“I have always given my best for this shield, although sometimes it is true that I have been a bit vinegar”
Laporta reveals that Jordi Alba was the first to ask him to sign Xavi, whom he does not hold a grudge for his replacement, as coach
BARCELONA, 1 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The FC Barcelona player Jordi Alba said goodbye to the Blaugrana club this Thursday in an institutional act of tribute, in the Auditori 1899 of the Camp Nou, which was emotional and heartfelt to say goodbye to a “legend”, apart from the “soul” of the club Blaugrana, who assured that he was a bit ‘vinegar’ in terms of character, although his teammates, coach and president assured that a “heart with legs” is leaving.
The actor and comedian José Corbacho, a natural like Jordi Alba from L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, led an act very similar to the one that Sergio Busquets experienced on Wednesday on the pitch of the Spotify Camp Nou -now turned upside down due to the works– and that He had live and video speeches from colleagues, ex-colleagues, family and friends.
An act in which Jordi Alba was honest and assured that not even in his best dreams could he imagine a “better farewell”. “Thanks to the fans and partners, for the love. We have had spectacular moments, others that were not easy, but we always went forward together and that is the most important thing,” he opened up.
“I fondly remember my beginnings in the youth academy, I learned a lot as a player and as a person. I was chosen to lay the first stone of the Ciutat Esportiva, and who would have thought that I would be here later? I have always tried to give my best for this shield “Although sometimes it’s true that I’ve been a bit vinegar. If I’ve been wrong, I apologize. I’ve always been in good faith and honesty,” he added.
That being ‘vinegar’ in the sense of being something ‘whiny’ and picky in the locker room was confirmed by both his teammates and his current coach, Xavi Hernández. He has a great relationship with the man from Terrassa, and assured that he does not hold a grudge against him for having seated him in many games and having opted for the young Alejandro Balde. “Surely he has been disappointed with me, for having to make decisions against his will. But we spoke a few days ago, we were honest, and I stay with him, for being a heart with legs. He is extraordinary, always helping the rest “I’ve been his teammate and I’ll stay with his smile. He’s hesitant, many times ‘vinegar’ but in a positive sense”, Xavi pointed out.
“As a coach, with Xavi it has been a different stage that I liked less, but I don’t take it into account at all. Look for the good of the group, I understand the situation although it was difficult to assimilate it, because I had been a starter for years. The relationship He’s great, I’m going to miss him. I haven’t gotten mad at Xavi at all, I understand the situation and I’ll stay with it”, the winger replied.
Jordi Alba leaves as a Barça player, but believes that he will return. “It’s not goodbye, it’s a see you soon because one day I’ll be back if they ask me to to give the club everything it might need. I didn’t expect to win everything I’ve won, all the games played and titles won,” the winger acknowledged. , who assured that when he left La Masia as a child to go to Cornellà he thought that his Blaugrana stage would end there. “When I went to Cornellà as a child, I thought I would not return. I believed in myself, that I had the level to play in the First Division, but I didn’t think I had it to play for Barcelona,” he said.
He may return to the club for the second time, or at least that is how the president, Joan Laporta, invited him to do so. In addition, he revealed that Alba gave up part of the record when he left. “Jordi has helped the club financially. In football, few people are capable of doing it. Jordi will continue his career, he still has a rope, but he has had the reference of helping the club and giving up an important part of his record, to give us a margin to make a more competitive team every time. I thank him publicly, he shows his personality a lot, what an excellent person and Barcelona fan he is. You know that Barça is your home and we will be here for whatever you need”, he assured him.
“With the ‘president’ we have a very good friendship, we have gone to eat together because we wanted to, I am very fond of him. And I leave happy, with my head held high, I would have liked to stay for more years but it was time to leave. I have given everything for this club, I’m leaving very happy for what I’ve achieved. And I thank you for saying this,” he replied.
Laporta, relaxed after firing Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, said he was “worried”. “These acts are so beautiful that let’s see if everyone cheers up, Mateu”, he joked, referring to the football director Mateu Alemant. The president assured that Alba is “charismatic and loved”, and acknowledged that he was moved, just like when he revealed that financial aid from Alba, when he saw him speak with Xavi. “I liked this talk between Xavi and Jordi because I know what they want. Jordi was the first to tell me that Xavi had to come back to be the coach,” Laporta revealed.
“He has been a Barça player for more than half his life. It is evidence of the treasure we have at La Masia. Jordi Alba enters the elite of FC Barcelona because he grew up at home and is a world reference player. He is the soul and part of this club,” he said.
Precisely Sergio Busquets, who gave him the relief in this type of act, also dedicated a few words to him as the first captain of the team that he still is. “It has been a luxury to have him as a teammate, the best Barça winger and one of the best the world has ever given. As a teammate and as a person he is a ’10’, he has a heart that does not fit in his chest”, he assured .