The true reason for Xavi Simons' departure from Barca

Xavi Simons' departure from Barça shook La Masia like few others. When he opted to join PSG four years ago, he was one of the most focused-on players in the Barça youth academy. Coaches have told this newspaper that they do not remember anything similar to the "Xavi Simons phenomenon".

Carles Martínez, his coach at Infantil A and Cadet A, explained the level of attention he generated. "He was the player who had all eyes on him. Everyone wanted to see Xavi. We went to Sweden and everyone was taking pictures with him. But that has made him stronger, he's been playing with that pressure for many years. And with that pressure he has always been a daring player. When it came to the moment of truth, if he had to take a penalty, he always stepped up."

It's been a long time since he left but Simons still hasn't publicly clarified the reasons for his departure. "In the end it ended because of a couple of things that I will tell you about in due course. I am very grateful to Barcelona. I will always be very fond of the club and the people. My family still lives there. It's a very important city for me," he told Marca last year.

"It wasn't a question of money"

In a report in 'L' Équipe', Ferney Agudelo, a scout close to the footballer's entourage, explained Simons' departure and pointed more to a sporting than economic issue. "It wasn't a question of money. His entourage realised that he was reaching his ceiling and thought about joining another sporting project. Simons was focused on improving day by day, but Barça did not give him the guarantee that if everything went well he would make his debut in the first team before the age of 18. The one who suffered the most was Xavi".

Simons left Barça after finishing his time as a cadet. The club offered him a renewal but without going crazy with the wage. At that time there was an open debate about his future ceiling. Some coaches saw him as a first-team player, while others thought that there were players with a similar level who had less marketing around them.

His departure to PSG was always strongly linked to his then agent Mino Raiola, who frequented the Ciutat Esportiva during Simons' time at Barça. The club still remembers a date when they began to fear his departure: 3 September 2017, when Simons got into Mino's car. On that day, the late representative watched the Cadet B team match with Regillio (Simons' father and a former Eredivisie player).