Legendary Barcelona defender recalls the player who humiliated him in La Liga - 'We made him international' | Barca Universal

"In Pamplona, where we lost 3-2 to Osasuna, there was a very tall striker who I think was Croatian,"

"It was very cold and the grass was like concrete because there was no under-soil heating. They wore indoor football shoes with multi-studs."

"Never in my life had I experienced the frustration of not being able to start or stop because the studs wouldn't grip."

"We made him international. He was Ballon d'Or that day,"

The 2011–12 La Liga match at El Sadar finished 3-2 to Osasuna, with a tall striker causing major problems for Barcelona and scoring twice. The opponent was Dejan Lekic, a Serbian forward who played for Osasuna between 2010 and 2012 and later represented multiple clubs across Europe. The pitch was extremely cold and hard due to lack of under-soil heating, prompting Osasuna players to wear indoor shoes with multi-studs while Barcelona wore regular boots. Poor grip left Barcelona defenders, including Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué, unable to start or stop effectively. Lekic finished with two goals in that game and six goals in 64 La Liga appearances overall.

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