“FC Barcelona central defender Samuel Umtiti has reflected on his four years at the club,” the British publication Bisacre reported on Sunday.
Umtiti joined Barcelona in 2016 from Olympique Lyonnais. He made 25 league appearances in his first season with the club in 2016-2017 and continued to develop into a world-class defender in 2017-2018, making 25 league and eight UEFA Champions League appearances.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, he was a regular defender for France, helping his country win the tournament.
However, his development stalled in the 2018-2019 season and he was plagued by frequent injuries, which led to a loan move to US Lecce in 2022-2023 after playing just 13 league games in 2019-2020, 13 league games in 2020-2021, and one league game in 2021-2022.
In a recent interview with Canal+, Umtiti said, “The four years I spent in Catalonia (with Barcelona) were depressing. Not just in soccer, but in life,” he said.
“What I needed was to feel appreciated and respected, but in Catalonia I suffered from depression, not only in football but also in everyday life, and I spent four years like that,” he said.스포츠토토
Umtiti added: “Moving to Lecce is a challenge for me. I learned here that being awake is worth the same as winning a trophy. It’s good. In this team I have my smile back and for that I am grateful.”
Umtiti has made 23 appearances for Lecce this season.
“Now my mind is solely focused on avoiding relegation,” he said. My friend Alexandre Lacazette came to see me the other day and we talked about the idea that it would be good to play a little more together before I retire,” he said, adding that he might play in the same team as Lacazette.
“I want to continue this good feeling, and I’ve done it in Italy. I love the language and the fashion here,” he said, hinting that he would not be returning to Barcelona.