"I played very little because Koeman told me I was contaminating the squad"

Left-back Junior Firpo spent just two seasons at Barcelona after his time at Real Betis. The 27-year-old failed to make an impact at the Catalan side and headed to Leeds United, where he has been playing since the 2021/22 season.

The Dominican gave an interview for 'Relevo' from England and spoke about his past playing in La Liga, especially playing for Barcelona: "My first season at Barcelona was a disappointment for me. I regret a lot that I didn't make better use of it.

"I wouldn't say I would go out into the field in fear, but I would go out thinking that I would be questioned. My feeling was that whatever happened, I would be a focus of criticism," he said about his first season with the Catalan giants.

Nonetheless, his second campaign wasn't much better either. "I played very little and yet I would say that I played at a better level. Koeman didn't know me very well, he was the first one who told me to stay, but then it didn't translate into playing time.

"At first I looked for explanations, but he gave me an answer in which he wasn't being honest with me. He told me that I was contaminating the group, so I stopped trying. It's very nice to belong to Barcelona for everything it gives you, but I wanted to play," he added.