Emmanuel Amuneke: Former Nigerian International Describes What Playing for Barcelona Meant to Him

• Emmanuel Amuneke says it was a dream come true playing for Barcelona
• The Nigerian legend joined the Spanish giants in 1996 from Portuguese outfit Sporting CP
• Amuneke only managed 26 appearances for the club in four years

Former Nigerian international Emmanuel Amuneke has recounted his time at Spanish club Barcelona during a recent interview.

In 1996, the winger left Portuguese outfit Sporting CP to join the Catalan giants.

He earlier had an impressive stint with Egyptian outfit Zamalek before moving to Sporting CP, where he played arguably his best football.

Amuneke had his dream move sealed two years later as he moved to Camp Nou to join Barcelona.

His career with the Spanish giants was marred by injuries as he managed to feature in 26 matches, scoring just one goal in four years.

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Recalling his time at the club, the Atlanta 1996 gold medallist told Tribal Football:

“Joining Barcelona was like a dream coming true.

“Every player or young player wants to play for a big team. Nowadays, the situation has changed because young players only want to play for a big team, but for me, it’s important to play where you can have continuity and grow as a player.

“Of course, still, teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, etc have that appeal where everybody wants to go and play.

"My experience at Barcelona was good. Coming from Portugal to Spain it was a big step for me, but unfortunately, injuries began to happen a lot. When these injuries occur, you cannot give 100% as you are not in shape."

Barcelona star visits grandmother in Benin

Sports Brief earlier reported that Barcelona defender Jules Kounde arrived in Cotonou, Benin to visit his grandmother as the France-born right-back took advantage of the winter break to visit the country of his parents.

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Kounde spent the day with his grandmother after several years of not seeing her due to his busy career schedule.

The former Sevilla player arrived in Benin on Boxing following a visit to Senegal, where he met players of Be Sport Academy, a team that has a long-term partnership with Barcelona.