Xavi Simons has opened up about his departure from Barcelona, revealing that switching to Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 16 was a simple choice because the LaLiga club doubted his potential.
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Subscribe Sekarang →According to the player, he spent his entire childhood at Barcelona and deeply loves the club, yet harsh realities forced a change of direction during his youth career.
"It was clear from their side that they didn't believe in me," Simons told The Sports Agents podcast while recounting the painful exit.
"At that time, I chose not to speak because I was only focused on the pitch, but they told me, "We have other players we believe in and want to offer you a contract, but you're not one of the players who are truly part of the project"," he added.
The Netherlands international admitted that the public fallout hurt both him and his family deeply after spending formative years within the Spanish institution.
However, an ambitious sporting proposal from France changed everything for the teenage prospect.
"I had PSG with a really big project at 16 years old, training with the best players in the world, so the decision was easy," Simons concluded.
Following spells with PSV and RB Leipzig, where he established himself among Europe's elite midfielders, the 23-year-old eventually moved to Tottenham last season.