FCBARCELONA.CAT

29.07.2008 16:47

From Gramanet to Paris

www.fcbarcelona.cat

After seven seasons with FC Barcelona, Oleguer Presas will be leaving the club that introduced him to professional football. Following 175 first team games in the League and Champions League, the defender is leaving Barça.

Oleguer Presas arrived at Barça in 2001/02 aged 21 years from UEA Gramenet, who he had played for for four seasons. He moved on to Barça B in the summer of 2001, where he remained until the 2004/05. It was during this period that Oleguer made his first team debut for Barça.

His debut

Although he played in the Gamper on August 24, 2002 against Red Star, he made his official first team debut in the Champions League on November 13, 2002 at the Camp Nou against Galatasaray, and helped the home side to a 3-1 win. He came on in the 86th minute, manager Van Gaal sending him on as substitute for Frank De Boer.

His stats

From 2002/03 to 2004/05, Oleguer played for both the first team and the reserves. It was not until January 2004, and under Frank Rijkaard, that he gained a regular first team place, and he played a central role from there on.

Oleguer has played a total of 175 official first team games: 127 in the league, 31 in Europe, 14 in the Copa del Rey and 3 in the Spanish Super Cup. Of these 175 matches, the most important was his place in the starting line-up at the Stade de France, where Barça beat Arsenal to win the European title for the second time.

He only scored one goal in all that time. That was in the 2004/05 season against Malaga at La Rosaleda. Oleguer scored the first of Barça’s four goals that day.

This season

Oleguer made very few appearances in the season just ended. A metacarpian injury in his left hand did not help matters, and also Frank Rijkaard took a preference for Zambrotta on the right of defence. So he only got to play in 15 games: 12 in League, 2 in the Champions League and 1 in Copa del Rey.