Everton defender Yerry Mina claims he used to ‘train alone’ at Barcelona and that the World Cup was his chance for ‘payback’.
Mina only joined Barca at the start of the year but made just six appearances at Camp Nou and ultimately signed for Everton in a €30m deal after he helped Colombia reach the World Cup knockout stages over the summer.
“I am a big believer in not looking back,” he told The Telegraph.
“The important thing is to keep looking forward and focus on what is ahead. I tried my best in Barcelona, I trained really hard. I trained with the group a lot of the time but then I would find out that I was not in the travelling group.
"I spent that time training alone so that I was fit and ready for when the manager called on me. It wasn’t to be.
“But all that you do when you are not picked – whatever club you are at – is perform as hard and well as you can in training so that the manager puts you in consideration.
"When the summer came, the World Cup was like payback. It was my chance to show what I can do.
“More than anything, it was a chance to do what I love doing – playing football! Now it is all about what I can achieve with this great club.”
