He recalled: "I remember we played Athletic Bilbao three times, in the quarterfinals of the Europa League and in a league match, and Ernesto Valverde was the coach. He played a different system than I thought he would use and then he changed during the game. game, and I remember thinking I was nowhere near that level.
"Seeing Valverde was the first time I felt like he was miles away and then I trained against Diego Simeone, and that day I felt like he was surpassing me in every way: with his tactics, his intimidation and his gestures.
"We lost 7-0 (Barcelona). When they won 5-0, he didn't replace Neymar, Lionel Messi, or Luis Surez, and at the end of the game, he walked past me and didn't shake my hand, which I felt like he was sending me away. A message that I was not where I belonged."