash, making their chances of making a comeback in the title race even thinner.
The two Spanish giants recently met in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey as well. Carlo Ancelotti's team earned a 4-1 aggregate win, including a fantastic 4-0 win in the second leg at Camp Nou.