By DPA
Madrid : Midfield powerhouse Deco has resolved to leave Spanish football giants Barcelona if the club fails to win any trophies in 2008.
Deco, 30, was quoted by Catalan daily Sport Thursday as saying that “if we do not win anything this year, I am leaving”.
The Portugal World Cup midfielder clarified this announcement by saying that “to play for Barca is a dream come true. I arrived here (from Porto in 2004) and I triumphed. This is my fourth season, and it has been fantastic, but if we do not win anything this year, I am leaving”.
Deco said that Frank Rijkaard “is an important coach for Barca”.
But he also said, perhaps ominously, that “in football there is a moment in which relations finish, between a player and a club, or between a coach and a club, but that is something natural”.
Deco pointed out that he had tasted much success at club level – having won the Champions Cup with Porto in 2004 and with Barca in 2006 – but he still has “the dream of winning a European Championship, or a World Cup, with Portugal”.
The statements came after Barca on Sunday lost 1-0 at home to arch-rivals and league leaders Real Madrid, falling seven behind them in the Spanish standings.
The defeat has led to speculation about Rijkaard’s future at the club and that of Brazilian star player Ronaldinho as well.