Barcelona Star Admits Life At Camp Nou Is ‘Hell’

Barcelona midfielder Andre Gomes has confessed in an extensive interview with the magazine Panenka that he’s struggling to deal with the criticism from supporters.

“I don’t feel good on the pitch,” he said. “I am not enjoying what I am doing. The first six months were pretty good but then things changed.

“Maybe it’s not the right word to use, but it has turned into a bit of a hell, because I have started to feel more pressure. With pressure I feel fine, but with the pressure on myself, I don’t. The feeling that I have during games is bad.”

There are no problems with his coach, Ernesto Valverde. Training sessions are goof, the problems arrive when the games come around.

“In training, I am relaxed,” he added. “I feel comfortable around my teammates. Obviously, there are days that I feel a little low on confidence and in training it can be noticeable.

“Maybe I played the day before and I still have the image of the game in my head and that doesn’t let me move forward.”

However, the criticism and the jeering is affecting the Portugal international. Gomes, who has the unconditional support of his teammates and friends, is having a tough time in Barcelona.

“On more than one occasion, I didn’t want to leave my house because [of the way] people look at you — you have fear of going on the street out of shame,” he said.

“My friends tell me I am going with the handbrake on. I close myself off. I don’t take allow myself to get rid of the frustration I have. Then I don’t talk to anybody, I don’t bother anyone. It is like I feel ashamed.

“Thinking too much has hurt me. I think about the bad things and what I have to do. Although my teammates help me a lot, the things don’t work out the way they want them to work out.”

The Portuguese International is among the three player Lionel Messi asked to be sold ( the other two are Aleix Vidal and Gerard Deulofeu) on upon the £142 million arrival of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpoolin January.