“I lost my enthusiasm for football"- Former Barcelona player on his experiences at the club under Ronald Koeman
Former Barcelona full-back Junior Firpo has opened up about his time at Camp Nou under manager Ronald Koeman.
Firpo, who now plies his trade at Leeds United, stated that he lost his enthusiasm for the game when he played under Koeman. The 25-year-old felt that the Dutch manager was disrespectful towards some Barcelona players during his time at the club.
Speaking to MARCA (via HITC), Firpo gave his honest opinion on his time in Spain:
“I lost my enthusiasm for football and I realized the importance of family. There were things with Koeman that I did not understand, and at certain times there were disrespect for me and my teammates. I do not understand that the day after a game, when the substitutes were training, he stayed in his room. If I’m a substitute and I have to show you things."
Firpo also accused Koeman of lying to him when he did not play games for Barcelona. The defender said:
“I asked him, and he started to lie to me. At that point, why would I keep asking him for them. He tells me things that don’t make sense, like that I train badly, that I contaminate the group. Ask who you want Let’s see if any of the staff tells you the same about me.”
Junior Firpo spent two seasons in Barcelona after making a €20-million move from Real Betis in the summer of 2019. However, the defender hardly got any game time at Camp Nou. He only made 41 appearances for Barcelona in two seasons, scoring twice and assisting three times.
Junior Firpo left the club during this year's summer transfer window, joining Leeds United in the Premier League for a fee of around €15 million.
📹💥 JUNIOR FIRPO PARLA SOBRE KOEMAN AL #QuèThiJugues!
🔥 "Yo le pido explicaciones a Koeman hasta que un día me empieza a MENTIR"
🧐 "Me dice cosas que no tienen sentido. Cosas como que entreno mal, que contamino el grupo..."
#FCBlive https://t.co/fk4IcFhvdn
Barcelona sacked Ronald Koeman earlier this season
Following a poor start to the 2021-22 season, Barcelona decided to sack manager Ronald Koeman. The Catalan giants replaced him with their former midfield general Xavi Hernandez.
Ronald Koeman did not have the best first season at Barcelona. The 58-year-old could only guide the club to a third-place finish in the league and failed to get past the Round of 16 in the Champions League. However, the Blaugrana did manage to win the Copa del Rey trophy last season.
Things haven't gone off to the best of starts under Xavi Hernandez. Barcelona are currently seventh in the La Liga standings and have exited the Champions League in the group stage.
Today and always, força Barça! https://t.co/t7jJwfTq6j