A graduate of the famous La Masia academy has claimed former teammate Mauro Icardi ate a pigeon in front of him after he killed it with a homemade slingshot.
Sergi Gomez, the former Sevilla and Espanyol defender who spent eight years with Barcelona after joining aged 14, told the surreal story as he spoke to Spanish podcast Post United about his spell at the Catalan club.
The centre-back lived in an apartment with fellow youth products Marc Muniesa, Sergi Roberto and Mauro Icardi for several seasons.
And during this period, Gomez witnessed a moment he would never forget involving Icardi, who joined Barca ahead of the 2008/09 season following interest from a host of clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool and Valencia.
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Speaking on the podcast, Gomez began: "Mauro arrived at La Masía and we were teammates for three or four seasons. During one of those seasons, we shared an apartment. One day he said to me: 'Sergi, come with me to the park next door.'
"He was carrying a Y-shaped piece of wood that he had cut the day before, with a rubber band tied to it. He had made a homemade slingshot. We went to the park, and he pointed to a very tall pine tree and said, 'See up there?' I saw the pine cones, but he insisted, 'No, higher up.' And there was a pigeon that was barely visible."
Icardi proceeded to take out the pigeon, according to Gomez, who claims the Argentine plucked its feathers before putting it over a fire and eating it.
“He grabbed a rock, stretched the rubber band, and... boom. He brought down the pigeon from a height of 20 or 30 meters," Gomez added.
"We went back to La Masía, he plucked its feathers, threaded a wire through it, lit a fire, and ate it in front of me. I remember thinking: ‘What awaits me if we start like this'."
Gomez would go on to express his affection for Icardi, adding: "We lived through a lot together, and if he sees him, he’ll know that I hold that in my heart.”
Why did Icardi leave Barcelona?
Only three years after arriving at the Camp Nou, Icardi left Barcelona to join Serie A side Sampdoria. He left as a result of the differences between his style of football and the Blaugrana's mentality, according to Marca.
Icardi also claimed Barcelona game was "very different to my characteristics" and Italian football suited him better.
The Argentine's former agent Abian Morano also gave an insight into his departure, telling Toda Pasion: "Leaving Barcelona changed Icardi's life. That step to Italian football was decisive and I am convinced that without that decision today wouldn't be a professional footballer."
He added: "The system of Barcelona changed, as strikers went into the background. In the first team, Samuel Eto'o was moved to the wing, as was David Villa and even [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic spent almost a year on the bench.
"Icardi is a pure striker and they took that system down to all the youth ranks."
Topics: Barcelona, Mauro Icardi, La Liga, Spain, Argentina
Jack Kenmare