"They didn't even go to the gym; Basically, they didn't train" - Ex-Barcelona star opens up on training sessions at club

Former Barcelona star Mario Abrante recently opened up about unconventional training sessions and the footballing philosophy during his time at the club. The 42-year-old claimed that the focus was on ball-playing and footwork rather than weight training and conditioning.

At the age of 21, Abrante joined the Catalan giants on loan in the summer of 2003. Barca added a plethora of young talent to their ranks that summer, including Abrante, Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho, Portuguese forward Ricardo Quaresma, Mexican defender Rafa Marquez and Dutch utility man Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Despite his limited playing time, he rubbed shoulders with some greats of the game, including Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Luis Enrique among many others.

In a recent episode of the Offsiders podcast, Abrante described the training sessions at Camp Nou. He said (via AS):

"They didn't even go to the gym. It was a completely different philosophy. In Barcelona, training was all about the ball – 45 minutes of rondos, a couple of runs. Basically, they didn't train. I came from Valladolid, where I was running like crazy, and suddenly I arrived there, and it was just half an hour of rondo. I swear."

"Every day I'd finish thinking, 'Again with the rondo tomorrow.' Supposedly, it was fun, but I was exhausted. And then it was a lot of ball work, but no physical conditioning. I guess with the players they had back then, it wasn't really necessary," Abrante added.

Abrante made just two appearances (both starts) for Barcelona - in a 5-1 loss to Malaga in LaLiga and a 2-0 win over Greek side Panionios in the UEFA Cup (the predecessor of the Europa League).

"It was like another world" - Former Barcelona star Mario Abrante opens up about experience at the club

Ex-Barcelona star Mario Abrante has opened up on his experience with the Catalan giants. The 42-year-old Spaniard claimed that joining the Catalan giants made him feel like he had entered 'another world'.

Speaking on the Offsiders podcast, the former centre-back said (via AS):

"That summer, the president of (Real) Valladolid calls me and says: 'Look, Mario, a big Spanish team wants you. Barca wants to sign you, but you can't tell anyone. If you say anything to anyone, the deal's off.' At that time, my friends would tell me: 'Come on, let's go out and party,' and I'd say: 'I'm not going anywhere.' I was eating well and taking care of myself. They'd ask: 'What's wrong with you, man?' because on vacation, I'd normally gain five kilos."

"Barca paid three million for me. That year, Ronaldinho, Quaresma, and Marquez signed too, plus players like Xavi, Iniesta, Luis Enrique, Cocu, and Kluivert were already there. I felt so small. Everything was so big – it was like another world," Abrante added.

After leaving Barcelona, Abrante became a journeyman, playing for multiple LaLiga clubs (Valladolid, Recreativo Huelva, Getafe, Real Betis, Real Zaragoza). He also played in Azerbaijan and Thailand, before retiring in Mexico with FC San Luis.