It was an emotional evening at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Tuesday, as Barcelona defeated Benfica 3-1 in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie, which was their first match since the sudden passing of Carles Miñarro Garcia last weekend.
A moment of silence was observed prior to kick-off, and after the match, the victory was dedicated to Miñarro Garcia by Barcelona midfielder Gavi, as per Sport.
“We wanted to give him the victory today, it’s the least he deserves. Whatever we win from now will be for Dr. Miñarro. He was a great person and we will miss him very much.”
Gavi was a substitute for Tuesday’s match, and in recent weeks, he has regularly been absent from the Barcelona starting line-up. This has led to speculation regarding his future, but the 20-year-old has emphatically dismissed any claims that he could leave.
“I’ll never be upset about not starting. People say things, they talk about offers from here and there, but lies. I signed a 5-year contract here and I will stick to it, because this is the club of my life. Rotations happen, I’m calm and the coach trusts me.”
Barcelona have had an outstanding season, and the likes of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal have stood out as possible candidates to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or award, which will be handed out by France Football later in the year. However, Gavi believes that it should be another of his teammates that is successful.
“Nobody deserves the Ballon D’Or more than Pedri, everyone knows what kind of a player he is.”
It’s safe to say that many people at Barcelona would argue against Pedri being the best player in the world right now, even if Raphinha has been more decisive from an attacking sense.
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