'I admired him since I was a child': Kessie reveals what role Xavi played in his transfer to Barca

In his interview with Diario Sport, Franck Kessie was asked whether Xavi played a role in his transfer to Barcelona last summer.

"Xavi was the key, yes. When you admire someone as a kid and some time later, maybe in eight, nine or 10 years, your phone rings and it's one of those calls you've been waiting for all your life," the midfielder said.

"You are already impressed when you pick up the phone. A great player calls you trying to convince you to join his project. I barely needed time to think, the decision was already taken."

Kessie was born in 1996 meaning that he was around 13 years old when Xavi won the first treble with Barca. The Ivorian formative years coincided with the best years in our history, no wonder he was a big fan of Xavi.

As a reminder, Kessie joined us as a free agent last summer despite the Catalans not being able to offer him too big of a salary.