‘Barcelona has always had issues with Brazilian players’: Ronaldo warns Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho about Nou Camp switch

December 30, 2017 Olumuyiwa Olayinka

Ronaldo has issued a warning to Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho about Barcelona
The legendary striker claimed Barcelona have failed to treat their Brazilians well
Ronaldo listed Neymar, Romario, Ronaldinho and himself as examples
Coutinho has been the subject of repeated bids from Ernesto Valverde’s side

Legendary striker Ronaldo has issued a warning to Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho that Barcelona have always failed to treat their Brazilian players well.

Coutinho has been the subject of repeated transfer bids from the La Liga leaders and they came close to landing the 25-year-old playmaker in the summer but Liverpool held firm to hang on to their star midfielder by rejecting three bids.

In an interview with Esporte Interativo, Ronaldo listed examples of the Brazilians treated poorly at the Nou Camp and revealed he felt much more at home at their rivals Real Madrid.

‘I felt much more happy and more connected to Real Madrid, despite having lived a great year in Barcelona,’ the 41-year-old said.

‘In the end, my history with Barca was very bad, similar to the one Neymar had.

‘Barcelona has always had issues with Brazilian players: Neymar, Romario, Ronaldinho and me.

‘We were all treated badly by the club in the end, despite all our contributions and dedication.’

Ronaldo only spent one season at Barcelona but was deadly in front of goal and scored an impressive 34 times in 37 appearances. He departed for Inter Milan before then returning to Spain with Real Madrid in 2002.

The Brazilian lasted a lot longer in the Spanish capital and played for Los Blancos until 2007, scoring 83 goals in 127 games.

The club has a long history of tapping into the South American market with a host of players from Brazil pulling on the jersey.

Ronaldo is not the only one to have left in acrimonious circumstances though with current PSG full back Dani Alves critical of the club when he left in 2016.

He claimed he grew tired of always being ‘the one in the firing line’ and he ‘did not feel as comfortable any more at Barca.’

The experienced Brazil international enjoyed eight years at the Nou Camp after arriving from Sevilla in July 2008, but after making nearly 400 appearances and winning three Champions League titles, he sought a new challenge at Juventus before moving on to Paris.

Neymar was the most recent Brazilian departure as he shattered the transfer world record by moving to PSG in the summer for £198m, dismantling their formidable three-pronged attack, affectionately known as ‘MSN’, which comprised of himself, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Despite a messy transfer, Neymar declared ‘Barcelona and Catalonia will always be in my heart’ as he sought a new challenge in the French capital.

The Nou Camp also carries fond memories for Ronaldinho, who described his five years there as the ‘best of my life’.

Purchased from PSG in 2003, the wizard with a distinctive smile made 145 appearances and scored 70 goals, winning La Liga twice and the Champions League in 2005/06.

‘I would like to take advantage of this occasion to thank you all for everything we shared together during the five years I defended the Barca shirt,’ he said in an open letter after leaving.

‘They were certainly the best years of my life, both professionally and personally. I honestly think we enjoyed so much whilst we were together.’

Former Tottenham midfielder Paulinho is one of two Brazilians in Ernesto Valverde’s current squad and he has flourished since arriving, delivering some vital performances and scoring six goals in 22 appearances.

Barcelona are ready to revive their interest in Coutinho ahead of the January transfer window.

Spanish newspaper Sport claimed on Thursday, under the headline ‘Coutinho D-Day’, that the Catalan giants will meet with the Liverpool man’s agents on January 3 in order to thrash out a deal.