Just over nine years ago, on November 16 2003, Exposito was a 22-year-old sitting on the bench at Estadio do Dragao in Porto ready to make his debut for Barcelona alongside a fresh-faced Argentinian called Lionel Messi.
While the pair both went on to score in Champions League finals, their career trajectories have differed greatly since that night.
Messi has gone on to win 19 major trophies and this month earned his fourth successive FIFA Ballon d’Or for being the world’s best player.
Meanwhile, after some serious injuries left him languishing in Spain’s lower leagues, Exposito eventually found his way to New Zealand where he has experienced a second wind of sorts.
“I still remember my Barcelona debut so clearly, it was an incredible moment. It was on the very same day Messi made his debut and obviously our careers have gone in very different directions,” Exposito says.
“He is a big star now and you could see, even when he was only 16, that he was always one step up from everyone. He played only 15 minutes in that match against Porto and had maybe three chances to score, while I was on for 75 minutes and had zero chances. There’s the difference.
“As good as he was though, we did not know he would become the best player in the world. But now I can always say I made my debut with Messi.”
After stints in Alcorcon, UE Figueres and Benidorm in 2011, Exposito received a call from Ramon Tribulietx, a fellow Catalan coach making his mark down under at Auckland City.
“Ramon had coached me before in the Segunda and I knew he was in New Zealand, but I never could have predicted the call,” Exposito says.
“But Spain was, and still is, in a bad position with the economic crisis, so it was a really easy decision. New Zealand has been brilliant, it’s a great country to live and the club look after overseas players really well – it’s a big family and it certainly helped having people who speak Spanish as when I arrived my English was not good.
“The football is very different here – the pitches are different, there are not big stadiums like in Spain, the game is probably a little more physical and direct but it’s getting better. I’m lucky because Ramon wants to play football the proper way, the Barcelona way – keeping possession and using the ball. That’s what I like and for me it was pretty easy.”
While the football may have differed from what he was used to, it didn’t stop Exposito from stamping his mark on the Oceania scene almost immediately.
In April 2011, Exposito scored in both legs of the OFC Champions League final against Vanuatu’s Amicale inspiring Auckland City to victory and with the win came the potential for an unlikely reunion with Barcelona for the Spaniard.
The draw for the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi left Auckland City needing to beat the champions of Japan, the CONCACAF region and South America to book a final against Barca.
However it wasn’t to be as Exposito and his teammates were eliminated by J-League victors Kashiwa Reysol in their opening game.
“For me playing in the Club World Cup was a dream, it was amazing to play there,” he says.
“It’s completely professional, you are with the best teams in the world and the environment is perfect. You enjoy every training session, every meal, every second of the trip. For the bigger clubs the games are not important but for Oceania, it is a big chance to play on the world stage, and to show the development of the region’s football.”
During the 2012 OFC Champions League, Exposito again helped his side to the title over Tahiti’s Tefana, this time netting six goals in eight games to claim the competition’s Golden Boot.
While Auckland City went on to lose in their opening match of the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup in Japan last month, the event evoked happy memories for Exposito who was reminded of his time at one of the world’s biggest clubs.
“I played with the top players in the world at Barca and I learned every day about so much – from game situations to technical aspects,” Exposito says.
“Every training session is so intense and so hard, it is so hard to train there as there is a lot of pressure, because if you are playing for Barcelona you need to be the best. You learn so much from your teammates and coaches.
“I used to go and watch the first team and was fortunate enough to train with them sometimes too – every day is an education.
“Life changed really quickly after Barcelona. One day you are watching Ronaldinho do stuff with the ball in training that you would still question is possible even in the flesh, the next you are without a club.
“You just have to accept it – football is a transient sport and that is what we sign up for. Now I just enjoy every single moment playing football with no regrets. I think that life shows you your way and that’s what happened to me.”

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