"We called Guardiola the sick man"

Fourteen years after parting ways with Barcelona, Jeffren still holds vivid memories of the club and of his time under Pep Guardiola. Speaking on the podcast "Helado oscuro," the Venezuelan reflected on his former coach: "He told me that if I stayed, I wouldn't play because they would sign Alexis Sanchez. Nevertheless, Pep always had great affection for me."

The pacey winger joined Barça’s youth academy in 2004 and, five years later, earned promotion to the senior squad. His first appearance under Guardiola came in May 2009 — a brief six-minute cameo in a 2–1 loss to Mallorca. Over the next two seasons, he would feature in 32 more matches before departing in the summer of 2011 to join Sporting Lisbon for nearly 4 million euros.

A truce: Ter Stegen gets his captaincy back

Since hanging up his boots last summer — followed by a short coaching spell at Chiangmai United in Thailand — Jeffren recalled another encounter with Guardiola years later: "I met him in Qatar when he was coaching Bayern Munich, and he told me, 'You're the fastest player I've ever had,' then gave me a hug. I'll hold on to that." He added with a laugh: "We called Guardiola the sick man, but I learned so much from him."

His admiration wasn’t reserved for Pep alone. Jeffren also had glowing words for former Barca captain Carles Puyol, a teammate on 16 occasions: "He was something else. I've never met anyone like him — strong, intelligent, knowledgeable, respectful, and grateful, qualities so many players lack."

And his final tribute was telling: "He was like a warrior; he scared me. You either stayed out of his way or he went straight through you. The difference between a good defender and a legend is all in the mind. Puyol was on another level. But despite that fierce nature, he’s a kind man. Even if we’ve lost touch, people like him never change."