Moroccan Omar El Hilali, who plays for Espanyol, said that he refused to move to Barcelona on more than one occasion, explaining that he loved his Catalan club, the eternal rival of the Blaugrana.
El Hilali began his football career with the Espanyol youth team until he reached the first team in 2023, and since then he has been an essential part of the Catalan team.
According to what the player said, Barcelona tried more than once to sign him, especially since he is good at playing in all positions of the defense line, but his response was always clear in rejection.
The 21-year-old continued, “I said no to Barcelona twice, I didn’t think about it from the beginning, my heart is 100% with Espanyol.”
It is worth noting that El Hilali has Spanish citizenship, but he participated with the Moroccan youth teams and has not been summoned by coach Walid Regragui yet.
