Speaking in an interview with Free FOOT (h/t SPORT), former Barcelona director Eric Abidal heaped praise on the La Masia duo of Lamine Yamal and Gavi, while also revealing how he helped the Catalans sign Frenkie de Jong ahead of PSG.
Abidal, a former defender, spent six years at Barcelona as a player between 2007 and 2013, before enjoying a stint as the club’s director for two seasons between 2018 and 2020.
It was during the final days of his tenure as director that a certain Gavi exploded into the first-team setup at Barcelona, and Abidal says it took only a few minutes to recognise the La Masia gem’s potential.
“It only took me 10 minutes to see his potential and realise that he was a different player to his age group,” said Abidal.
The former France international was also full of praise for Lamine Yamal and his impact at the first-team level, saying:
“He has become the player that everyone knows, but for me what is surprising is to know that in La Masia there are players like him who come out from one day to the next and that makes me think of an interview with Mbapp who said: ‘don’t talk to me about age’ and I think he was right.”
“The level is what makes the difference. And, if he has the level as we are seeing on the pitch, it doesn’t matter how old he is,” he added.
Abidal also revealed how he convinced Frenkie de Jong to join Barcelona in the summer of 2019 when the midfielder was seemingly headed for PSG.
“He told me, ‘look I haven’t spoken to the Barça coach. That’s why I made the decision to go to PSG, because I spoke to Tuchel’. And I simply told him: ‘At Barça it’s the institution that signs you, not the coach,’” said Abidal.
“And the second thing, with the total price of the transfer, you will be the first choice.”
The former Barcelona and French international was also full of praise for his compatriot Jules Kounde, who is thriving at right-back in the ongoing season, saying:
“I think he is showing his class in La Liga. He’s a versatile player and I know that Barça are very happy with him; he’s a player who brings a lot of balance.”
