Not every player manages to find their place within FC Barcelona as they hope to do. The competitive nature of the club is what has driven it to become one of the grandest destinations in European football. However, certain decisions are difficult for Barcelona no matter how necessary they might seem.
One such decision was undoubtedly the sale of Ezzalzouli Abde to Real Betis. The winger had originally hoped for more prominence at Barcelona following his return from loan at CA Osasuna. However, due to Xavi’s decision to not count on him much even then, the player ultimately chose to leave.
Thus, 50% of his rights were purchased by Real Betis for a figure valued to be €7.5 million. However, Xavi clearly stated that he had some doubts about the player, and had prophesied that Abde might not get many minutes at Real Betis either.
Fast forward halfway into the 2023/24 campaign, and it seems that Xavi’s prophecy may have been true after all. According to AS, the Moroccan winger has not had the prominence that he would have hoped for when he originally joined Betis. Moreover, even the club is not completely convinced with their purchase.
With the player called up to the African Cup of Nations, AS highlights how he may not even be the Moroccan player that Betis misses the most.
In fact, his compatriot Chadi Riad, has been far more impactful for the team this season. A Barcelona loanee, Riad has emerged as a regular starter for the Andalusian side.
However, Abde continues to showcase his raw qualities. The 22-year-old winger has scored 5 goals this season, and has made 24 appearances in total. Moreover, his dribbling and speed remain as lethal as they were in both Barcelona and Osasuna.
However, his total accumulated minutes across all competitions amount to 1126 minutes. In La Liga, he has only started three games out of the 14 that he has featured in. For context, Guido Rodriguez has played 19 games in total for Betis this season, yet his minutes add up to 1468.
