Former Barcelona youth academy prospect Alejandro Grimaldo has claimed that he would not be opposed to the possibility of returning to his boyhood club.
Speaking in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, SL Benfica left-back Alejandro Grimaldo has left the door open to return to boyhood club FC Barcelona, claiming that it has always been his dream to play for the Catalan giants.
The 26-year-old spent eight years on the books at Barcelona after having joined the club’s famed La Masia youth academy from Valencia in 2008. Grimaldo went on to chalk up close to 100 appearances for the Blaugrana’s B team but never made his senior bow. With Jordi Alba firmly the first-choice left-back, he decided to join Benfica in search of regular first-team action in 2016.
Since arriving in Portugal, Grimaldo has thrived, racking up 222 appearances in which he has 16 goals and 44 assists. In the process, the former Spanish Under-21 international has also won several titles and trophies.
However, speaking in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, he has admitted that he continues to harbour hopes of representing Barcelona. “Barcelona has always been my home and I am not going to close the door. I will not deny it. I grew up there and it has been one of the dreams I have had since I was little,” the 26-year-old said.
“I lived in La Masía, I grew up there, I was educated there, I learned some values in life. I am very proud of my time at La Masia. I am not going to celebrate a goal,” Grimaldo added, speaking of his time in the La Masia ranks.
The interview mentioned above took place a day before Barcelona faced Benfica in the UEFA Champions League Group E encounter at Camp Nou. Needing a win to advance to the knockout stages, the Catalans were held to a goalless draw by Grimaldo’s side, meaning that Xavi Hernandez & co. will need to win their final group game against Bayern Munich.
The German champions are already through to the knockout stages, having won all their group games so far. So, facing them will be a huge challenge for Barcelona, especially considering they had been hammered 3-0 the last time these two teams met in the reverse fixture.
