Xavi Simons has broken his silence on leaving Barcelona in 2019 and joining the ranks of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Tottenham star grew up at La Masia and stood out as one of the brightest talents in the Catalan club's youth ranks. Yet after a full decade in a Barcelona shirt, he chose Paris.
Seven years on, and before the start of his second season with Tottenham, Simons has finally given his side of the story. His departure, he confirmed, came because Barcelona preferred to put their trust in other players.
Spanish newspaper "Sport" published his comments to The Sports Agents podcast, where he said: "It was clear from the beginning that they did not believe in me. At that time, I decided not to speak because I was focused only on what I offered on the pitch."
He continued: "They told me that they had another group of players they trusted, and that they wanted to offer me a contract, but that I was not among the players who form a real part of the project."
"For me, the decision was clear," he added. "At that time, people did not know what actually happened behind the scenes; they only had opinions based on what they had heard, because there were stories that spread claiming I left for the money."
Did it hurt? "Of course," he said. "I spent my whole life there, and I went through different situations, and I lived through everything inside this club. My entire childhood was there."
Then came the sting of the rumours. "I love Barcelona, and so the spread of that account hurt me, and it also hurt my family, because it was not true," he noted.
The truth, Simons explained, was simpler than many imagined. "At that time they preferred other players. And for me, that was a good thing, because Paris already had a huge project."
At 16, he was rubbing shoulders with the elite. "I was training in Paris, at the age of 16, alongside the best players in the world. It did not need much thinking, the decision was easy. Barcelona did not trust me, and so my choice was clear."
One man made the move easier. On his experience at Paris, he said: "Neymar was the closest to me, and he told me: if you need anything, call me or send me a message or come to my house and we will sort it out. I will remain grateful to him forever. Besides being my role model, today I can consider him a friend."
Elsewhere in the lengthy interview, Simons opened up on the first months of recovery from the serious cruciate ligament rupture he suffered at the end of April, an injury that ruled him out of the 2026 World Cup.
"The first two days were extremely harsh," he said. "The first thing I thought of was the World Cup, and I asked the referees to allow me to try to stand one last time. I felt my knee come out of place and then return to it, and at that moment I realised that something serious had happened."
The confirmation broke him. "When they confirmed to me that it was the worst possible scenario, I felt as if the entire world had collapsed on top of my head," he added.
He concluded: "I told myself that I should not put too much pressure on myself. I am improving day by day, and that is something that makes me very happy."