Share Why Did Quaresma Leave Barcelona?

In a 2006 interview with the Portuguese daily *O Jogo*, Quaresma shared his experiences at Barcelona. At the time, he was only 20 years old, but he had already made a name for himself as a talented winger. He revealed that he had a tough time adjusting to Barcelona under coach Frank Rijkaard’s tactics. He was willing to learn and adapt his style of play, but he felt that he didn’t progress much during that season. Quaresma felt that he couldn’t fully express himself on the field and that he wasn’t getting the opportunities he needed to grow.

It’s important to note that Rijkaard’s style of play was very different from what Quaresma was used to. Rijkaard’s Barcelona was known for its tiqui-taca style of play, which emphasized possession and short passes. This style of play was a complete contrast to the direct and attacking style that Quaresma had developed in Portugal.

The two styles of play simply didn’t mesh well. This disconnect in their football philosophies likely contributed to Quaresma’s departure from the Catalan club. It seems like Quaresma was eager to learn and was willing to try different things to fit in, but his passion for playing in a particular style made it hard for him to fully adapt to Rijkaard’s system. Eventually, Quaresma’s desire to be a key player on the field, combined with his dissatisfaction with his limited opportunities at Barcelona, led to his decision to leave the club.