De la Pena admits his Real mistake
Ivan de la Pena has accused former Barcelona coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer of enticing him back to the Nou Camp on false pretences, and admitted he should have signed for bitter rivals Real Madrid when he had the chance. "I thought with my heart and not my head," said the midfielder.
Ivan de la Pena has accused former Barcelona coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer of enticing him back to the Nou Camp on false pretences, and admitted he should have signed for bitter rivals Real Madrid when he had the chance. "I thought with my heart and not my head," said the midfielder.
The self-confessed Barcelona fanatic joined the Catalan club at 14, made his debut at the Nou Camp five years later and scored 11 goals in 80 games between 1995 and 1998 before he signed for Lazio.
His career stalled in Italy and then France, before he accepted an SOS to return to Barcelona.
With Josep Guardiola injured and Xavi Hernandez away with the Spain Olympic squad, Barcelona needed cover in midfield and in August 2000 he was enticed back to the Nou Camp by then coach Serra Ferrer on a year's loan.
De la Pena, now at the end of the loan deal, believes, however, he was duped by the coach.
He told Marca: "When I first talked to Serra Ferrer in Amsterdam he told me the position I wanted to play was taken and I would be just used as cover, and because of that I decided to stay in Italy."
"Then, a month later, he called me again and accepted that if I went back I would be an important part of his starting line-up."
"When I got there I was playing regularly at first, but then he isolated me and I never played again."
De la Pena also admitted he should have signed for Real Madrid when he had the opportunity in the mid-nineties. Instead he stuck with Barcelona and was to regret the decision when Louis van Gaal became coach.
His brand of genius never found favour with the rigid tactical structures of the Dutchman.
The former Barcelona wonderkid left for Italy, where he lost his way, failing to get a regular game at Lazio after injury problems.
During the 1998-99 season De la Pena failed to score in 14 appearances and the Italians thought it wise to loan him out rather than sell him – just in case he rediscovered his magic spark.
Marseille were willing to give it a try but the Little Buddha showed only intermittent signs of life between continuing injury worries. The French club had a £10 million option to buy De la Pena which was turned down and the player moved back to Rome at the end of the 1999-00 season.