Nolito and his failed signing with Barça: "We had real chances"

BarcelonaFormer footballer Manuel Agudo Durán, known as Nolito, coinciding with the preview of the match between Barça and Benfica on Tuesday, recalled the day he almost returned to Barça years after his time with the Barça reserve team. "We had real options to go to Barcelona, ​​​​but in the end I was at Celta, I wanted to go to the Euro 2016 and I thought I would play more at Celta," he explained during an interview on Cadena SER. But the story, in the end, changed its script: Nolito ended up at Manchester City for "family reasons" and, also, because "Guardiola called." "I had the option of going to Barça or City and in the end I made the decision to go to City," he said.

The Andalusian striker, who hung up his boots in 2023, did not want to reveal which team he expects to win today, whether Barça or Benfica, where he ended up after leaving the Barça reserve team in 2013. However, he has assured that today he would love to be able to return to the field. "I would give at least 25% of what I have on the bench to play 80 minutes; not 90, which is too much," he joked. Nolito also explained that last week he attended the first match of the tie in Lisbon and said that "sincerely" they are two clubs that he "loves very much." "They treated me with respect and have given me a lot. It's a shame that one of the two has to be eliminated," he lamented.

What Nolito thinks of the current Barça

"Pedri gave a recital in the first leg. For me, both Raphinha and Pedri are among the five best players today," said Nolito about the good form that the Blaugranas are experiencing. He also highlighted Szczęsny's first leg between the sticks. Regarding the goalkeeper, Nolito revealed that during his career he had several teammates who "smoked more than a carter." And he commented on how a smoker can affect a squad. Death as close as that of Carles Miñarro"It's difficult to manage, but they are used to it. You love them as if they were a member of the family. But elite football doesn't let you think about anything else and you have to get back on track. It's 90 minutes that can define a season."