FC Barcelona: Deco would have taken revenge on Xavi!

Everything can explode at any time at FC Barcelona. Third in the Liga standings, relegated ten points behind Real Madrid and eliminated from the Copa del Rey, the Blaugrana club is clearly playing its season in the Champions League. But the current face displayed by Xavi’s team encourages more pessimism than anything else. Especially since the situation is very tense behind the scenes. So much so that a failure in the round of 16 first leg of C1 against Napoli could lead to a hasty departure from Xavi. And for many, if the former midfielder finds himself in a very uncomfortable position today, it is partly because of his relationship with Deco.

Since the Portuguese was appointed to the post of sporting director, this subject has quickly been raised. And last night, El Chiringuito has made it known that Xavi could actually suffer revenge from his former club partner. To explain this unease between the two men, the Spanish broadcast went back to 2008. That year, Pep Guardiola took power at Barça where Deco played with Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o. Guardiola then arrived in front of his leaders and gave a list of transferable elements with these three names. The captains at the time, namely Carles Puyol and Xavi, went to Guardiola telling him that there was one who was 100% professional and who should be kept. This player was Eto’o. Having become unwanted, Deco was then transferred to Chelsea.

A grievance that dates from 2008?

When he returned to Catalonia, did Deco want revenge by “paying” Xavi? The media indicates that initially, the Portuguese met Xavi’s expectations. But everything broke when Xavi asked for recruits. When Xavi asked for a top midfielder, Deco told him he was being held back by financial fair play. An apology accepted by Xavi, well aware of the complicated financial situation of his favorite club. Except that the latter subsequently saw Barça recruit Vitor Roque for €60 million, bonus included. So Deco would have had the money necessary to recruit one of his targets, but not for the one desired by his trainer? Since then, everything has accelerated.

Recently, the Portuguese signed a declaration which caused a lot of talk in Catalonia. “We need a profound change. The current method is obsolete. We need to hire someone who can break with the past and move towards a new paradigm.”. An intervention interpreted as a violent tackle against his coach. El Chiringuito also assures that Xavi became aware of Deco’s statements in the middle of the post-match press conference, when the journalists questioned him on this subject. Which undoubtedly explains the surprised response from the person concerned. “That’s not what he says to me. He believes in this model and the Barça DNA, plus he played here. I don’t know, I can’t say anything more”. Xavi may have announced his departure at the end of the season, but it is difficult to see the two men living together peacefully between now and June.