French defender Samuel Umtiti admits that he shed tears on his exile at Barcelona and is determined to fight for his place at Camp Nou.

Samuel Umtiti was signed from Lyon back in 2016 with hopes of bolstering and rejuvenating the defensive line of the team. While he performed well in his first two seasons with the club, Umtiti was unfortunately hit with a knee injury in France's 2018 World Cup winning campaign. Umtiti chose to play through the pain and has been injury-plagued ever since.

Umtiti notoriously dons a contract at Barcelona which is viewed as severely overpaid — hence, Barca supporters feel that he is one of the reasons Lionel Messi was unable to continue at the club. During a pre-season friendly earlier this year, fans at Camp Nou made their feelings known to Umtiti as they endlessly ridiculed him.

Via Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens of ESPN:

“The whistles hurt,” Umtiti told Mundo Deportivo. “I never thought that would happen at this club because it's the club that I love.

In an attempt to offload players to solve the overflowing wage bill at Barcelona, Umtiti was offered to leave the club for free in the previous summer transfer window. However, Umtiti rejected this offer and sought a second chance with the club from Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

“I cried in the meeting. We spoke about some difficult issues; it was quite intense. I don't speak much, but if I do tell you something, it comes from the heart.”

His plead to Laporta has earned him a second chance but having yet to make a single appearance this season, he still has to prove to the club if they had made the right decision. His contract runs out in 2023 and he'll be eager to make a statement sooner rather than later.