Barcelona defender Sergi Roberto has said that while he is very much comfortable at the club, he would want to play in Major League Soccer once in his career.
The 31-year-old has been at Barcelona since the age of 14 and with his contract now expiring at the end of the season, the veteran defender is largely expected to explore other avenues, with the United States’ MLS touted as the most likely destination
Speaking in an interview (h/t SPORT), Roberto mentioned that he wants to continue at Barcelona for another year and only then will he think about his future.
“With Xavi as the coach, I feel very comfortable. I have his confidence. At the end of the season, if the club is happy with me, I will continue,” he said.
“I’m talking to Barça. At the moment I’m not going to go to another team. Everything that is said about me going to Miami or Palmeiras… it’s all lies.
“It’s true that I would like to have experience in the MLS in the future, but it is not yet the time for it.
“At the moment I say that I want to stay at Barça. Maybe in a year, I will tell you that I want another experience in Europe or the United States but this will be in the future. I don’t think that will happen suddenly,” he added.
Atmosphere in the locker room
Roberto has been with Barcelona since 2009 and has shared the locker room with some of the greats, including Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol and Lionel Messi to name a few.
The current roster, however, happens to be very different from the greats of the past and yet, the defender says that the environment in the Barcelona locker room is very good.
“Ever since I started in the Barcelona first team, I’ve been lucky to be part of a healthy environment. There have been stars, but they wanted the greater good for the team.
“It’s essential to have a good atmosphere within the team to have success as a team. It’s very difficult to win without a good atmosphere, but Barcelona has always had a good atmosphere,” he said.
Best moment of Roberto’s career
Roberto has won seven La Liga and two UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona and while he would have countless memories to cherish, the goal he scored against Paris Saint-Germain during the 2016-17 season happens to be the most important moment of his career.
It must be noted that Barcelona had lost the first leg tie of the round of 16 4-0 and needed something extraordinary to win the contest. In the second leg, at Camp Nou, the Blaugrana beat PSG 6-1 to win 6–5 on aggregate.
“The goal against PSG [is the most important moment]. It was an epic moment. We came back after losing by four goals, it was very complicated.
“Against PSG, they scored a goal while I was warming up. It was tough, we had to score 3 goals and we were running out of time, but we had to believe.
“The fans were with us, they were loyal. After that, 4-1. Neymar, 5-1. One goal left, and I was on the pitch,” he said.
Roberto’s thoughts on Lionel Messi
When asked about former Barcelona captain Lionel Messi, Roberto had nothing but admiration for the Argentinian, saying that he is simply the best player in the world and his personality reflects that.
He also added that Messi’s departure shocked everyone at the club as no one expected it to happen.
“Leo Messi’s departure shocked me a lot. Neither I nor my teammates expected it. We thought he was going to renew.
“It’s been a few years now, but nobody knows what really happened in those days. I thought he was going to play here his whole career.
“Leo Messi is the best player in the club’s history, in football history… You expect to see him the next day in training, but suddenly he’s not there.
“It’s like the club was starting from scratch. He was part of all of the good years for the club.”
“You never see him talk about how he’s the best, how important he is to others. He always looks out for the team’s best interests,” he added.
