Sergino Dest Explains Xavi’s ‘Weird’ Betrayal at Barcelona- “Better That I Leave”

Certain USMNT players have etched their signature in European soccer, especially in England. Italy and Germany too have been favorite destinations for American stars. But US stars seldom aspired or routinely failed to be a part of Spanish royalty- Real Madrid or Barcelona. But that was until Sergino Dest moved to Barcelona as a 19-year-old. Dest had a stellar run in Barca, building rapport with Lionel Messi and taking lessons from Jordi Alba. Today, he could have been one of the major figures on Hansi Flick’s dominant side. Yet, things turned sour.

But as the US defender puts it, former Barca boss Xavi made matters worse for him in the Catalan side. Xavi had joined Barcelona as head coach in 2021, a year after Sergino Dest’s arrival. In 2022, however, a series of loan moves would spoil the American’s stay in Blaugrana. Here’s how it started. “When Xavi came, I didn’t get fair opportunities anymore. I didn’t feel appreciated anymore and my confidence level was lower,” Sergino Dest told the Athletic.

Later, the PSV Eindhoven wonder kid astonishingly shared that Xavi reneged on his agreement and wished for the speaker to stay away from Barcelona. As he puts it, on the last day of training in the 2021-22 season, Xavi assured that he will be banking on the USMNT star the next season. But Dest’s high hopes were killed in an instant. “Then the next conversation when I’m back was him telling me it’s better that I leave. It felt really weird,” Dest added.

Besides Xavi’s arrival, Leo Messi’s 2021 exit from the Catalan club had also taken a toll on Dest’s Barca stint. Here’s how the PSV defender opened up about his equation with La Pulga.

Sergino Dest regrets not having enough time with Leo Messi in Barcelona

Sergino Dest only scored twice in his Barcelona career. It was a brace against Real Sociedad. And guess who set up the US star for one of those goals? It was none other than Lionel Messi. Speaking of the assist, Dest stressed Messi takes quite the time to give out the ultimate defense-breaking pass. Not many teammates would be conversant with this style. But Dest was, and that’s why he scored.

He said that if it was not for the Argentine skipper’s move to PSG, he could have had an even better relationship with the former.

And that Dest believes could have helped him thrive in Barcelona for a few more seasons. “We had built rapport. I started to feel more comfortable in the team and knew what I had to do. I was more prepared, mature and developed, and felt the second season would be more successful,” the PSV Eindhoven star added. But things then went south for Dest, Messi, and Barcelona alike.

Anyhow, the US star firmly cherishes the lessons he learned from Barca. He fondly remembers Jordi Alba stressing on the importance of concentrating. Dest makes it a point to follow Alba’s tip to play at the highest in PSV in the Dutch League. What are your thoughts on the former Barca star’s candid statements? Tell us in the comments.