Robert admits he was overweight when he joined Barcelona

Brazilian player Robert Goncalves, who was officially released by Barcelona on Tuesday after failing to make the grade at Barça B, has admitted that he arrived at the club overweight. 

“I arrived at the club overweight because I’d spent a year without playing, on holiday. I ate a lot and I drank a lot,” Robert explained on the show 'Què t'hi jugues!' on Radio Barcelona. 

In fact, Robert didn’t even make his debut for Gerard Lopez’s Barça B team. His only appearance in a blaugrana shirt came in the final 30 minutes of the Copa Catalunya final against Sabadell. 

He added: “I don’t want to criticise Gerard, but I didn’t have any time to demonstrate my football. If he wasn’t giving me chances, I couldn’t do anything. 

“I always wanted to play for the best team in the world and I didn’t expect that they weren’t going to count on me anymore.” 

Robert was released five months into a one-year loan with Barça and will now return to his native Brazil.