‘The Quality’—Ferran Torres Takes Cheap Swipe at Former Barcelona Teammates

Ferran Torres bluntly admitted that the biggest difference he has encountered at Paris Saint-Germain since leaving Barcelona is simply “the quality” of the players and the capacity of the manager.

Torres burned plenty of bridges with the way he engineered a move away from Catalonia over the summer. After scoring the World Cup-winning goal for Spain against Argentina, the striker remained Stateside, embarking upon a series of provocative morning show appearances in which he repeatedly questioned his future at Barcelona.

The back-to-back Spanish champions were not inclined to stand in the way of an unhappy player and ultimately agreed a $57.9 million (€50 million) exit for the 26-year-old. It was telling that while Hansi Flick openly mourned the exit of Marcus Rashford—after only one season working together on loan—there has been little said about the club’s joint-top scorer in La Liga last term.

Torres hasn’t been nearly so quiet.

Ferran Torres throws out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. pic.twitter.com/pYogLTe2Jm
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) August 5, 2026

When pushed to identify the biggest differences between the two teams—who are both among the favorites for this season’s Champions League title—Torres told assembled media: “Above all, the dynamism, the speed and the quality of the players.

“How the coach [Luis Enrique] gives freedom, and how he explains something and then it actually happens. Ultimately, I think that makes the difference.”

PSG’s quality is scarcely in doubt. The back-to-back Champions League winners have been imperious in the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition for the last two years running. In the most recent vote for the Ballon d’Or to crown the world’s best player, PSG boasted eight of the 30 nominees.

However, Barcelona are not exactly short of star talent. Lamine Yamal finished second to Ousmane Dembélé in that vote while Torres’s former teammates Raphinha and Pedri also ranked in the top 11. Flick’s dominant domestic force have added the best player at the 2026 World Cup to their ranks this summer.

Barcelona will soon have the chance to put Torres’s claims to the test.

Torres Previews ‘Very Emotional’ Champions League Grudge Match With Barcelona

Ferran Torres scored twice on his PSG debut. | Franco Arland/Getty Images

In a wonderful wrinkle, PSG have been paired with Barcelona in the Champions League. Torres will welcome his former employers to Paris on Oct. 20 in the third round of league phase fixtures.

“It’s going to be a special match against FC Barcelona,” he grinned. “I played there for four and a half years, so it will be very emotional. We’ll try to win, but we’ll see. I think PSG is the best team in the world right now, but that means we’ll be under more pressure than the others.”

Torres isn’t the only familiar face for Barcelona. PSG are spearheaded by Dembélé, who was booed by the Camp Nou crowd at times during a difficult spell in Spain, while Luis Enrique remains the last Barcelona manager to win the Champions League for the club back in 2015.

“They are two different teams, with more or less the same playing philosophy,” Torres said of a side molded in Enrique’s image. “I still need to keep adapting, but when I saw the training sessions, I could confirm why they’ve won the last two Champions League titles; hopefully, they’ll help me win my first and their third in a row.”

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