From Dream Move to Despair: How Junior Firpo’s Move to FC Barcelona Fell Apart After Just 2 Seasons

• Junior Firpo signed for FC Barcelona in 2019 from fellow La Liga side Real Betis
• Firpo claimed that things fell apart after the first game thanks to his costly mistake
• Former manager Ronald Koeman's criticism of Firpo was a turning point in his career

Everyone wants to play for a big club like Barcelona.

The Spanish side has attracted a host of big-name stars over the years, but not everyone’s transfer to the team works out.

Former Real Betis defender Junior Firpo joined the Blaugrana in 2019 but found out the hard way that it wasn’t a dream move as he hoped.

Why things fell apart for Firpo

As noted by Barca Universal, the defender claimed that things went downhill after his first game for the side.

“I started with a mistake in my first game as a starter, and on top of that, the coach took me off at half-time. That makes you start on a very bad foot and with criticism,” he said.

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He added that after the game, he started receiving thousands of comments, insults, and threats on social media.

Firpo admitted that he realised then the repercussions for his mistakes were much bigger than they were at Betis.

Fearing that he would be the focus of blame if Barca were to lose, Firpo explained that he was never able to play with the same level of freedom as he did at Betis.

Firpo’s limited game time at Barcelona

While the defender probably hoped for a more stellar career, he only made 41 appearances for the La Liga side.

As noted by Transfermarkt, he scored two goals and notched up three appearances during that time.

Most of those games came in his first season with the side, as he hardly featured in the second season due to coach Ronald Koeman’s dislike of him.

Koeman’s criticism of Firpo

Football Espana noted that Firpo questioned Koeman about his lack of game time and that the coach gave him a direct answer.

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“Koeman 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,” Firpo said.

The Dominican Republic player left Barcelona after two seasons and joined Leeds United in England in 2021. He is still with the English side.

When Koeman was annoyed with Barca's Joan Laporta

Former FC Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has claimed club president Joan Laporta frustrated his plans of bringing Georginio Wijnaldum to the Camp Nou.

Koeman was shown the exit door as coach of FC Barcelona after a run of poor results and was replaced with legendary midfielder Xavi Hernandez, Sports Brief reported.

But during his tenure with the Catalan giants, Koeman wanted to sign Wijnaldum following his exit from Liverpool in the summer of 2021 to augment his options in midfield.