Last summer, Barcelona opted not to sign a new left-back when Jordi Alba left for Inter Miami. It proved costly in the end, as Alejandro Balde picked up a season-ending injury in January, and his replacement – Joao Cancelo – had a number of high-profile defensive blunders when standing in.
Marc Cucurella (Chelsea): "Returning to Barça in the future? I'm not thinking about it. You can never say never, but now it doesn't cross my mind." @tjcope
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 22, 2024
Before Alba decided to leave, Barcelona had been linked with Alejandro Grimaldo, something they were very familiar with. The 28-year-old came through La Masia, although he failed to get an opportunity in the first team before leaving for Benfica in 2016.
He left the Portuguese giants at the end of the 2022-23 season, and speaking to MD, he revealed that he would have returned to Barcelona, had he received an offer.
“Well, last year my contract ended and Barcelona would have always been a great opportunity for me, something very appealing. But in this case Barcelona didn’t want to count on me. They also had two great full-backs at the time.”
Grimaldo is currently with Spain at Euro 2024, and he spoke very complimentary on his teammate, and Barcelona sensation, Lamine Yamal.
“He’s an incredible player – he has no ceiling, he’s surprised me a lot. I’d never seen up close before, and despite his age, he makes a difference in every training session, in every game. He is unique.”
“I tell him to work hard, to take care of himself, because a player like that, hopefully he never has injuries because it is a pleasure to watch him play, whether in your team or as a spectator. He needs to have a strong mentality, and know that despite the fact that there are ups and downs, he must remain mentally strong.”
