FC Barcelona's Regret Over Passing Up Russian Legend Victor Onopko Due to His Unconventional Looks.
Victor Onopko, the 90s Russian La Liga legend who had stints with FC Barcelona and other prominent clubs in Spain, recently spilled the beans that he was turned down by the Catalan giants due to his appearance. The revelation came on a YouTube channel called El Bigote de Abadía.
The claim made by Onopko that Barcelona's then-coach Johan Cruyff deemed him "ugly" led to a missed opportunity for the Russian footballer, who joined Real Oviedo in 1995 and went on to make 216 appearances. According to Onopko, he initially signed with Oviedo but entered into an agreement that would have allowed him to join another club if a higher offer was made. However, the club deceived him by telling him they wouldn't accept more money.
Onopko also expressed disappointment over how Barcelona handled his transfer and claimed that Cruyff's team decided not to sign him because of his looks, which might be attributed to Cruyff's reputation for seeking out unique talent.
Despite this setback, Onopko became a beloved cult hero in La Liga with 7 goals and an impressive 109 caps for the Russian national team. Today, he serves as an assistant manager at Rostov FC in Russia's top division.
Onopko's comments coincided with Barcelona facing Real Sociedad in the league, where they were on a 11-match winning streak.
Victor Onopko, the 90s Russian La Liga legend who had stints with FC Barcelona and other prominent clubs in Spain, recently spilled the beans that he was turned down by the Catalan giants due to his appearance. The revelation came on a YouTube channel called El Bigote de Abadía.
The claim made by Onopko that Barcelona's then-coach Johan Cruyff deemed him "ugly" led to a missed opportunity for the Russian footballer, who joined Real Oviedo in 1995 and went on to make 216 appearances. According to Onopko, he initially signed with Oviedo but entered into an agreement that would have allowed him to join another club if a higher offer was made. However, the club deceived him by telling him they wouldn't accept more money.
Onopko also expressed disappointment over how Barcelona handled his transfer and claimed that Cruyff's team decided not to sign him because of his looks, which might be attributed to Cruyff's reputation for seeking out unique talent.
Despite this setback, Onopko became a beloved cult hero in La Liga with 7 goals and an impressive 109 caps for the Russian national team. Today, he serves as an assistant manager at Rostov FC in Russia's top division.
Onopko's comments coincided with Barcelona facing Real Sociedad in the league, where they were on a 11-match winning streak.
! I'm not surprised that Onopko spilled the beans, tbh... it's not like he had anything to lose at this point. And yeah, it makes total sense that they turned him down due to his "unconventional looks"... I mean, who wouldn't want a player with a questionable face? 
It's all about appearances, right?
. I guess you could say that Onopko's looks were the main reason why Barcelona missed out on an amazing player.
. Can you imagine not being good enough because of how you look? It makes me think of when our school's sports teams are choosing new uniforms... it's always about finding that perfect uniform design, and I worry some people might be judged for who they are just like Onopko was back then.
. Maybe we could even do an essay on how sports can shape our identity? That would be pretty interesting...
i mean, who would've thought that a player's looks could be a major reason for being passed over by one of the biggest clubs in europe? like, what's wrong with having a few facial features that don't fit the mold of traditional attractiveness? it's crazy how much emphasis is placed on physical appearance in sports. and to think that javan cruiff himself was behind this decision... that's just sad 
. but hey, victor onopko went on to have an amazing career despite this setback, and i gotta respect that 
. maybe we can all learn from his story that it's not about how you look, but what you can bring to the table 
.
I mean, I've seen some ugly guys play football and make it big, but to be turned down by Barcelona just because of looks is harsh. Cruyff was supposed to be all about individuality and unique talent... guess that didn't apply to Onopko 
.
. Kudos to him for bouncing back from that setback and achieving his goals. Maybe we can all learn from this that it's not about how you look, but what's inside that matters 
its like barca was worried what ppl would think if they signed this russian legend 
i mean who cares about looks when ur a footballer lol? anyway i heard opko's got some sick skills on the pitch 
and btw why did barca go with that "deceived" tactic 
what would've been if Onopko was given a chance? who knows maybe he would've led barca to more success 
the fact that Cruyff was looking for "unique talent" is pretty interesting too... did he actually see something special in Onopko or was it just an excuse?
. And what's next? They're gonna come out and say they didn't sign him because he was allergic to the ball or something 
#VictorOnopko deserves so much more recognition for his skills on the pitch! I mean, who judges a player's talent based on their looks? Cruyff was all about innovation and finding unique players, but it sounds like that didn't apply to Onopko 
Anyway, good on Onopko for speaking out and becoming a cult hero in La Liga... it's about time someone took credit where credit is due 
Johan cruyff should be ashamed of himself for treating victor like this 
and what's even worse is that fc barca didnt even give him a second chance 
if anything it sounds like they took advantage of him by deceiving him about the transfer agreement 
about Victor Onopko being turned down by FC Barcelona due to his looks 
He must've had some amazing skills to make it that far in La Liga 
️! And what's with Johan Cruyff's reputation for looking beyond conventional looks? 
. The fact that he ended up becoming a cult hero is awesome 
. 
.
. you never know what's gonna happen next 
.
. Onopko's story is literally the most heartbreaking thing I've heard all year 
. He deserved so much better than to be judged on how he looks 
. I'm still rooting for him, and I hope Rostov FC brings home some wins soon 