Sergi Barjaun
Esclusa has been appointed as the interim manager of FC Barcelona. The decision
was made following the sacking of head coach Ronald Koeman after a humiliating
defeat against Rayo Vallecano. He presently works as the head coach of
Barcelona B.

Also Read – FC Barcelona announce Sergi Barjaun as the interim manager

The 49-year-old
was born in Les Franqueses del Valles in Barcelona. As a child he played for
the ‘Granollers’ between 1978 and 1988 before joining the youth side of FC
Barcelona. He had to climb a long ladder in order to reach the first team.

The youth
product spent two seasons at Barcelona C (1990-1992) and a season at Barcelona B
(1992-1993) before receiving his call up to the senior side.

Yet to make
an appearance in the Spanish league La Liga, the youngster was summoned by the
first team manager and Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff to play in a group stage
match away from home in the UEFA Champions League.

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Following his
first appearance against Galatasaray S.K. which ended in a stalemate in
November 1993 he became Cruyff’s favourite.

He solidified
his place as a starter in Barcelona’s XI and went on to win three leagues, two
cups and two supercups in addition to the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup (1997) and the
UEFA Super Cup.

However,
his dream run with his boyhood club came to an end when coach Louis van Gaal informed
the player that he is no longer required in the team.

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Sergi moved to domestic rivals Atletico Madrid where he played for 3 seasons before
hanging up his boots. While he enjoyed a good spell and made 85 appearances for
the Rojiblancos, he was prone to receiving yellow cards. His club career ended
with 394 appearances.

He
represented the national side Spain in the 1994 World Cup, 1996 Euros, 1998
World Cup and the Euro 2000. The left back accumulated 56 caps in international
matches.

  Also Read – Who is Ronald Koeman, the manager who was sacked by FC Barcelona?

His
coaching career began in 2009 and since then he has enjoyed stints at Barcelona
(youth side), Recreativo, Almeria, Mallorca, Zhejiang Greentown, Barcelona B and
now he has been appointed as the interim coach of FC Barcelona.