Ronald Koeman is hoping to one day be in a position to take the managerial reins at Barcelona, but admits the timing of opportunities to head back to Camp Nou have not been right up until this point.
The Dutchman is still held in the highest regard from his playing days in Catalunya.
A reunion with the Blaugrana has been mooted for some time, but no deal has ever been done.
Koeman was approached again when Barca took the decision to part with Ernesto Valverde in January, but the 56-year-old is currently tied to a deal with the Netherlands national side.
“They called me and I said no because of the commitment I have with my national team,” Koeman told Marca.
There is a break clause in his contract with the Oranje that will allow him to link up with Barca, but that can only be triggered once a European Championship campaign is completed.
With Euro 2020 having been pushed back 12 months by UEFA, Koeman will be going nowhere for the foreseeable future.
He is eager to point out that he has not snubbed advances from the Liga giants for any other reason, with it still his intention to head back to familiar surroundings at some stage.
“I don't think it was a bad time,” Koeman added on Barca’s most recent efforts to secure his services.
“What happened is that I have my motives with the Netherlands.
“Barcelona can always win big things, they have very good players, they have options to sign the best players... If I'd have been out of a job then sure, everyone likes Barcelona.
“It doesn't matter what situation they're in. I had my best spell as a player there, at Barcelona, and I have lots of love for the city. So, let's hope that I can coach Barcelona one day.”
Having missed out on Koeman, Barca ended up passing their coaching baton to Quique Setien.
Questions are already being asked of his suitability to the most demanding of posts, with there obvious issues that need to be addressed by the reigning Spanish champions.
Koeman said when asked to give his take on the Blaugrana in 2019-20: “That amount of possession isn't relevant if you only create two or three chances.
“Playing against Napoli away from home [in the Champions League] is tough because they got lots of people behind the ball and it's difficult to open them up and create chances. A team needs, above all, a quick player.
“Look at the amount of problems Vinicius [Junior] caused Barcelona [against Real Madrid]. At the moment, they don't have much depth and they need someone with a good touch.
“In midfield, they have players with the same type of characteristics. I saw Ansu Fati doing very well because of his pace and they need a player like him because the others play to receive the ball.”
Barca sit top of La Liga after seeing competitive football shut down during the coronavirus outbreak, while they also remain in contention for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.