Viktor Onopko is regarded as one of the most gifted footballers Russia has produced. He was a footballing icon for the country, especially in the 90s.Currently serving as the assistant manager of the ...
Viktor Onopko is regarded as one of the most gifted footballers Russia has produced. He was a footballing icon for the country, especially in the 90s.
Currently serving as the assistant manager of the Russian national football team, Onopko has raised a few eyebrows with his statement about Barcelona.
Onopko’s viral claim about Barcelona
In a recent interview with El Bigote de Abadía, Onopko revealed that he was linked to Barcelona at one point in his career. But he accused Barça of not signing him because he was ‘ugly’.
Onopko arrived in Spain in 1996, signing for Real Oviedo. He spent six years at Oviedo, featuring in 222 competitive matches before joining Rayo Vallecano in 2002.
A centre-back by trade, Onopko played for Vallecano for just one year before returning to his native Russia, signing for Spartak Alania. He eventually retired in 2006.
“I signed with Oviedo in the summer of 1995, but then I went in the winter. I wanted to put a clause that if a club put in one more dollar, I could go to that club.
Onopko claims he was rejected by Barcelona due to aesthetic reasons. (Photo by Firo Foto/Getty Images)
“They told me yes, but they deceived me. Because Atleti made an offer for me, but I couldn’t go to Atleti,” Onopko began (h/t Forbes).
However, the footballer revealed that he was a subject of interest for Barcelona as well, but one of the assistant coaches found him ugly.
“I recently found out that Barcelona wanted to sign me. But [Johan] Cruyff or one of his assistants said I was ugly, and that’s why they didn’t sign me,” he said.
Although the move did not work out for Onopko, he still ended up as a hero in La Liga, featuring in over 200 matches in the Spanish top-flight while representing the Russian national team 109 times.
Aged 56, Onopko has started his coaching career as well and is currently serving as an assistant for Valeriy Karpin for the Russian national team while simultaneously working as an assistant coach for FC Rostov.
Category: General Sports
