Former La Masia gem admits he ‘made a mistake leaving Barcelona’

Just 22 years old, Ilaix Moriba has seen a lot of highs and lows in his football career.

The midfielder burst onto the scenes at FC Barcelona during the 2020/21 season under former manager Ronald Koeman and made a big impression.

However, despite the club’s best efforts to tie him down to a new long-term contract, the former La Masia gem decided to move to RB Leipzig – a decision that he has now come to regret.

Moriba admits he made a mistake

Indeed, in comments shared by his representation agency on Instagram, Ilaix has, for the first time, admitted that leaving Barcelona for Leipzig was a mistake.

“I made a mistake leaving Barcelona. I was very young and under a lot of pressure,” he admitted (h/t SPORT), suggesting that his move might have been because of external pressure.

Having joined RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021, Moriba endured a difficult spell in Germany and returned to Spain six months later, signing for Valencia on loan.

The 22-year-old spent 18 months on loan with Los Che but it was not entirely smooth sailing for him. Having returned to Germany in 2023, the midfielder secured another loan move to La Liga in January 2024, this time at Getafe.

Last summer, Moriba signed for Celta Vigo on a season-long loan spell and is performing well with the Galician outfit.

“At one point, I thought everything was over. Luckily, now I am happy at Celta,” he noted, about his time with his current loan club.

Ilaix left Barcelona after making 18 appearances for the first team in which he scored one and assisted three goals.

The former La Masia starlet is now rebuilding his career at Celta Vigo, who are considering signing him permanently in the summer – a move that will benefit Barcelona financially.

Meanwhile, his younger brother, Baba Kourouma, is making waves at La Masia and is all set to sign his first professional contract with the Catalans.