USMNT star Sergino Dest explains what went wrong for him at Barcelona – with Xavi accused of being dishonest

United States international Dest moved to Camp Nou when fellow Dutchman Ronald Koeman put a transfer in place during the autumn of 2020. The highly-rated defender was just 19 years of age when agreeing a switch to Catalunya from Ajax.

Dest was tipped to become a long-term solution for Barca in their right-back berth, but saw Koeman replaced by World Cup winner Xavi in November 2021 and began to slip down the pecking order – to the point that he had loan spells at AC Milan and PSV before heading to Eindhoven on a permanent basis in the summer of 2024.

Dest has told SPORT of his time at Barca and why he feels that a club legend was not always honest with him: “I wouldn't say I regret it, because in the end it wasn't something that depended on me, but I don't feel like I had the necessary opportunities with Xavi. I felt like I had to play within limits, that I wasn't myself. I wanted to join the attack, because that's my greatest virtue, but he asked me not to go up.

“I don't think he was honest with me. We had several conversations where he told me one thing but then I doubted whether it was really true. In the summer, before going on holiday, he told me ‘I'm counting on you, don't read the press’. And as soon as I got back, he told me ‘you have to go’.”

The Netherlands-born full-back added on having the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs and sporting institutions on the planet: “It was an incredible and wonderful experience. I will always carry Barca in my heart. It was a shame that it had to end like this because I felt I could still be useful to the club. But when a new coach arrives and has his ideas you can't change them.

“I agree, I arrived 'flying', I wanted to show what I can do, play... and things were going well for me on an individual level. But in the end I was new here, my team-mates didn't know me... In the end I have a style in which I often take risks with the ball but here I was asked to play a different game. That made me lose some confidence in my decisions, doubts about whether you should be yourself or change your style and those doubts end up harming your performance.”

Dest made 72 appearances for Barca in total, scoring three goals, and won the Copa del Rey at the end of his debut campaign. He is now back in the Eredivisie with PSV and recovering from the serious knee ligament injury that he picked up in April.