Barcelona: Matheus Fernandes says club 'didn't treat him like a footballer' | OneFootball

Barcelona are in a financial mess right now.

The Catalan club are currently unable to re-sign Lionel Messi or register new signings Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia due to their enormous wage bill.

Barcelona are desperately trying to offload players this summer in order to improve their financial situation, but they haven't had much success thus far.

One of the few players to have been shown the exit door is Brazilian midfielder Matheus Fernandes, who was signed in the summer of 2020 and initially touted as a potential replacement for Sergio Busquets.

The 23-year-old returned to Palmerias on a free transfer, but the way Barcelona handled the whole situation was absolutely disgraceful.

Fernandes was never officially presented by the club, played just 17 minutes in the 2020/21 season and then had his contract terminated on June 29th without warning.

The Brazilian has now told his side of the story in a rather explosive interview and it's hard not to feel sorry for him.

“I didn’t know, and when they told me I couldn’t believe it,” Fernandes told Globoesporte, per Football Espana.

“I was at home, I was going out with my wife and I received a message from the club asking if I had the same email address. I confirmed and then received it.

“I didn’t understand it, I sent it to my manager and lawyer. They said it was my dismissal. Time passed and my name came out in the press. No conversation, nothing, they didn’t even call to say hello and goodbye.

“I always had the dream as a child to play for Barcelona. When I got there, they didn’t treat me as a footballer. I told the director that he didn’t treat me like a professional Barcelona player.

“I was a Barcelona player, and I wanted to be treated like one. The other signings had a presentation and I didn’t. I was upset. Looking at it from the outside I thought one thing but when I got there they treated me differently.”

Wow. Barcelona should be ashamed of themselves and according to Cadena SER, Fernandes is seeking to take the club to court over what he sees as an unfair dismissal - and good luck to him.

After what he's been through, we hope Fernandes smashes it back in his homeland with Palmeiras, where he's contracted until 2025.

1 of 20

Which city was Lionel Messi born and raised?

Buenos Aires Rosario Mendoza Cordoba