La Liga defender reveals he turned down Barcelona twice – ‘Didn’t even think about it’

Speaking in an interview on Que T’hi Jugues, RCD Espanyol defender Omar El Hilali has revealed that he turned down two offers from FC Barcelona during his youth days.

El Hilali, 21, is a product of the Espanyol youth academy and has made nearly 60 first-team appearances, nine of which have come in La Liga this season.

A right-back by trade, the Spanish-Moroccan starlet is also capable of playing at centre-back and has been a regular for Espanyol since their return to La Liga this season.

El Hilali could have ended up at Barcelona

However, it could all have turned out quite differently for El Hilali as Barcelona made two attempts to lure him away from their local rivals’ youth setup on a couple of occasions.

Indeed, the 21-year-old confirmed that the Blaugrana had tried to sign him once just before he signed for the Espanyol youth academy and once more when he was at the cadet stage.

“Yes, it’s true that I had an offer from Barça before coming to the Espanyol youth team and then in the cadets before moving on to the youth team,” he revealed.

However, El Hilali confirmed that he shot down both proposals, saying: “But both times, the truth is that I didn’t even think about it.”

The right-back then went on to add that he is an Espanyol fan – a ‘Perico’ through and through and would even sign a lifetime contract with the Catalans if they presented him with such an offer.

“I’ve been a Perico since I was a kid, I’ve always been attracted to this club,” he said.

“If Espanyol offer me a contract for life, I will stay here forever,” El Hilali added.

Barcelona will face off against Espanyol in the Catalan derby on November 3 at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.