Miralem Pjanic is determined to stay and fight for his Barcelona future despite a disappointing first season at Camp Nou.
Bosnia-Herzegovina playmaker Pjanic joined Barca last year in a deal that saw fellow midfielder Arthur move in the opposite direction to Juventus.
Each European superpower bowing out at the last-16 stage of the Champions League indicates the difficult situations both players entered with their new employers, but while injuries have occasionally hindered Arthur's progress, Pjanic has started to appear surplus to requirements under Ronald Koeman.
Pedri's development into a regular first-team fixture has not helped the 30-year-old's cause and Riqui Puig has been preferred as a midfield option off the bench in recent weeks.
An overall upturn in Barca's form, with a LaLiga and Copa del Rey double a possibility, has done plenty for Koeman's standing, with reports suggesting recently elected president Joan Laporta is happy for the Dutchman to continue as head coach.
Whoever is in charge next term, Pjanic told Mundo Deportivo he does not intend to go anywhere.
"I did not sign for Barca to leave the following year," he said.
"I signed to make history in a club that had been on my path for many years."
Pjanic first worked his way into the affections of Barcelona fans more than a decade ago, when he scored as Lyon dumped Real Madrid out of the Champions League in 2009.
He explained that the Blaugrana were interested in his services as a youngster before almost making the move in 2019 before Antoine Griezmann accounted for most of the transfer budget.
"I decided to start my career in France but I always followed what Barca did," he said.
"Two years ago, [former Barca sporting director Eric] Abidal wanted to sign me, we were talking but the club invested in Antoine and there was no money left for me.
"I had to wait live the dream of being a Barca player. I came to Barca because of my game and my experience as a winner, that's what they asked me to contribute when I signed.
"They told me that my character and my experience would be vital to grow a generation of young people from La Masia who were climbing very strongly."
Despite his performances serving as a personal complication, Pjanic hailed Pedri as a player of "special intelligence… who will go very far" and also reflected upon a "spectacular" relationship with Lionel Messi, who "explains things about the environment that at first escaped me".
He conceded his relationship with Koeman is more distant, but his "dream" of winning the Champions League at Barcelona remains.
"If I don't play, the next morning I am training harder than ever so that the coaches will notice that I am not giving up," he added.
"Koeman doesn't talk much to players so what I have to do is keep working to be ready when he needs me."
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Saints go marching in: St Catherine High to contest first-ever Manning Cup final after penalty shootout win over Jamaica College
St Catherine High School will contest their first-ever ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup final, as they prevailed 5-3 in a dramatic penalty shootout against many-time champions Jamaica College (JC) at the National Stadium on Tuesday.
In a game defined by determination and resilience, the teams played out a tense 1-1 draw in regulation time before the St Johns Road-based school held their nerve from 12 yards to edge past their storied opponents.
Romaine Walters (11th) for St Catherine and Nashordo Gibbs (40th) for Jamaica College got the goals in open play.
The victory was met with jubilation from the St Catherine camp as players, staff, and supporters celebrated their school’s historic feat, which left an almost emotional Head coach, Anthony Patrick, at a loss for words.
For Patrick, it was not just a victory over one of the competition’s giants but a testament to their grit, belief, and teamwork throughout the season.
“Words alone can’t explain how I feel. I must say kudos to the youngsters because they fought hard and dug deep. I must also laud our goalkeeper [Omarion Brown]. He came up big for us, and we know once it gets to penalties, it will work out in our favour. We asked them to stick behind the ball and force Jamaica College to play the long ball so our goalkeeper can come into play because we know once it got to penalties, it would be difficult for them,” Patrick said post-match.
St Catherine began brightly and took an early lead in the 11th minute when Walters calmly converted a penalty after Gentles' shot struck the hand of Jamaica College’s defender Javaun Mills inside the box. The goal marked Walters’ third of the season and gave his team the momentum, despite Jamaica College dominating the early exchanges.
However, the lead did little to deflate Jamaica College, who quickly regrouped and pushed for an equalizer. Their relentless probing eventually paid off in the 40th minute when Giovanni Taylor delivered a precise pass across the box for Nashordo Gibbs to tap home from close range.
Jamaica College almost took the lead on the stroke of halftime when Gibbs broke free and crossed for Taylor, who squandered the opportunity, as the score remained unchanged at the break.
On the resumption, Jamaica College had opportunities to win the contest but failed to find the decisive breakthrough due to a combination of faulty shooting, poor decision-making, and good glove work by Omarion Brown in goal for St Catherine.
In fact, their best chance to steal victory came in the 87th minute when Jamoy Dennis found himself in behind the defence with time and space but somehow fired his effort wide, much to the relief of St Catherine’s supporters.
St Catherine then delivered a flawless display from the spot, with Walters, Nathel Ellis, Dwight Gentles, Josh Reid, and Kadean Young all converting their kicks.
Jamaica College, the tournament’s most successful team, saw Dontae Logan, Dyllan John, and Javaun Mills find the back of the net. However, the pivotal moment came when Jahmarly Bennett’s effort cannoned off the crossbar, sealing the Old Hope Road school’s fate.