Deco, FC Barcelona’s sporting director, commented in Sport on Dro Fernández’s (18 years old) departure to Paris Saint-Germain. His remarks were intended to be official, but a persistent frustration was evident, alternating between acknowledging the club’s “efforts” and emphasizing the circumstances surrounding a poorly handled transfer.
Deco: “There’s no club like Barça”
“He decided to leave the club. There’s no club like Barça, and he’s not the only one who’s left. We spend two or three hours a day with the players, but we can’t read their minds. We tried to do our best for Dro at all times. He was a player who wasn’t playing in the youth team, and we tried to give him playing time because we thought he could make a difference.”
Deco: “He earned his place in the first team because Flick valued him.”
He earned his place in the first team because Flick valued him. He’s a player who could be in the U18 team and play in the Youth League, as that’s what’s appropriate for his age. However, I think this news has blown out of proportion because he was a player who was part of the first team.
This is just one case among many. He had a clause in his contract, and we weren’t able to renew it in time. We had an agreement with his agent that we would meet to negotiate his renewal when he turned 18. After that, things moved quickly, and there’s nothing more to say.
Deco: “Flick’s sadness? It’s normal.”
Flick’s sadness? It’s normal. The coach is with the players every day, and he likes them. He’s very close to the young footballers. But I think it’s a normal reaction from someone who was close to him, who saw his potential and wanted to protect him. But that’s football, that’s how it is.”
What’s striking isn’t that Deco is annoyed: that’s human, and even logical when a club believes it has “supported” a young player. What’s jarring is this little game of “we do everything right… but him.” On the one hand, he insists that the institution is bigger than an individual choice; on the other, he dwells at length on the player’s choice, as if to reclassify it as a whim.
However, his own explanation mainly reveals something else: a clause, a renewal not finalized in time, and a process that spiraled out of control when the player turned 18. The result: by constantly commenting on the obvious, Barça gives the impression of pleading a lost cause… against an 18-year-old kid.
And this is where the irony becomes cruel: if “that’s football,” as Deco says, then the biggest club isn’t the one that endlessly explains why a young player left… but the one that takes the hit, adjusts its contractual timing, and moves on to the next one. Because yes: even with all its baggage, FC Barcelona isn’t automatically everyone’s number one choice.
