Ex-Barcelona wonderkid determined to kickstart career at Getafe - "I want everyone to see the player they saw"

A few years ago, Ilaix Moriba was considered as one of the biggest talents coming out of La Masia. Aged 18 at the time, he managed to break into the Barcelona first team under then-head coach Ronald Koeman, although as it turned out, his career in Catalonia did not last too much longer.

Moriba would join RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021, and since then, his career has been on a downward spiral. He has failed to make an impression a the Bundesliga side, and he also struggled during an 18-month loan spell at Valencia.

After failing to make a single appearance for Leipzig during the first half of this season, Moriba secured a loan move to Getafe in January, where he hopes to kickstart his career. He spoke to the media on Thursday after officially being unveiled by Los Azulones, as per Relevo.

“I have had mistakes and that is what life is about, learning what one has done. I have a great love for the club of my life, Barcelona. I made mistakes and now I’m at a point where I want everyone to see the player they saw.

“I’m looking forward to starting to play here (at Getafe), for everyone to start respecting me as they did. Whether or not a correct decision was made (in leaving Barcelona), the truth is that I’m happy now to be here and I want to show that I am still the same and I want to work for it.”

Getafe could be the perfect environment for Moriba to kick on, as he looks to start delivering on the promise he showed early in his career. He’s still only 21, so time is certainly on his side.