JOAN GAMPER TROPHY CHAMPIONS, YOU’LL NEVER SING THAT!
After Barcelona’s late comeback win vs Spurs in their last preseason friendly and the christening of their temporary stadium in Montjuic, let’s take a look at some embarrassing moments in the history of their club. I’m joking, that’s not the reason I’m looking into this topic today, but while doing some research for another post coming soon, I saw just how many talents are released from a club like Barcelona yearly, and surely some of them turn into stars. Let’s find out, shall we? Let’s look at the 10 best ones since 2010.
We’ll not just include players Barca released for nothing, but also ones sold for fees well below their peak market value.
Honorable Mentions:
Juan Miranda
At Barca from 2014-2021, sold to Betis for free
Mateu Morey
At Barca from 2015-2019, sold to Dortmund for free
Sergio Gomez
At Barca from 2010-2018, sold to Dortmund for 3 million
Alex Moreno
At Barca from 2011-2012, sold to Llagostera for free
Juan Larios
At Barca from 2016-2020, sold to Man City for an undisclosed fee
Rodri Sanchez
At Barca from 2014-2015, sold to Deportivo Coruna for an undisclosed fee
Take Kubo
At Barca from 2011-2015, sold to FC Tokyo for free
Let’s begin the list!
10: Arnau Martinez
Current Team: Girona
Position: RB
Age: 20
Years at Barca: 2010-2016
Transfer out: Hospitalet, free
Peak/Current Market Value: 15m/15m
Uncharacteristically for a young Right Back, Arnau Martinez is an enforcer type. Girona is a hardheaded team, which has suited Martinez very well. Going through the Barca youth setup from the age of 7 to the age of 13, he was in Barca’s hands for quite a while, and the Blaugrana tried to sign him again this summer, but he’s quite low at this point on Barca’s priorities for Right Back, finishing a transfer for Joao Cancelo and looking at signing Ivan Fresneda too. He seems a perfect fit for Atlético Madrid, who are also monitoring him.
9: Jean-Clair Todibo
Current Team: Nice
Position: CB
Age: 23
Years at Barca: 2019-2021
Transfer Out: Nice, 8.5m
Peak/Current Market Value: 30m
Todibo wasn’t a traditional La Masia signing, joining Barca at the age of 19. However, despite his short time at Barca, he was still a Barca player. His didn’t actually spend much time for Barca, spending only the second half of the 18/19 season and the first half of 19/20 at Barca before going out on loans to Schalke and Benfica and going to Nice.
8: Hector Bellerin
Current Team: Betis
Position: RB
Age: 28
Years At Barca: 2003-2011, 2022
Transfer Out: Arsenal, 500k
Peak/Current Market Value: 40m/8m
Being the only player on this list to have played for Barca after his discarding from the youth academy, I was debating putting Bellerin here. However, back in the prime of his Arsenal days, Bellerin was one of the premier full backs in the game. He was never amazing, but his sheer pace and chance creation ability in a league which at the time was starved of good talent in Bellerin’s position made him coveted. I never understood while Barca got rid of him after half a season, especially while keeping Alonso, but hopefully he can recapture his best at Betis.
7: Alejandro Grimaldo
Current Team: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: LB
Age: 27
Years at Barca: 2008-2016
Transfer Out: Benfica, 2m
Peak/Current Market Value: 35m/25m
While he joined Barca at the age of 13, Grimaldo was at Barca for 8 years, still. He’s had a semi-successful career as an undroppable Benfica Left Back for 7 years before deciding to start a new adventure at Leverkusen this summer. At only 27, Grimaldo still has a long career ahead of him, but between Jordi Alba and Alex Balde, he wouldn’t have had a lot of playing time at Barca.
