Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco has revealed that he turned down a move to Barcelona, and his reasoning is exceptional.
The 29-year-old moved to Canada in 2015, and has gone on to enjoy a stellar spell in MLS, bagging 39 league goals in 61 appearances.
As he continues to establish himself as one of the most effective imports in MLS history, he has naturally been linked with a return to Europe given his form and age.
However, despite receiving a call from Barca, the Italian international has revealed he turned them down and explained his decision.
“Yes it’s true, in the past I was told that there was interest from Barça,” he said, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport. “However, I wouldn’t go there just to be a ball boy. With those three there [Messi, Neymar, Suarez] I would never play, I wasn’t interested because I wanted to play and with those three phenomena who make the difference even with one leg, I wouldn’t find space.”
It’s a brutally honest assessment from the diminutive forward, as although it would be the dream of most if not all players across the world to play for Barca at one stage in their respective careers, Giovinco evidently values playing regular football more.
Nevertheless, although he went on to praise MLS for it’s relaxed environment and improving quality, he hasn’t ruled out a big-money move to China.
Ultimately, it will be difficult for any player to say no to the riches on offer in the Far East and Giovinco certainly isn’t the first and won’t be the last to join the Chinese Super League as it continues to improve and strengthen with top talent.