Father of ‘Lionel Messi’s heir’ launches savage attack on Barcelona

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 29 Mar 2023 12:39 BST
• 3 min read

The father of Barcelona prodigy Ansu Fati has launched a scathing attack on the club, suggesting that his son has been disrespected by LaLiga’s leaders.

Ansu was hailed as the heir to Lionel Messi when he broke into the Barca side in 2019, but after making an explosive start to his senior career at the Blaugrana, where he has been on the books since 2012 in La Masia, he has failed to take the strides forward expected of him.

Although he has played 38 times this season, he has primarily been used as a substitute and has typically been ignored in big games. For example, he came off the bench in the last minute against Real Madrid in El Clasico prior to the international break.

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Bori Fati has told COPE that his son wants to remain at the club but feels hurt by being overlooked.

“Ask Xavi why he's not playing Ansu. I don't have any answer. Xavi wants him to work hard, and he is. I feel disappointed as a father,” he said. “We deserve more, Ansu is Barca’s No. 10. He was playing a lot when Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann were at Barca...

“I'm disappointed because Ansu is the number 10, is your top player, and he just gets 1, 2, 3 minutes. This disappoints me.

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“Alemany tells me that Barça trusted Ansu a lot. Jorge Mendes told me: ‘Ansu Fati is not going to leave the club.’ But I think about the present. Mendes told me in the last two years that we had big proposals, but Barça didn't want to sell him.

“He wants to stay, yes. But it will depend on what Barca want. I'm going meet with Mendes.”

Bori Fati claims that Ansu has been mistreated by the club, who used him when they had the need only to discard him later.

“When Barca were much worse than they are now, they forced Ansu Fati to come back from injury to play. They used to want Ansu to make the people happy again. Now that he's 100% fit and ready, nobody wants Ansu?” he said. “Did he forget to play football or what?”

Who wants to sign Ansu Fati?

Interest in Ansu is primarily coming from the Premier League, where Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool all interested in the player.

His father, meanwhile, says there is one club he is unlikely to join.

“Ansu would not accept to join Real Madrid, I won't put Ansu where he doesn't want to be,” he said. “I will never speak bad things of Real, I'm Barca fan — but you never know what happens. And then if it happens, you will remember my words from 15 years before!”

According to Relevo, Ansu Fati has been "hurt" by his father's comments because he just wants to focus on football.