ESPN.com · Dec 28, 2016
Barcelona did not give me an opportunity - Boro's Adama Traore
Javier Saviola says he didn't understand the reality of playing for Barcelona when he signed with the club at age 19.Middlesbrough forward Adama Traore has told Mundo Deportivo he believes he was not given a chance to prove himself at Barcelona.
Traore, 20, joined Barca's youth academy at the age of eight and was tipped by many to have a big future at the club.
But although he made first-team appearances as a teenager under both Gerardo Martino and Luis Enrique, he was sold to Aston Villa for around €10 million last year.
"I didn't leave Barca well," Traore said. "I left because I wasn't given an opportunity. If I had been given one, maybe I could say what I lacked.