Former Barcelona, Everton and Colombia defender Yerry Mina has criticised ex-manager Ernesto Valverde for his handling of his time in the Catalan capital. Mina arrived from Palmeiras in 2018 at Barcelona in the winter transfer window, but did not make it to the next season.
Mina signed for Barcelona from the Brazilian giants as a promising central defender with pace and ability on the ball. However during his seven months at Camp Nou, he struggled to make an impression, and after some shaky games, was sold to Everton.
‘Valverde didn’t speak to me for seven months’ – Mina
Mina made just six appearances for Barcelona in the end, totalling 377 minutes of action, before he was sold. Manager at the time Valverde’s handling of him did not help according to the Colombian.
“Real Madrid was also there, but I wanted to play for Barca,” he told GdS, as quoted by Sport.
“Ernesto Valverde only spoke to me on the first day. For seven months, he didn’t speak to me. Despite winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey, I played very little and suffered a foot injury after a foul by Rakitic in training.”
Mina departed for Everton that summer
Despite his lack of game time, Barcelona made a healthy profit on Mina. He arrived for just €12.4m from Brazil, and would make the move to the Premier League for €30.25m, joining Everton.
Koundé: “The objective every time I start a season is to be better than the last one. I’m very demanding with myself. I work and I hope to improve on what I need to improve.”
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 21, 2025
“I wanted to leave Barcelona, even though the fans adored me. But I wanted to play. Mourinho, who was at Manchester United, called me. He said, ‘If you’re fit, you’ll play.’ But I had to recover. Marco Silva convinced me to go to Everton. They were five fantastic years; Carlo Ancelotti was counting on me… We started well, but then five of us got injured and the team’s level dropped. But the Premier League is a beautiful league.”
Valverde, currently in charge of Athletic Club, was criticised for his use of young players at the time, but has had no such troubles in the Basque Country. His latest success stories include Dani Vivian, Nico Williams and Mikel Jauregizar.
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