Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has told France Football he sometimes found the club's play "boring as s---" under Pep Guardiola.
Umtiti, 23, joined Barca from Lyon in a €25 million move, fulfilling a childhood dream of playing for the club he idolised as a youngster.
Guardiola's four-year tenure at the Camp Nou between 2008 and 2012 resulted in one of the most successful periods in the club' history, and saw his team, inspired by Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, hailed as one of the greatest of all time.
Umtiti, however, has admitted the current Manchester City boss' legendary style was not to his taste as a fan, preferring instead that of Guardiola's predecessor, Frank Rijkaard.
"The period with Ronaldinho, Deco, when they won the Champions League," Umtiti said when asked when he first got excited about watching the Catalan giants.
"Frank Rijkaard was the coach and I loved watching them play, their style, the way they kept the ball, moved it around. No other team did it like them. There was an incredible winning culture. The players never seemed satisfied. I almost never missed one of their matches.
"Then it became less interesting. I said to my friends, 'I love Barca's style of play, but when they keep the ball for 10 years, it's as boring as s---.' After that, Barcelona evolved again."