Nice Attacks
Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti grieves for Nice victims
France defender Samuel Umtiti shared his sorrow with the mourning families of the victims of the Nice terror attack as he was officially presented as a Barcelona player on Friday.
Samuel Umtiti shared his sorrow with the mourning families of the victims of the Nice terror attack as he was officially presented as a Barcelona player on Friday.
'Even if it's a happy day for me, I'm full of sadness,' Umtiti said at a press conference, just a day after Thursday's truck attack on the French riviera city which killed at least 84 people.
'There were a lot of victims, I'm very sad for all the families who were affected by what happened yesterday.'
The conference was preceded by a minute's silence at the Camp Nou in honour of the victims, with around 50 more people still fighting for their lives.
Barcelona on Tuesday concluded a deal worth 25 million euros ($27.7 million) to sign Umtiti from Lyon on a five-year deal.
The 22-year-old said it was a 'childhood dream' to wear the Barcelona shirt.
'When I knew there was this possibility to come to this great club I had a lot of emotions, I openly shed some tears,' he admitted. 'It's really a dream to be at this club.
'I knew all the players, the style of play. I know almost everything about this club even if I wasn't around.'
Umtiti made his international debut in France's quarter-final victory over Iceland at Euro 2016, retaining his place for the next two games as the hosts lost 1-0 to Portugal in the final.
However, he will face stiff competition for playing time at Barcelona from Gerard Pique, Javier Mascherano and France team-mate Jeremy Mathieu.
But Umtiti insisted the challenge will spur him on.
'I need this competition, I know it, and here there's a lot more competition,' he said.
'I'm ready for that, I'm here to improve at everything and improve with these players who are more experienced than me. But I have lofty ambitions, I don't want to hide, I'm a player, I'm a competitor.'