The aftermath of Barcelona’s meeting with Villarreal this evening has since given rise to insight into the futures of a pair of the club’s stars.
The Blaugrana of course brought their campaign to a close a short time ago.
Having long wrapped up 2nd place in the La Liga table, Xavi Hernandez’s troops welcomed Villarreal to Catalunya, hopeful of seeing out what has proven an altogether tumultuous season on a high.
When all was said and done, however, such efforts proved fruitless, as Barca were put to the sword by two goals to nil.
Moi Gómez doubles Villarreal’s lead thanks to an assist from…Adama Traore! 😬
What was the Barcelona man thinking 🤷 pic.twitter.com/vluiwYQ4vK
— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) May 22, 2022
As alluded to above, however, the evening’s true talking points from the hosts’ perspective were not forthcoming until after the full-time whistle had sounded.
First up came the farewell of hitman Luuk de Jong, who, after establishing himself as something of a cult hero amongst the Blaugrana faithful, appeared to confirm that his loan will not be extended beyond the summer in waving off those inside the Camp Nou:
Luuk’s goodbye pic.twitter.com/DPmWnf9p9Q
— Samuel Marsden (@samuelmarsden) May 22, 2022
Never fall in love with a loan player. pic.twitter.com/62Y81LkWLc
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) May 22, 2022
‘My wish’
De Jong, though, was not the only member of Xavi’s ranks to provide a glimpse into his future on the back of the action coming to a close in the Catalan capital this evening.
The other came in the form of Dani Alves.
Speaking to the media post-match, Barcelona’s veteran right-back was inevitably drawn on his plans moving forward, ahead of the expiration of his short-term contract next month.
And Alves went on to reveal that his ‘wish’ is to remain at the Camp Nou beyond the summer, albeit with the final decision, ultimately, out of his hands:
Dani Alves on his future: “My wish is to stay at Barcelona, you know that – but it’s not up to me. So I will keep fighting to continue at Barça”, tells Movistar. 🔴🇧🇷 #FCB
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2022
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