Barça Player Ansu Fati Bid His Team Farewell and Moved On — Here's What Happened to Him
"He needs to work like everyone else."
Updated July 17 2025, 12:24 p.m. ET
There was a time when Barça player Ansu Fati was considered the natural heir apparent to Lionel Messi, but a series of unfortunate injuries seemed to put his career on a downward spiral.
In 2025, Ansu's contract was loaned to Monaco as he departed from Barça, unexpectedly changing the trajectory of the star soccer player's future. But what happened to him? Here's what we know.
What happened to Ansu Fati? Coach Flick explained the reason he left Barcelona.
Coach Ansu Flick weighed in on Fati's change of plans in early 2025 after the team announced yet another in a long line of injuries for the center forward star (via Pulse Sports - Nigeria).
The Barça coach explained that Fati simply couldn't get back to "fighting sound," sharing, "After his injuries, Ansu Fati hasn't been able to show his 100% and this is sad." He added, “I was convinced he would be at his best. I am honest with my players. He needs to work like everyone else" (via Fabrizio Romano).
It's an unfortunate development in Ansu's career, but there's only so much you can do when someone finds themselves prone to injury. After such an unfortunate series of events, Ansu is now trying his hand at a new team: Monaco.
With a new team, a new schedule, and different demands, the hope seems to be that Ansu will be able to heal and get back on the top of his game. After all, the heir apparent to Messi has too much promise to give up on, whatever the situation.
Ansu is heading to Monaco.
Although it may be bittersweet to be starting over, Ansu has spoken about his thoughts on switching to Monaco. After the major shift was revealed, Ansu mused, "I’ll always be grateful to Barça, [but] I sincerely believe that changes are for the better. Of course, I’ll be [at Monaco] this season, but I’ll always be grateful to Barça" (excerpts via Sports Illustrated).
He continued, "I had my experience at Brighton, many think it was bad, but it was a great experience. I started well, then I got injured and lacked consistency. Hopefully things will be different here, and I can have continuity and be involved a lot if the coach sees fit.”
Ansu continued, "I’ve always tried to be as good as possible. I believe in God, and in the end, what happens to me is something I can’t control, but I can minimize the risks, and that’s what I do.
He concluded, “I try to work as hard as possible to be as good as possible, and even if things don’t work out, I keep fighting, and I’m sure I’ll find my moment again and enjoy it again.”
It's a shame to see injuries put such a promising player on a trajectory he didn't plan, but Ansu seems poised to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat, refusing to let this unexpected turn stop his momentum.