Giovani says goodbye (part 2)

Former Barcelona player Giovani dos Santos gave in the beginning of last week
'goodbye' interviews to both main Catalan sport papers. These are the most interesting
quotes from the interview he gave to Catalan sports paper El Mundo Deportivo.

You joined Barcelona's first team at a very early age but after one year you already leave for the Premier League. Why?
I decided to leave to be able to grow as a player. There I will have more playing time and that's what I need. My decision has only been based on sporting reasons. I wanted to play more and Tottenham gave me the opportunity. I also had good offers from Chelsea, Manchester United and Ajax, but I like the project of Juande Ramos a lot. I want to achieve great things with the 'Spurs'.

What will your role be at Tottenham?
I will play as number '10', my favourite position. The project of Ramos is very ambitious and everyone is very . They call me, ask me about my foot, they make me feel loved and important.

When did you take the decision to leave?
Last December. My agent Pini Zahavi told it to Barcelona and I also talked about it with Txiki Begiristain. I could have already left in January, but I wasn't allowed to. Even now they still wanted me to stay, but I had made up my mind.

What did Txiki say?
He respected my decision and I thank him for that. He said that I would always be welcome and he wished me the best for the future.

It wasn't an option to leave on loan?
No, I wanted a permanent deal. A cycle has ended and that's it. Maybe one day I will return to Barcelona - I actually would like that - but it will certainly be under different circumstances.

Guardiola talked to you?
No, because I already made clear that I wanted to leave.

Tottenham also wanted to include your brother Jonathan in the operation.
Yes, they did but he will stay in Barcelona. For me, this will be another way to stay connected with Barcelona.

What did the people say to you?
On the streets or at the club they all asked me to stay. I want to thank all of them for showing their support and their love. That's one of the nice things I will take with me.

But they've also whistled you here...
Yes, but that has helped me a lot to mature. It's something that happened, of course it's wasn't a nice thing, but I learned from it how to behave in the difficult moments and that's why I'm even almost thankful for those whistles, even when they hurt a lot at the time. It maybe was something like a warning sign to me, I guess it happened for a reason. I leave only remembering the positive things. I was lucky and privileged to grow as a player in a club like Barcelona and you cannot forget that.

What caused the pre-season top goalscorer asking to leave the club at the end of the season?
Maybe I wanted to show too much instead of just being myself. In the beginning I enjoyed everything and didn't feel any pressure, but in a way I later wasn't Giovani anymore. Because of my age, I didn't really realize that I wasn't doing the right things, although at the end I found the right track and I was just myself again.

How is your foot now?
The operation was a success, my ankle is in perfect conditions. Everything feels comfortable and I can make all movements without any problem.

Why didn't you get operated earlier?
Because I felt I had to sacrifice myself for the team. There were a lot of players who were unavailable. I played with injections and a lot of pain, sometimes I just couldn't shoot on goal. But the most important thign was to help the team.

You have been able to say goodbye to Rijkaard or the team-mates?
No. They were at the European championship or on holiday. I sure want to thank Rijkaard for his unconditional support, even when he also was living difficult moments. But I will come back later to say goodbye in a proper way. One of the days I will come to Barcelona with the permission of Tottenham.


Read here the most interesting quotes of the interview he gave to Catalan sports paper Sport

Read the complete Giovani dos Santos transfer story from the first rumours until the official confirmation