Why did Icardi leave Barcelona?

Mauro Icardi arrived at Barcelona in 2008, only to leave three years later because of the differences between his style of football and the Blaugrana's mentality.

Back in 2001, Argentina's economic crisis forced his family to emigrate to Spain and settle in the Canary Islands.

The Inter striker kicked off his career at Union Deportiva Vecindario, before being scouted and signed by the Catalans.

He arrived at La Masia at the age of 15, but not everything went the way a kid of his age would have dreamt.

"Barcelona's game was very different to my characteristics and we opted a change to Italian football, which is the one that suits me the most," said the Argentine.

Speaking in first person plural, he was referring to his former agent Abian Morano, who broke down the reasons of the departure.

"Leaving Barcelona changed Icardi's life," he told Toda Pasion.

"That step to Italian football was decisive and I am convinced that without that decision today wouldn't be a professional footballer.

"The system of Barcelona changed, as strikers went into the background.

"In the first team, Samuel Eto'o was moved to the wing, as was David Villa and even [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic spent almost a year on the bench.

"Icardi is a pure striker and they took that system down to all the youth ranks."

A decade after signing for Barcelona, Icardi will set foot on the Camp Nou pitch to face his former team on Wednesday.