Barca finally did it. They finally won a UCL Knockout tie. For the first time in 1,312 days, Barcelona punch their ticket to the Champions League Quarterfinals. In 1,312 days, a lot can change. What happened for the players who played for Barcelona today that led them to get to this point? Let’s look; Where were they in 2020?
GK: Marc-André ter Stegen: FC Barcelona
The only player who started this tie who started the last tie as well, Ter Stegen has remained the #1 of choice for Barcelona, making a return from a long spell out from injury last month. Since his return, Barcelona’s defence has improved to no end, only conceding 3 in their last 6 matches, as opposed to 15 in the 6 matches before that. In 2020, Ter Stegen was in a similar position, but in the next match after Napoli, he made a fool of himself, conceding 8 in one match against Bayern Munich, bringing a fiery end to that era of Barcelona, as wholesale changes were made that summer for the 2020/21 season. Ter Stegen, however, has remained the stalwart of Barcelona.
RB: Jules Kounde: Sevilla
In the COVID-lockdown 2020 season, Jules Kounde thrived, in the first of his 3-year spell at Sevilla. In the league, he propelled Sevilla to 4th place, on level pegging with Atlético Madrid, and was one of the best defenders in the entire Europa League as he helped Sevilla win that competition as well, beating Roma, Wolves, Man Utd, and Inter. He also thrived in defence as Sevilla finished only 9 points off the top in La Liga in 2020/21. He was linked with several 80m+ moves away, but stayed for the 21/22 season as well, where he finished 4th and got a red card for throwing a football at Jordi Alba’s head. After a transfer saga that saw him very, very nearly join Chelsea, he joined Barcelona in the summer of 2022. He’s thrived in a new RB role, and once again performed brilliantly against Napoli.
CB: Ronald Araujo: Barcelona
I can speak for most when I say I did not expect this type of rise from Ronald Araujo. In 2020, Araujo was on the same level as players like Monchu, Konrad de la Fuente, Ludoveit Reis, and Jandro Orellana as a constant on the bench during Barcelona’s trip to the Portugal bubble. However, something in Araujo must have snapped after watching his side lose 8-2 to Bayern Munich, as after the defensive overhaul in the summer of 2020, Araujo’s new role as a rotational defender was pounced upon by the Uruguayan. He started both matches against Juventus in the Group stages, and made 16 league starts. He made his full breakout as a star defender in 21/22, and the rest has been history. Araujo could very well be a major piece for Barcelona for the better part of a decade.
CB: Pau Cubarsi: La Masia
4 years ago, Pau Cubarsi was a scruffy 13 year old, rising up through the ranks of La Masia, 2 years after his move to Barcelona as an 11-year old from Girona. In 2022, at 15 years old, Cubarsi became the third youngest Barcelona player to play in the UEFA Youth League in a draw against Viktoria Plzen, behind Lamine Yamal and Ilaix Moriba, who also both broke through in the first team after their debuts in the youth league. Cubarsi was a regular in the U19s, sometimes playing for the B-Team, until 2023/24, when he transitioned to the B-Team permanently. It only took until January 2024, however, for the 16-year old Cubarsi to make his debut for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey against Unionistas. Xavi took an immediate liking to Cubarsi, and he’s been a regular ever since. He even won the MOTM award at 17 years old, in his Champions League debut, less than 2 months after that debut against Unionistas.
LB: João Cancelo: Man City
In 2020, Cancelo was in his first season at Man City, a spell which would see him become arguably the best RB in the world. Cancelo did very, very well at Man City, and until 2023 didn’t see his future at any other club than Man City. However, after a bust-up with Pep Guardiola, Cancelo made a shock 6-month loan to Bayern Munich, and after the Bavarians didn’t make any attempt to keep Cancelo permanently, City looked to ship him during the Summer of 2023. After no permanent offers came in that City were satisfied with, they settled with a deadline day loan to Barcelona, with no buy option to comply with La Liga FFP, but an agreement to discuss a permanent transfer in June. At Barcelona, Cancelo has looked like he finally found a home with Barcelona.
DM: Andreas Christensen: Chelsea
I’ll bet some of you didn’t know Xavi was trying a John Stones with Andreas Christensen recently, with the absence of a Barcelona-level Defensive Midfielder. Frenkie de Jong isn’t fit for the position, and Oriol Romeu just isn’t up to scratch for Barcelona. He’s been doing decent in the role, but anyway, going back to 2020, when Christensen was an okay-but-not-great player for Chelsea. He was a starter for the Blues, but never really found a groove at the side. He was one of the signings in Barcelona’s summer 2022 overhaul of the team. He also found himself as an integral part of one of Europe’s best defences that season as Barcelona won La Liga. He’s been in and out of the team since, but has found a home at defensive midfield.
