Xavi Simons has publicly addressed the circumstances behind his departure from FC Barcelona, saying the club’s management told him he was not viewed as part of its long-term project. The former Barcelona youth prospect made the comments during a recent appearance on The Sports Agents podcast, revisiting a decision that preceded his rise into one of European football’s most closely watched young players.

What Simons said

Simons spent nearly a decade at La Masia, Barcelona’s well-known youth academy, before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain at age 16 in 2017. His exit drew attention from supporters at the time, given his profile within the academy system.

“It was clear from their side that they didn’t believe in me… they told me, ‘We have other players we believe in and want to offer you a contract, but you’re not one of the players who are truly part of the project.'”

Simons said he had avoided speaking publicly about the departure for years, preferring instead to let his performances on the pitch speak for themselves. Since leaving Barcelona, he has played for PSG, PSV Eindhoven, and RB Leipzig on loan. Links to a possible return to Barcelona have continued, although no transfer has taken place as of now.

The fan token contrast

Barcelona has been one of the prominent clubs associated with sports tokenization. Its BAR fan token, issued on the Chiliz blockchain through Socios.com, was presented as a tool to give supporters a voice in limited club decisions and to increase engagement with the institution.

However, fan tokens generally remain speculative digital assets tied more closely to club sentiment and match-day narratives than to substantive governance powers. They do not function like equity in a football club, and holding them does not confer ownership rights, board representation, or control over recruitment and academy policy. Major sporting and operational decisions, including assessments of youth players and long-term squad planning, continue to sit within traditional club management structures.

Simons’ account highlights that distinction. While fan tokens were marketed around participation and supporter engagement, decisions such as whether a 16-year-old academy prospect is considered part of a club project are still made internally by executives, coaches, and football departments.

Barcelona’s financial context

Barcelona’s financial difficulties in recent years have been widely documented. The club has operated under significant financial constraints, including efforts to register new players while managing substantial debt.

Within that context, retaining an academy player already inside the club and on relatively low wages could have represented a capital-efficient sporting decision. Simons’ subsequent career at PSG, PSV Eindhoven, and RB Leipzig has kept the debate around Barcelona’s youth development and retention choices alive.

Implications for sports tokenization

The sports tokenization market has cooled substantially from its 2021-2022 peak period. The gap between the early promise of fan tokens — broader access to club participation and governance — and their practical function remains significant.

For clubs, fan tokens can still serve as a digital engagement product, especially for global supporters who may not attend matches regularly. But their utility depends on the scope of decisions clubs are willing to open to token-holder participation, and that scope has generally stayed far away from the sporting decisions that define competitive outcomes.

For now, fan tokens such as BAR offer limited engagement features rather than authority over the decisions that shape a club’s sporting future. Simons’ comments serve as a reminder that the most consequential choices in football remain largely outside token-holder influence.