According to Ronaldo, the best: ex-Barça star stirs tensions in Barcelona | OneFootball

When the legendary Brazilian striker Ronaldo says about someone that he was “the best,” then it can really only be a superstar everyone immediately has in mind. But that’s not the case here. 

If Mauricio Pochettino is to be believed, R9 did not say this about Messi, Ronaldinho, or another icon of that caliber, but about Iván de la Peña, who is now forgotten by many. As Pochettino, who was on the pitch for Espanyol during Messi’s Barça debut, once revealed to journalists, the initial euphoria around de la Peña was even greater than it was around Messi, Xavi, or Iniesta. 

📸 GERRY PENNY

If you look at old highlight clips of the Spaniard, it quickly becomes clear why. The technique, vision, and passing ability that came from it made the midfield jewel look truly out of this world. But after that lightning-fast start with the Catalans, de la Peña’s time at Barça ended sooner than expected.

One of the reasons was a man very familiar at Bayern in particular: Louis van Gaal. After his appointment at FC Barcelona, things became increasingly difficult for the young midfielder. The clear tactical ideas and strict discipline required were a thorn in de la Peña’s side — and just three years later, he was sold to Lazio. 

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Four difficult years followed, including unsuccessful loan spells, for the once-adored Barcelona technician before he finally found happiness later in his career. At the city rival of his former club, RCD Espanyol Barcelona, the Spaniard became a club legend and stayed there until his retirement in 2011. 

Although that was a good 15 years ago now, de la Peña is once again causing a stir in the Spanish city these days. He is now a player agent, and his client list is definitely impressive. The 49-year-old, for example, represents youngster Pedro “Dro” Fernández, who left FC Barcelona at the start of this year at just 18 years old and moved to Paris Saint-Germain — much to Barça’s dismay. 

“I loved Dro, so of course I’m disappointed. But that’s football. We have to respect this decision. I’m disappointed. He knows it, but I really loved that boy,” Flick told the media about the move. While the successful Catalan coach expressed his disappointment quite diplomatically, Barça president Laporta blasted the departure of the young attacking jewel. 

📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors

“What happened with Dro was a betrayal,” Laporta fumed after the transfer. He also couldn’t resist taking a proper swipe at de la Peña. “If this had happened with Jorge Mendes (agent of Lamine Yamal and many other top stars), it could never have played out the way it did with the bald guy,” the Barça boss raged, referring to the former midfield technician. 

Laporta explained that what especially outraged him about de la Peña’s decision to send his client from Barcelona to PSG was that he only has such a prominent role as a player agent because of his past with the Catalans. Since the “bald guy” has not only Dro Fernández but also Gavi and Eric Garcia on his client list, it would not be surprising if there are more clashes between Laporta and de la Peña in the future. 

Whether as an unpredictable magician on the pitch or a hard-nosed negotiator off it, Iván de la Peña remains a polarizing figure in Barcelona. For Joan Laporta, he may currently be public enemy number one, but for Ronaldo he remains simply what he has always been: the best.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Tobias Heyer - Bongarts