Firpo's Departure: Club Issues and Koeman's Challenges

Firpo arrived in Catalonia as a replacement for Jordi Alba but struggled to secure playing time at Barcelona, facing challenges in getting minutes on the field. In an interview with "Sport," he opened up about the difficulties encountered while playing for one of Europe's football giants.

The left-back admitted that his Barcelona journey began on a sour note, being excluded from the starting lineup midway through his first game: "Starting this way, making a mistake in my first game as a starter... Additionally, the coach substituted me in the middle of the match. It makes you start very badly and face criticism. After that game, I received thousands of comments, insults, and thousands of private messages and threats."

After his first season, Firpo had a good opportunity to move to Inter but declined due to health issues his newborn son was experiencing: "My second child was born with lung problems, and I made the decision to stay in Barcelona. The medical services were very good, and I didn't want to move between countries. I grew up in the hospital, went to training, and returned to the hospital. My son Jason was in the intensive care unit, and I could visit him for only 5 or 10 minutes two or three times a day."

Upon agreeing to stay at the club, Firpo clashed with the new coach Koeman, who left him out of the lineup: "Koeman gave me an answer that lacked honesty: he told me I polluted the team, so I stopped trying."

Finally, Firpo left Barcelona and joined Leeds, where he faced an uncertain position in the lineup. He played 19 matches as a starter in the Premier League during the 2021-2022 season.

At 27 years old, Firpo, still young, looks forward to returning to Leeds' lineup. He has participated in three matches in the English Championship this season.