6: Marc Cucurella
Current Team: Chelsea
Position: LB
Age: 25
Years at Barca: 2012-2020
Transfer Out: Getafe, 11m
Peak/Current Market Value: 55m/35m
I know, 3 full backs in a row, and 3 completely different careers. Marc Cucurella’s career has been strange, and he’s made a profit for everyone who’s had him. For Barca, he was bought for free before being sold to Eibar for 2 million after they triggered the buy clause in his loan. Eibar made a 2 million euro profit as well by selling him back to Barca for 4 million euros in the same window. Barca then sold him to Getafe for 11 million the following summer after a loan, and the summer after that Getafe sold him to Brighton for 18 million, and once again, after a year, Brighton sold him to Chelsea for 65 million. Safe to say that Chelsea probably won’t make a profit on the young full-back, though. I always liked Cucurella’s game, but like Grimaldo, he wouldn’t have had much playing time at Barca.
5: Luis Alberto
Current Team: Lazio
Position: CAM
Age: 30
Years at Barca: 2012-2013
Transfer Out: Sevilla, End of Loan
Peak/Current Market Value: 55m/18m
He was technically at Barca on loan, but they still had the chance to pick him up. Alberto is best known for his time at Lazio, second to that his time at Liverpool as well, but he did spend a year playing with the B-team. If he stayed, Alberto would’ve been a solid backup option for Barca, but unfortunately, not too much more than that.
4: Andre Onana
Current Team: Man Utd
Position: GK
Age: 27
Years at Barca: 2010-2015
Transfer Out: Ajax, 125k
Peak/Current Market Value: 45m/35m
I am a little salty about this one, as Andre Onana has gone on to do very, very well since leaving Barcelona. First, being the #1 as Ajax reached the Europa League Final in 2017, only 2 years after leaving Barca, and the Champions League Semi Final in 2019, then as Inter reached the Champions League final last season, and is now the De Gea replacement for Man Utd. Onana did serve a 9-month ban in 2021 for using a banned substance, but it’s hardly seemed to make a difference. Onana had a masterclass home and away vs Barca in the Champions League last season, being a critical factor in their group stage elimination. Leaving probably was the better career choice though, as he’d essentially become the new Neto for Barca.
3: Dani Olmo
Current Team: RB Leipzig
Position: CAM
Age: 25
Years at Barca: 2007-2014
Transfer Out: Dinamo Zagreb, free
Peak/Current Market Value: 50m/40m
Recently taking headlines after scoring a hattrick vs Bayern in the DFB Supercup in a 3-0 victory, Dani Olmo is a Steady Eddie and reliable player for Leipzig, while still being young. He’s been linked with a return since at least 2020, and hopefully one day it can happen. He’s been in and out of the Spain squad, and is a dependable young attacker.
2: Xavi Simons
Current Team: RB Leipzig (Loan from PSG)
Position: CAM
Age: 20
Years at Barca: 2010-2019
Transfer Out: PSG, free
Peak/Current Market Value: 40m/40m
It feels like Xavi Simons has been around forever, despite only being 20. He had a massive breakout season at PSV last year, which made PSG buy him back and loan him to Leipzig. I’m also quite salty about this one as Simons would’ve been invaluable to Barca this season had he stayed, and would have been a key part of the winger rotation. Simons looks like he’ll become a star winger in the future, and he’s another clanger dropped by Barcelona.
1: Mauro Icardi
Current Team: Galatasaray
Position: ST
Age: 30
Years at Barca: 2008-2011
Transfer Out: Sampdoria, 300k
Peak/Current Market Value: 100m/19m
…But none are as big as this one. After spending 3 years at Barca, Mauro Icardi went to Sampdoria to make his name in Serie A, and after impressing after a year for the senior team and a couple with the B-Team, he joined Inter Milan in 2013, and just exploded. 124 goals in 219 games, winning the Serie A top scorer twice, and became one of the most underrated strikers of the recent generation. He made the big move to PSG when he was 26, thinking that he’d further his career by a long shot and finally take the reigns of the Argentina #9 from Sergio Aguero and Gonzalo Higuain. However, Despite many trophies, Icardi only got 38 goals in 92 games for PSG, and was sent to Galatasaray on loan last year before making it permanent this summer.
There we have it. Barca’s 10 biggest clangers in the youth academy since 2010. I liked doing this, and I’m thinking of doing it with other teams as well. I hope you enjoyed, I’m Jim James, until next time.