Barcelona midfielder Gavi lashed out at critics who have doubted his talent as a footballer, saying they have “no f—— idea” ahead of his side’s Champions League quarterfinal against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old has been acclaimed for his tenacity, energy and work rate, but he feels his ability on the ball gets ignored.
“It’s true what you are saying,” Gavi responded to a journalist in a news conference on Tuesday when asked about being labelled a tough player but not a technical one.
“A lot of people think I don’t know how to play football. They have no f—— idea. That’s the truth, but I get it, it’s football. Everyone thinks what they want to think, so it’s OK.”
Gavi missed the start of the season as he continued his recovery from an ACL injury sustained at the end of 2023. He returned last November and has been in and out of the team since, making 29 appearances in all competitions and scoring three goals.
Barça coach Hansi Flick has used him in a range of midfield positions so far, with Gavi full of praise for the German coach, even if he acknowledges he would like to have a bigger role in the team.
“There’s a great understanding with Flick,” he added. “He understands I am coming back from a long injury layoff. It’s not easy after one year out, but he’s shown a lot of faith in me. I am really happy to have him as the coach.
“He’s playing me in a lot of positions and that can improve my game, both on a base level and also in attack. I will become more complete as a player, which can only be a good thing.
“A lot of appearances have come as a No. 10, but he knows I can also play in a double pivot or as the No. 6. I am improving every day and it’s even better for me that I am able to fulfil those different roles.
“It’s true that I’m not having such an important role as in other seasons, but that’s normal after I came back from a long injury. I am very happy with the recovery I’ve made and if you told me I would have this season when I got back from injury, I would have taken that.”
Barça host Dortmund on Wednesday in the first leg of their quarterfinal as Flick’s side continue to target a treble, with a Copa del Rey final to come against Real Madrid later this month and a four-point cushion at the top of LaLiga.
“We are having a spectacular season, but we don’t feel invincible,” Gavi said as Barça look to make it 23 games undefeated in 2025.
“You can’t always win in football. We have to be humble in every game, remember where we’re coming from and keep our feet on the ground. There are still a lot of games to go.”
Flick sent a similar message, warning his team that they cannot forget the hard work which has taken them to this point going into the final stretch of the season.
“I’ve always said that we’re allowed to dream, but here we need to keep two feet on the ground,” he said in a pre-match news conference. “It’s important that we know that what we have achieved [so far] has been through a lot of hard work and a lot of preparation.
“We don’t want this to be the end, we’ll see if tomorrow we’ll be able to give our all like we have in these last matches. We haven’t lost a game yet this year — we want to keep it that way.”
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