Ronald Koeman has once again lashed out at Barcelona president Joan Laporta over the manner of his sacking, adding that he is still hurt by it.
In an appearance on a Dutch TV program Hoge Bomen, Ronald Koeman spoke about his dismissal as the Barcelona manager. And the former Barcelona boss once again lashed out at president Joan Laporta, claiming the manner of his sacking still hurts him.
Ronald Koeman took over the reins as the Barcelona manager during a difficult period for the club. The Blaugrana had been reeling from a financial crisis that had left the club on the verge of bankruptcy. At the same time, the results on the pitch often left a lot to be desired, leading to Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien’s sackings in 2020.
The results did not improve drastically under Koeman, but the former Barcelona defender gradually oversaw improved performances. The Blaugrana also won one trophy, lifting the Copa del Rey last season, although they struggled a fair bit in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
Things took a turn for the worse at the onset of the 2020/21 campaign, as following Lionel Messi’s shocking departure last summer, his team lacked a coherent style of play. And following a 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano, Barcelona pulled the plug on Koeman’s stint as the manager, sacking him just three months into the new season.
Koeman on Dutch television this weekend, about Laporta sacking him on the plane:
"One thing that hurt me about it was the players sitting behind us in the plane while I have to come and sit next to him. He always shouts I'm a club legend, prove it then.. and act differently." pic.twitter.com/kMJK7wl0hy
— ??? ???? ? (@TheEuropeanLad) March 13, 2022
Koeman had initially been silent on the matter but has lately been in the mood to let his feelings be known. The Dutchman recently opened up about his dismissal as the Barcelona manager, claiming he was not given as much time to impress as Xavi has since replacing him.
The 58-year-old has lashed out at Joan Laporta again, claiming he is still hurt by the manner of his sacking. Koeman also added that the Barcelona president should not talk about the Dutchman being a club legend if he cannot prove it.
Koeman said, “The way Laporta sacked me? One thing that hurt me about it was that players were sitting behind us in the plane while I had to come and sit next to him. He always shouts that I’m a club legend, prove it then…and act differently!”
While Koeman remains bitter over his departure from Barcelona several months ago, Joan Laporta has opined a few times that he could have sacked the 58-year-old earlier. It will be interesting to see how the Barcelona president reacts following Koeman’s latest outburst.
