The Dutch midfielder’s father reveals why he turned down Barcelona in 2023: “I told my son…”

In 2023, Tijjani Reijnders, a talented Dutch midfielder, was on Barcelona’s radar. The club considered him a possible successor to Sergio Busquets, who had left a significant void in midfield.

However, the move never materialized and Reijnders eventually signed for AC Milan. Now the player’s father, Martin Reijnders, has revealed that he advised his son to reject Barcelona’s offer.

Barcelona’s interest in Reijnders was known. The blaugrana saw the midfielder as a promising option to fill the shoes of Busquets, a legendary figure at the club.

However, the deal did not go ahead, largely due to advice given by Reijnders’ father. According to him, he believed that Barcelona was not suitable for his son at this stage of his career.

Although Reijnders was flattered by the attention from such a prestigious club, there were concerns that he did not possess the same playing style as Busquets, which could have limited his opportunities on the pitch.

Contacts with Deco

Martin Reijnders explained that his talks with Barcelona took place through Deco, the club’s sporting director, although Deco had not officially introduced himself at the time.

“I only had direct contact with Barcelona, ​​speaking with the technical director, Deco. I even checked his profile picture to make sure it was really him.” Reijnders Mr. he was quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

Despite the admiration for Barcelona’s interest, Martin believed that his son would find it difficult to fit into their system. He pointed out that Barcelona were looking for someone with the specific qualities of Busquets, and felt that his son did not fit that profile.

“It is clear that we are flattered by Barcelona’s interest. However, they were looking for a replacement for Busquets.

“I told my son he doesn’t have that profile. He’s not that type of player with the characteristics they were looking for.” he explained

Why did he reject Barcelona?

There was a significant risk that Tijjani would end up as a substitute, which could mean a difficult stage in his career, as has happened to many others who did not make it after joining Barça.

“I advised my son to reject Barcelona, ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ whom he would have been a substitute and he would have risked failure, as has happened to many others.

While English clubs also showed interest, Martin Reijnders only communicated with them through intermediaries.

Her main goal was to find the best environment for her child’s development. He heard the midfielder “Sooner or later he would have ended up on the bench, becoming another player who doesn’t succeed abroad.” he pointed out