Shortly after his retirement in 2020, Jeremy Mathieu is back in the news, as the former French defender in an interview with his country’s newspaper, L’Equipe, confessed what he did in order not to go to the Barcelona in 2014, a failed attempt, As he ended up signing with the Catalan club anyway.
And it is that at that time, Jérémy was very happy with him Valencia, Team he had reached in June 2009, so he didn’t want to leave this squad, combined with the fact that he was convinced that with Barça only the bench would be heated, So it occurred to him to make a false contract as part of his plan to stay.
“I didn’t want to go to Barça. When he approached (in 2014), I was a captain in Valencia, I was enjoying my life there and I was wondering: am I going to polish the bench in Barcelona? When I received the contract he offered me, I drafted a new contract“In which there was a salary of a level between what I was receiving at the time and what Barça was offering me,” he said.
“I showed this fake contract to Valencia sporting director (Francisco) Rufete, telling him ‘if you give me this, I’ll stay’, He replied “this should not be a problem”. We call together the president (Amadeu Except), who refused. Rufete couldn’t believe it … I tore the paper and told them ‘so I left‘. I realized they weren’t counting on me, ”he recalls.
In Barcelona, where he stayed from 2014 to 2017, he did not have as good as in Valencia, but he did have several meetings as a starter, but the injuries were very constant.
In addition, on one occasion they blamed him for having scored an own goal on purpose, as it was in a duel against Valencia. “I got one with Barça against Villarreal (2-2 March 20, 2016). In a corner I don’t see the ball coming, it bounces on my chest and it goes into the goal. Then, all the Spanish journalists crushed me, as if I had done it on purpose. “
finally he decides to terminate his contract when he was a year away from fulfilling his stay, Was untied and was the Sporting de Portugal your destination club.
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