Former La Masia ace talks Barcelona’s UCL situation, Pique, Busquets, return rumours

Speaking in an exclusive interview with AS, former Barcelona prospect and RB Leipzig mainstay Dani Olmo has opened up on the Catalans’ current plight in the UEFA Champions League as well as the plight of veteran stars Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets.

Olmo was part of Barça’s La Masia setup for seven years between 2007 and 2014 and was one of the most highly-rated youngsters on the club’s books at the time.

However, in order to seek faster progression to the first-team setup, he left Barcelona for Dinamo Zagreb in 2014 and the move worked a treat for him.

Having become one of the most sought-after rising stars with the Croatian giants, he secured a transfer to RB Leipzig in January 2020, where he has continued to thrive.

Olmo’s Leipzig side will face off against Barcelona’s arch-rivals Real Madrid in the group stages tomorrow.

Ahead of the game, the Spanish international discussed his boyhood club’s poor run in the Champions League, saying:

“It is not easy to succeed no matter how much you invest. The Champions group is difficult with Bayern and Inter but Barça is a big club and will always get up.”

Olmo also opened up on the situation surrounding Pique and Busquets, who were whistled by Barcelona supporters in the recent game against Villarreal last week.

“I don’t understand how you can criticize two players who have given everything for their club and the national team. They are references and examples for many other players,” he said.

Over the past year and a half, Olmo has been linked with a return to Barcelona on numerous occasions. When quizzed if he thinks about coming back to the Catalan outfit, he replied:

“I don’t think about it. I want to have my mind focused on what is mine and in the future, we will see what happens.”

At the same time, there had also been links to Real Madrid. On whether his past association with Barça could stop him from joining the Merengues, he said:

“I was in La Masia for six years. I grew up there in the Alevin, Infantil, and Cadete stages and I have affection for the club. But, as I told you, I pay no attention to speculation.”