The institutional war between Real Madrid and Barcelona shows no signs of cooling down. After Florentino Pérez’s explosive press conference earlier this week—where he called early club elections and claimed media persecution—a highly controversial quote from his briefing has made its way to Catalonia, sparking a direct response from the Camp Nou locker room.
During his speech, Pérez didn’t hold back on his view of domestic history:
“I’ve won seven Champions Leagues and seven La Liga titles out of 14, but I could have won all 14 La Liga titles because the rest were stolen from me.”
Speaking in an interview on Cadena SER’s ‘Què T’hi Jugues’, Barcelona midfielder Fermín López became the first rival player to directly address the president’s claims.
“They Had Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi”
While Fermín initially tried to downplay the drama, stating that Barcelona “always focus on what’s happening here,” he eventually took a firm stance against the narrative that Barça’s recent domestic dominance was unearned.
- Defending the Era: “I don’t think it’s right to say that Barça have stolen seven league titles because they had Messi, Iniesta, and Xavi,” Fermín fired back. “It’s impossible. Nor do we care. We’re on our own path.”
- The Bad Loser Narrative: The newly crowned La Liga champion suggested that the outbursts from the capital are simply a side effect of defeat. “In the end, it’s normal to be angry when you lose. But when they win, they’ll do the same and we’ll accept it.”
The Ultimate Rejection: “I’ll Never Go to Madrid”
The interview wrapped up with a question regarding Fermín’s high-intensity, aggressive playing style and whether it could theoretically fit the profile of a future Real Madrid midfielder under a manager like José Mourinho.
Fermín slammed the door shut on that idea immediately:
“I’m a Barça man through and through; it’s impossible for me to go to Madrid—I’ll always be a Barça man.”
RMxtra Verdict: The Fuel for Next Season’s Fire
Florentino Pérez’s comments were clearly rooted in the club’s frustration over the ongoing Negreira Case, which Arbeloa also highlighted in his pre-match presser. While Barcelona wants to attribute their trophy cabinet solely to the golden generation of Messi and Xavi, the Madrid hierarchy is determined to keep pushing the legal dossier they intend to send to UEFA.
Fermín says Barcelona doesn’t care what happens outside their bubble, but quotes like this will definitely be pinned to the dressing room wall at Valdebebas. When Mourinho officially arrives to take charge, he will look to weaponize this exact friction to bridge the 11-point gap and bring the league title back to Madrid.
