Meet Oleguer, ex-Barcelona star who played in Lionel Messi’s debut and won Champions League before changing career to fight inequality
Oleguer, who won multiple trophies with Barcelona and played alongside Lionel Messi, has moved away from football, devoting his life to fighting inequality. The former defender won two La Liga, a Champions League and two Supercopa de Espanas with the Blaugrana between 2003 and 2008.
Oleguer, 43, joined Barcelona’s B side from Gramenet in 2001. His steady performances for the second team saw him promoted to the first. Naturally a centre-back, Oleguer could also play as a right-back.
Intelligent and agile, the Catalan started as a right-back in Barca’s 2-1 win over Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final. He, however, picked up a booking in the 69th minute and was subbed out a couple of minutes later.
A couple of years before winning the UEFA Champions League, Oleguer featured in Lionel Messi’s debut for the Blaugrana. In October 2004, Oleguer played 61 minutes alongside the Argentina icon as Barca beat Espanyol 1-0 in the Catalan derby.
In an interview with Diari Di Barcelona, Oleguer said that he was proud to have played for Barca.
“I am proud to have arrived at Barca; for me, this is success. Then you win a Champions League or you don’t, or a League. … It depends on many factors. What is the result of effort and dedication is this entire trajectory. I’m proud of that, yes,” he said (via talkSPORT).
While he clearly had the chops, Oleguer refused to represent Spain in the mid-2000s, due to his Catalan roots. After winning the league in 2004-05, he co-authored a book, "Camí d'Itaca (The Way to Ithaca)", showcasing his commitment to Catalonian nationalism and anti-fascism.
Between 2008 and 2011, he was at Ajax, where he made headlines due to his often controversial political statements. Now, though, Oleguer has slowed down, adorning a more composed persona. He's currently fighting against the commercialisation of football and the game’s toxicity.
In a recent interview with MARCA, Oleguer disclosed his current goal in life.
“We live in an unjust society, and I try to do what I do to put an end to inequalities,” he said.
Overall, Oleguer played 175 games for Barcelona across competitions, scoring once. At Ajax, he played 58 games, scoring twice and winning the Eredivisie and KNVB Cup.
Lionel Messi has multiple enemies in Barcelona dressing room
Lionel Messi has been heavily linked with a return to Camp Nou. The Argentina superstar sees his Paris Saint-Germain contract expire in June, and it's believed that he does not want to extend his stay there. Barca, meanwhile, have expressed their desire to sign him, revealing that they're in contact with the player’s camp.
While fans are looking forward to La Pulga’s homecoming, a couple of Barcelona players might not be as eager to have him back in the dressing room. According to Catalan outlet El Nacional, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ansu Fati do not have the best relationship with Messi.
The German goalkeeper, who is now one of the club's captains, reportedly had multiple falling-outs with the PSG man towards the end of Messi’s first spell. The relationship between them has remained cold since.
Fati, meanwhile, landed on the wrong side of Messi when he fired Messi’s brother as his agent. The Spaniard signed with super agent Jorge Mendes right after and has been with him since.
While the conflicts are not ideal, it's believed that they will not hamper Lionel Messi’s return if Barca make the deal financially viable.