Xavi Simons Reveals Reasons for Leaving Barcelona

Dutch midfielder Xavi Simons, currently with Tottenham Hotspur and a former player for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, spoke about the period he left the Catalan club's academy, confirming that Barcelona's management did not see him as a key part of their future project.

Simmons stated: "It was clear that Barcelona did not believe in my technical abilities. At that time, I chose to remain silent and not speak, as my focus was solely on the pitch, but they told me frankly: we have other players we believe in and we want to make an offer to you, but you are not one of the names that truly fits into our future project."

The Dutch player stated: "I spent my whole life there, went through various circumstances, and experienced everything at that club. My entire childhood was in Barcelona, and that's why I love this club. Everything that was said and published about me during that time hurt me a lot and caused harm to my family as well."

He continued:

"They simply preferred other boys at that time, and that's acceptable. Football is full of these decisions, but I knew I needed to keep working and prove myself."

Simmons explained that Paris Saint-Germain's offer was a decisive factor in his decision to leave Barcelona's academy, saying: "At the age of 16, I had a huge and genuine project offer from Paris Saint-Germain, giving me the chance to train and play alongside the best players in the world, so the decision to leave was very easy."

Simmons left Barcelona's academy in 2019 to join Paris Saint-Germain, before embarking on a professional career that later saw him shine with clubs like PSV Eindhoven and RB Leipzig, culminating in his move to Tottenham.