FC Barcelona have seen many talents rise to stardom wearing the club’s colors over the many decades of its existence. While many have flourished, even more, have been unable to rise to the demands of such a European heavyweight and ended up pursuing their careers elsewhere.
Certain names like Alexis Sanchez or perhaps Thiago Alcantara were players with huge ceilings, but due to other players being preferred over them had to leave to find game time elsewhere. However, in recent times, there is one more name that could reach great heights in the future but was let go of by Barcelona themselves.
Among France’s finest
23-year-old French defender Jean-Clair Todibo is currently one of the brightest names in Ligue 1 and has helped his side, OGC Nice, remain competitive in the French First Division. He previously spent time at Barcelona himself, being there from 2019 until 2021. In a recent interview with Telefoot, highlighted by Diario AS, the player gave an account of his time in Catalonia and his current progression in France.
Barcelona’s lesson
While his time as a Blaugrana was not particularly successful given that he was constantly sent out on various loans, the player himself looks at it from a positive angle rather than just write it off as a complete waste or ‘failure’:
“Since I didn’t play at Barcelona, people said I had failed. I learned from my failure, and I prefer my story to be like this, not all rosy.”
Blessing in France
Moreover, the former Barcelona defender spoke about how Nice has been different for him. His comfort and the level of faith put in him have been crucial to helping the French defender find his best version yet:
“In Nice, I felt confident and loved. Everything was clear that I could finally express myself and play my football.”
Car accident and fear of losing football forever
He also spoke about an accident that took place when he was nine years old, reportedly causing the player to take heavy damage to his legs and left him with a lot of worries in regards to ever being able to play football again at any level:
“I was hit by a car when I was going to practice judo with my older sister and I was in a coma for three or four days. When I woke up, I asked the surgeon if I could play football again. He said no.”
However, Todibo did ultimately return to football after all. Currently valued at €30 million, Barcelona have an active sell-on clause present on the French defender of around 20% of whatever amount he ends up getting sold for.
Given his progression, it appears that he may end up at a new club at some point moving forward, resulting in a move that could be massively profitable for the Catalans.
