Barcelona summer signing reveals Xavi’s role in transfer: “The decision was already made”

Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie has not had the smoothest sailing since arriving at the club last summer.

Signed as a free agent after his contract at AC Milan expired, the 26-year-old has often found himself on the bench, with manager Xavi Hernandez preferring Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie de Jong, and Sergio Busquets as his first-choice midfielders.

The recent injury to Pedri has opened the pathway for Kessie to get an extended run in the side and he has made it count, putting in some impressive performances which have drawn praise from the manager.

Speaking in an interview with SPORT, the Ivory Coast international revealed what it means for him to be praised by Xavi, saying:

“It is a pleasure that Xavi publicly sets me up as an example. When they congratulate you like this when you have rewards of this caliber. As my environment has been telling me, if you are patient things end up going your way.”

Indeed, patience has been the name of the game for Kessie since arriving at Barcelona in the summer.

Considering that all the aforementioned four midfielders were already at the club and had established themselves under Xavi before his arrival, it was always going to be a challenge for Kessie to carve out a place in the team.

But that did not discourage him a single bit when he decided to join the club in the summer, with a phone call from Xavi proving to be the key.

“Xavi was the key to me joining Barça. When you admire a player as a child, and eight to ten years later, your phone rings, and it’s the call you’ve been waiting for and dreaming of all your life, you pick up the phone already impressed,” Kessie revealed.

“A huge player who calls you to try to convince you to join his project. I hardly needed time to think, the decision was already made,” he added.

Kessie has played 30 games in all competitions for Barcelona this season, chipping in with two goals and three assists.