Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was the target of the Catalan giants during the team's 4-2 win over Napoli in the Europa League and joked after the match that he would be a goal machine if he played in front.
The centre-back scored Barcelona's fourth goal with goalkeeper Alex Meret and told Movistar after the game that he thought he would be a great striker, as reported by Sport.
"I always say that if I was a striker I would score 15 or 20 goals in a season," he said. "But the truth is, I've had a great time from behind too!"
Pique's goal saw the defender become Barcelona's oldest goalscorer in European competition at the age of 35 years and 22 days. This is the centre-back's third of the season as he has also scored against Real Sociedad in La Liga and Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League.
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Barcelona 'coming back to our origins'
The Barcelona legend also spoke about the team's improved form under Xavi after another impressive win. The victories came after strong performances against Atlético Madrid and Valencia in La Liga.
Pique thinks his team is headed in the right direction under the new coach and believes a victory at Napoli will send a message to the world that Barca are back, ESPN reported.
"We are not competing in Europe at the level a club like Barca should be," he said. “[But now] we have gone back to our core, something that we had recently stopped doing. It is a message to everyone, to us and to the people outside, that we are slowly coming back. We are on the right track."
The win sent Barcelona into the last 16 of the competition and the Turkish side in a two-legged match against Galatasaray. The first leg will take place on Thursday 10 March at Camp Nou.
Puyol praises Xavi's Barcelona
Pique's former centre-back partner Carles Puyol is also pleased with the direction the team is heading after their win over Napoli. The defender took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the team's current progress after the victory in Italy.
He wrote, "When Barca hired Xavi, I said we would win the league, I bet a dinner, I don't know if I will pay for it but I know for sure That I like this team. And I am sure it will make us happy as soon as possible."
Barcelona are on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions, which has propelled the team into the last 16 of the Europa League and the top four of La Liga.
Xavi and his players will aim to continue that run against Athletic next time around, but will know they have a tough test ahead of them. The Basque side pulled Barca out of the Copa del Rey in January and held the Catalans to a 1-1 draw in La Liga in the reverse fixture in August.