Barcelona midfielder Xavi could well have made his name in the red and black of AC Milan rather than the scarlet and blue of the Blaugrana, according to the player's mum.
The Spain international caught the eye of Milan’s vice-president Adriano Galliani when he was just a teenager and the Serie A outfit did their best to tempt the playmaker to San Siro.
“Galliani came and put an offer on the table when Xavi played for Barcelona B, offering him a four-year contract,” Maria Merce Creus told TV Cuatro.
But she remained insistent that even though there were quality players in front of her son at the club, she had no doubt he would be a success at Camp Nou.
“At the time he had Pep Guardiola in front of him, but inside of me I thought it would tear the family apart completely if he went," she revealed.
“Besides, I always thought that although it might be difficult, he would be a success at Barcelona.”
