Jordi Alba has said that he "wasn't the problem at Barcelona" and has left Camp Nou with a "clear conscience".
The 34-year-old agreed to terminate his contract a year early at the end of May, bringing an end an illustrious 11-year stay at in Catalonia.
Alba won 17 major honours as a Barcelona player, including five La Liga titles, five Copa del Reys and the 2014/15 Champions League, and made 459 appearances in all competitions.
The veteran Spanish international had previously revealed that his exit was in part influenced by the decline in his ability, but it's no secret that Alba's wages being off the books is a significant boost for cash-strapped Barcelona.
Now, in an extended interview with The Guardian, Alba has further reflected on his exit - he is the third long-serving player to depart following the release of Sergio Busquets and retirement of Gerard Pique.- where he insisted that he has no regrets about how he handled himself during Barcelona's troubled times.
"There are times I’ve made mistakes, I’ve done things I could have avoided, said things I shouldn’t and people criticise you for that," Alba said. "It’s normal. Not everyone can like you. We all know the economic needs but that’s not about one player. I’ve always said the problem isn’t me, I’ve always had a clear conscience. I did the right things, I helped the club at every moment. And they have always helped me.
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“The club know the ‘efforts’ I’ve made at certain moments or what I am doing by going now. They gave me the chance to stay another year. It would have been very easy to. It’s my home. But I thought the right thing to do, the just thing, the honest thing, was to step to one side. No one forced me.
"After so many years, having won it all, you have to assimilate that you’re going. But the decision is mine, without anyone telling me what to do. The club, the president; they gave me the chance to choose. I had earned that right.”
Alba has been linked with moves to Inter Miami and the Saudi Pro League now that he's a free agent, but he went on to speak favourably of the Premier League, suggesting he'd be interested in moving to England should the opportunity arise.
“You see the Premier [League], the atmosphere there. I talk to teammates in the Seleccion who have played there and they say England’s special. I always had the idea that ‘one day maybe…’ But I was always focused on Barcelona and the Spanish league so I didn’t really think about any other league. Of course [I have to now], but I have to see which teams want me first.
"And then… well, I’m open to all sorts of proposals, in Europe, outside Europe. Wherever I go, we’ll be fine, but it’s not easy. I want to weigh everything up.”
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This article was originally published on 90min as Jordi Alba: 'The problem at Barcelona wasn't me'.
