FC Barcelona News

Five years have passed since Marc Overmars left the Catalan capital city. He decided to return in Barcelona but this time on vacations with his wife Chantal and his two sons Frenkie and Nick. He took advantage of his being in Barcelona and spend time joking with Xavi, reminiscing about his time in Barca.

Marc has also decided to give up playing football and commence a new career as part of the technical staff of “Go Ahead Eagles”, the club which plays in the Second Dutch Division. Their primary objective is to try and return to Eredivise.

Why has it taken you so long to return in Barcelona?

I tried to come earlier but there were always some complications that hampered my return. Now I finally managed to come and I wanted my whole family to be with me.

Were you taken aback by anything?

Yes, I bought the new kit of the club and also visited the Camp Nou and it was crazy with so many people, luckily we came across Bustos (responsible for dressing-rooms) and were privileged as he made things easier for us. This is probably the consequence of the great season that this team had.

Did you trust in Guardiola?

Yes, but I didn’t believe he could win the triplet. He is a great privilege for sport as he is a very intelligent person. Pep always liked to risk and he has all predispositions to make history with Barca.

Player have also their share of merit.

Sure, they won the matches. Barca has many players that are the best on positions they play. Messi is the best player in the world, Xavi is the best play-maker and there is no player in the world that is better than Iniesta in the midfield. When Iniesta had 18 years, I said to Van Gaal: “One day he’ll be the best.” He was the linchpin of this team last season.

You haven’t mentioned Eto’o.

He is a great striker, one of the best like Henry, there is also Valdes, one of the best goalkeepers, Puyol who is one of the best central defenders and Toure who is a great defensive midfielder. But Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are the best in their positions.

If Eto’o went, who would you buy?

Ibrahimovic. He has all the qualities that striker needs. He is physically well prepared, strong and fast and can also play well with his back turned to goal and possesses a great velocity which makes him almost impossible to stop.

Barca goes for Villa.

No problem, there are no risks involved. He is good and can score many goals.

If Villa comes, it could be the most expensive signing in the history of Barca.

It’s possible, but I don’t want you to remember me by this.

All the euphoria evolving around Ribery; would you call it madness?

I don’t know how much he is worth, but he is a player on the level of Kaka and Bayern cannot sell him for less than €65 million. I like Ribery. He is a star, but he plays for the team, and I admire stars with this kind of approach. With him, Barca could gain a lot to continue on the winning path.

Should Barca fear the new Real Madrid with Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema?

No, Barca has already made the team whereas Madrid brought many new players and we are yet to see how they will play as a group. Madrid has a very baddish policy, they don’t have any philosophy. You don’t go buying six Dutch players and then try to sell them after just one year. They want short-term results, but in long term this project will be a failure.

You recommended to Barca Robben when he was just 18, when he hadn’t yet had a debut for the national team. Are there any other suggestions that you would like to make?

Yes. Ibrahim Affelay, a young midfielder from PSV. He could succeed in Barca with his immense technical skills and speed. Barca should sign him now and loan him out to PSV because he will be much more expensive next year. And if you don’t get Ribery, try and get Babel. Liverpool hasn’t exploited all his qualities and Guardiola could create a great footballer of him.

As a part of the technical staff of Go Ahead Eagles, are there any talents on the horizon in your team?

Demy de Zeeuw. Van Gaal asked me some day if I had any player for him and I said yes, but the scouting department said that he isn’t a player for AZ. One day he played against them and they liked him and eventually signed him. A solid midfielder.

Could you work in Barca?

I always collaborate with Barca. I talked with Txiki a few days ago and I told him he can contact me if he wants any reports about players from Holland or Belgium.

Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique in Barca… Frank de Boer, Cocu and Kluivert in Holland… What about you, could you become a coach?

No. I don’t want to be under pressure every day. I love watching football and like to create my opinion. Maybe I could become an assistant coach if some friend asks for my help.

This is last year of Laporta’s tenure as president. What do you think of his leadership?

I don’t have a full insight into the club, but from what I’ve been able to see I can say that he has done a great job. Firstly, the titles that the team has already won; two Champions League titles, that is more than the team had won before his tenure started. During my stay in Barca we changed six coaches and now they had only Rijkaard and Pep. Plus the professionalism has reached a climax. It all seems much more serious than during the Gaspart’s reign.

Sandro Rosell could be the next one.

I didn’t have a good experience with him, nor some teammates like Philip Cocu, but he can be a great president. He has a lot of experience in football, has very clear ideas and does not hesitate to take his decisions.

What happened?

It’s more of an anecdote to be honest. I injured my knee during the last year of my contract and if I cannot play on the highest level, I’m not satisfied. Laporta and Txiki made no complications, but Rosell made me sign the contract which prevented me from playing in any other team for two years. I understood it and I signed it because I had an offer from Inter and Rossell wanted to avoid me going away as a free transfer. I’m a reliable person. I said I would retire in Holland, thus I had to keep my word.

And why didn’t you want to continue playing in a big club like Inter?

Because I always wanted to play 100% prepared. The question should be: “Why would Inter buy a player that has not played in a while due to injury?” That’s where lies an explanation of success and failures of the clubs.

But afterwords you changed your opinion and decided to play again.

Yes, a few years later, I wanted to help my team Go Ahead Eagles and just because we lacked some players.

Is it possible to be a part of the technical stuff and a player simultaneously? Now you are in the former subcategory.

Yes. I was in the team only to help and nothing else happened. The coach gave me a chance to play sometimes, especially in my last match because the fans wanted me to say goodbye on the field. But I said no, I wanted younger players to play. Finally I came in the game in 90th minute, but unfortunately I broke my ankle in the 91th minute. This was the end of my sporting career. But there are certain things in football, for example the defender that injured me still receives messages from my fans.