CM: Fermin Lopez: La Masia
At 17 years old in 2020 and nowhere near the first team, Fermin Lopez probably wasn’t thinking this would be reality in 4 years. Sure, he may have hoped for a breakthrough at Barcelona eventually, but after being put into what promised to be a deadly loan cycle after being loaned to Linares Deportivo, Fermin was given a chance in the summer of 2023, preseason, in, of all games, El Clasico. He was thrust on in the second half with Barcelona 1-0 up, and scored a screamer 20 minutes after coming on, followed up by an assist to the misery compiler from Ferran Torres to make it 3-0 in stoppage time. He’s also been in-and-out of the starting XI, and has recently been given a bigger role after the injuries of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri. Let’s hope Fermin can make it work at Barcelona, despite his turning 21 in the summer and many young midfielders breaking into the team.
CM: İlkay Gündoğan: Man City
Another player I didn’t expect to be in the team back then, Gundogan’s rise since 2020 has been incredible for a player of his age. Despite being one of the older players in this team, Gundogan’s engine has been one of the best of anyone this season. In 2020, Gundogan was also a mainstay in Man City’s midfield, but the real legendary performances started in 2022, scoring two in a 3-2 comeback victory against Aston Villa on the final day to win Man City the 2022 Premier League title. Then in 2023, Gundogan scored a brace in the FA Cup final against Manchester United to win that trophy for them. He joined Barca on a free that summer, and has done pretty well, although will likely leave after his 2-year contract is up in 2025, when he’ll be turning 35.
RW: Lamine Yamal: La Masia
Here’s someone who especially didn’t think he’d be here. When Barcelona won their last Knockout Tie, Yamal had only just turned 13, and was still considered by a few as a potential star, but not many. Yamal has risen the ranks incredibly since then, and broke through with Barcelona in 2023 at the age of 15, and started making consistent appearances at the start of this season. He’s now one of the players Barcelona rely on most, at the age of 16. Wow.
ST: Robert Lewandowski: Bayern Munich
This fella was THE star of the show in 2020, and he was a pipe dream for every Barca fan back then. The Ballon D’Or was (for no good reason) cancelled in 2020, but if it wasn’t, he’d have won it for sure. Lewandowski spent two more great years at Bayern Munich, breaking the single-season Bundesliga goal record in 2021, with 41 goals in 29 matches. He moved to Barcelona in 2022, the crown jewel of the Summer 2022 retool, and has been scoring quite a bit, but still not to the level of Bayern Munich.
LW: Raphinha: Rennes
That makes 3 of 3 attackers that I didn’t think we’d have the next time we won a KO tie. In 2020, Raphinha was at Rennes, in France, and was one of their key players as they qualified to the Champions League, and one of the subjects of the subsequent raid that followed. Raphinha joined Leeds that October, and spent 2 years there as one of their best players. In 2022, they barely survived relegation, a fate which would have saved Barcelona a great deal in transfer fee when signing him that summer. Raphinha has had a mixed bag in Catalonia, but put in a pretty good performance in this particular match.
SUB: Sergi Roberto: Barcelona
Sergi Roberto is the third and final player who was featuring in Barcelona’s first team the last time they won a Knockout tie. Like Ter Stegen, Roberto has seen everything as a Barca player, from the golden era to the burnout era to the new era. However, it now looks like Roberto may leave the club at the end of the season, as his contract expires. Hopefully not.
SUB: Oriol Romeu: Southampton
A very strange signing in 2023, Oriol Romeu was the panic replacement to Sergio Busquets after his departure. In 2020, Romeu was just a solid rock in midfield for a mid-table Southampton side, though one that had played the full 90 in a 0-9 loss to Leicester that season, somehow the only worse humiliation that year than the 8-2 match. He then joined Girona in 2022, and played a key role in taking all 6 points off Real Madrid, and was generally a commendable player. His time in Barcelona has also been a mixed bag, although he looks like he’ll leave after the season as well, as he’s just not up to scratch.
SUB: João Félix: Atlético Madrid
I always liked Felix after his move to Atlético Madrid, and in 2020 he had just come off a disappointing first season after a 100m move to the Rojiblancos. Felix never really worked under Diego Simeone, and their styles never gelled. In 2023, after years of disappointment, Felix moved to an equally disappointing Chelsea side for 6 months, but also never took off. After being outcast from the first team after his loan spell ended, Felix joined Barcelona on loan for a year on deadline day. He’s been okay, but could definitely be better, the highlight of his spell so far being scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win over his old side back in December. However, if Atleti doesn’t let Barcelona take Felix on loan again in 24/25, his future will likely lie elsewhere.
Well, that’s all from me. This post ended up being way longer than I intended it to be, but that’s just how it works, I suppose. I would have never guessed this gang of players to feature for Barcelona in 4 years, and neither would you. Don’t lie. Wait. What’s that tab? Yeah, that tab. I see you, you odd fellow. Anyway, I’m Jim James, until next time.