"Put €5 million on the table out of your pocket" - Xavi's emphatic response to unhappy Barcelona stars who refused to play friendly in Australia
Barcelona manager Xavi has emphasized the financial implications of exhibition friendlies to his players. The Blaugrana took part in a friendly fixture in May against the A-League All Stars to close out the season, but some players were opposed to the idea.
However, their manager was quick to point out that exhibition friendlies helped Barcelona raise extra funds to pay their salaries. A report by El Periodico quoted the 42-year-old as saying:
''Now, if you put five million euros on the table out of your pocket, I'll take them to the president and we're not going to Australia.''
The exhibition friendly against the A-League All Stars on May 25 in Sydney boosted the Blaugrana's coffers by €5 million.
The Camp Nou outfit secured a 3-2 comeback victory in the game. Ousmane Dembele put the La Liga side ahead in the first half.
2-1 for the A League All stars against Barcelona,Reno Piscopo is causing all sorts of problems ,what a player Newcastle Jets are getting with him, he’s so direct and causes so many issues with his movement into space, took his goal well and also provided the assist for the second
Quickfire second-half goals from Rene Piscopo and Adama Traore gave the Australians the lead before Adama Traore and Ansu Fati scored to ensure Barcelona secured the win.
The friendly helped boost the Blaugrana's finances, with their wage bill currently one of the highest in the world.
El Clasico is the pick of the bunch in Barcelona's proposed pre-season friendlies
Barcelona have released their schedule for pre-season activities ahead of the start of next season. They will kick things off with a clash against Spanish fifth division outfit UE Olot on July 13, before facing Inter Miami a week later.
Their anticipated clash with arch-rivals Real Madrid will be held in Las Vegas on July 24, three days before another high-profile friendly against Juventus at the Cotton Bowl Stadium.
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The game against the New York Red Bulls will wrap up Barcelona's US tour on July 31. They will face AS Roma in the Joan Gamper trophy on August 6 to conclude their pre-season campaign before returning to competitive action in La Liga.
Barcelona will be looking to build on from their impressive second-place finish last season. The Catalans defied all expectations to comfortably secure UEFA Champions League qualification, despite being written off at the midway point last season.
Their dire financial standing has limited their capabilities in the transfer market but fans of the club are still expectant that Xavi can build on the gains he made last season.