Barcelona wonderkid cancelled move to Manchester City to set an example at Camp Nou

According to reports from Sport, Ilaix Moriba was very close to joining Manchester City two years ago. Only a last-minute flight cancellation by his father ensured that the young star stayed at Barcelona. His father, Mamady Kourouma, revealed the entire episode in an interview.

Mamady revealed that when negotiations with Barcelona did not advance, they made contact with Manchester City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain.

He then continued saying, “We liked it because they bet a lot on him. A few weeks later we had the tickets to travel to Manchester and sign the contract.”

However, he says that he canceled the tickets because he wanted his son to be a reference to future generations by fighting for his spot in Catalonia.

He then said, “His friends were gone. If he stayed, it was proof Barca was betting on the youth players. We managed to reach an agreement where we all came out winning.”

Just around two years later, Moriba was a regular in the first team having been fast-tracked from Juvenil A.

Ironically, however, he is on the verge of leaving Barcelona now over a mismatch in contract expectations.

In a situation where Barcelona are facing severe economic crises, the youngster is refusing to renew because his demands are not being met.

Reports last week claim that Moriba is ready to spend a year on the stands without renewing for the club in order to make a move on free transfer possible.

The loyalty and attitude that made him cancel his tickets two seasons ago seem to have vanished. Nevertheless, Barcelona can look to make some revenue out of his departure if things go to plan.