The latest social endeavours on the part of Barcelona sporting director Deco have piqued widespread attentions in Spain on Wednesday.
This comes after the Portuguese was spotted departing Barcelona’s meeting with Napoli on Tuesday night accompanied by a former Blaugrana star, and currently out-of-work manager.
The individual in question? Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Dutchman Van Bronckhorst, for his part, lined out at the Camp Nou for four years during his glittering career, from 2003 to 2007.
And, since calling time on his playing days back in 2010, the now-49-year-old has gone on to turn his talents towards management, across spells with all of Feyenoord, Guangzhou City, and Rangers.
Unemployed since being sent packing by the latter in 2022, though, his presence at Barcelona’s Champions League showdown with Napoli yesterday evening has given rise to inevitable chatter across the media.
Following the full-time whistle at Montjuïc, Van Bronckhorst was followed into the parking lot by a crowd of journalists, where he was seen conversing with the trio of Deco, Enric Masip and Alejandro Echevarría.
Could as much have come as a simple get together between friends and former teammates? Of course.
But, with Deco the man tasked with leading Barcelona’s ongoing search for a replacement for the outbound Xavi, the presence of Van Bronckhorst in Spain on Tuesday could well mean something more, too…
Conor Laird | GSFN
