Barcelona Veteran agrees to a one-year contract extension
FC Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto has secured a one-year contract extension from the club authorities ahead of the 27th LaLiga season starting next month. Retaining Sergi was crucial for Barca, especially after their poor performance this year.
According to a report published by Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona and Roberto have agreed on a one-year contract extension, which will last until the end of the 2024–25 season. Despite being one of the lowest-paid players in the squad, the veteran Spanish footballer has been with Barca for over 15 seasons, since making his debut in 2009 under Pep Guardiola.
With much of Barca’s current squad consisting of young and inexperienced players, the club seems to acknowledge that Roberto’s years of experience may be useful to improve the overall performance of the team.
The 32-year-old player’s contract was set to expire this summer, leading to much speculation about his future. There was considerable debate about whether Barcelona would retain him or let him go as a free agent.
Barca’s head coach, Xavi Hernandez, has publicly praised Roberto for his long and consistent service to the club and has urged the club authorities to renew his contract for an additional year.
The club authorities are likely to wait till the end of this season before officially announcing Roberto’s contract extension.
Barcelona’s head coach, Xavi Hernandez, reflects on the club’s uncertain season
Barca’s current head coach, Xavi Hernandez, was rumoured to be resigning after the club’s performance hit rock bottom this year. At the start of the season, Barcelona FC suffered a brutal 4-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final.
Following which, they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao (4-2), and then lost at home to Villarreal in a shocking 5-3 match. After a clash with the club authorities, Xavi announced that he would be stepping down as head coach of Barcelona at the end of the season.
However, after the devastating loss to Villarreal, the club’s performance improved significantly, with the team going undefeated in 13 matches.
Despite this, they faced another 4-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain, eliminating them from the Champions League. Another loss in El Clasico against Real Madrid sealed Barca’s La Liga dreams.
On April 24, the club confirmed that Xavi would continue to lead the team for the 2024–25 season to fulfil his contract. However, on May 17, rumours began circulating that Xavi’s recent comments about the club’s financial struggles angered club president Joan Laporta, putting Xavi’s future with FC Barcelona in doubt once again.
Can the veteran turn Barcelona’s fortunes around?
Despite being the team captain, 32-year-old Sergi Roberto no longer plays a crucial role in the team. Instead, players like Pedri, Gavi, Ilkay Gundogan, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez, and even Andreas Christensen are ahead of him in the midfield pecking order.
Despite having made a couple of costly mistakes this season, one each against Girona and Athletic Club, Barca authorities agree that Roberto’s overall performance has remained satisfactory.
For FC Barcelona, keeping Roberto around not only bolsters the team’s morale but also provides the inexperienced squad with valuable experience. Under the one-year contract extension, no significant changes have been made to his salary, which has remained more or less the same. Club president Joan Laporta has stated that keeping Roberto on the squad does not impact the club financially.
