- Mina says Valverde the reason for Barca nightmare
- Received offer from Mourinho to join United
- Ended up joining Everton instead
Mina joined Barcelona from Brazilian side Palmeiras in January 2018, insisting he rejected Real Madrid in order to continue his career at Camp Nou. However, his time in Catalunya did not go according to plan as he was limited to just six appearances in all competitions as they won La Liga and the Copa del Rey. Much of the Colombians trouble was down to his relationship with coach Ernesto Valverde, who he says did not speak to him after his first day at the club.
Discussing his switch to Spain, Mina told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Real Madrid were also there, but I wanted Barcelona. I arrived and Valverde only spoke to me on the first day. For seven months he didn’t speak to me. Despite winning La Liga and the Cup, I played very little and suffered a foot injury after a foul by Rakitic in training.”
After giving up on his hopes of succeeding with the Catalan side, Mina received a call from Mourinho over a possible move to United. After recovering from injury, he was lured to Everton by Marco Silva and ended up spending five years at the Premier League side.
He added: “I wanted to leave Barcelona, even though the fans adored me. But I wanted to play. Mourinho, who was at Manchester United, called me.” He said: ‘If you’re fit, you’ll play.’ But I had to recover. Marco Silva convinced me to go to Everton”
Mina left Everton in 2023 to join Serie A side Fiorentina for one season before he switched to league rivals Cagliari. The two sides will come up against each other in the opening game of the 2025-26 campaign.
