Joao Cancelo may have only arrived on loan, but he has made the right-back position at Barcelona his own. Before his arrival, however, the Catalans tried their luck with numerous names from across the world but to no avail.

Nelson Semedo was just one of Barcelona’s innumerable attempts to fill the void at right-back. The Portuguese star joined the Spanish side for €35.7 million in 2017 and stayed at the club until his eventual departure in 2020. 

The former Barcelona defender spoke to Sky Sports earlier this week in an elaborate interview where he dealt with specific topics around his time in Spain. 

He first began with what was one of the highlights of his time at Barcelona – playing alongside Lionel Messi and witnessing his genius first-hand.

“It was easy. Just pass the ball to him and run. No matter how away you are on the field, he will put the ball to you as if he is passing the ball with his hand,” he said about the Argentine talisman.

Semedo was then asked to make his pick between La Liga and the Premier League, a debate that has been ongoing for a long time now.

“Premier League. Because it is the best league in the world. Because it is a competitive league, the environment and the fans, it is a mixture of several things that makes the league different from other leagues,” he said, taking a clear stance on his preference.

Finally, the Portuguese full-back took a dive back to his Barcelona days and elaborated on how it was to be part of one of the world’s biggest footballing institutions.

“It was beautiful. Barcelona is perhaps the best club in the world, let’s say that, but here, for example, you play against smaller clubs and the fans are good in all the stadiums.”

“I didn’t lose much with Barcelona, ​​but here I actually won against United, City, and maybe Liverpool,” he added.