Football, over the years, has acquired the reputation of being a costly game. Be it the rising transfer fees or the ticket prices, the finances of the game seem to be going on an upward spiral. With hundreds of millions of Euros being spent every transfer window, it is only obvious that the footballing world tends to extensively monitor the players who have been on the move.
Though the development of young players is ingrained in its fabric, Barcelona do resort to signing developed, technically able players in a bid to strengthen the squad. While the likes of Neymar and Luis Suarez have grabbed the limelight since their move to the Camp Nou, there have been numerous players who have had a bit part role to play at the club.
Also Read: 10 of the greatest Barcelona goalscorers of all time
In this segment, we bring to you 7 Barcelona players, who have cost the club the highest in terms of the transfer fee per minute played.
#1 Douglas Pereira - €10,554/- per minute
Sao Paulo fans were not a pleased lot when the news emerged at the end of 2013-14 season that European heavyweights Barcelona were keen on signing their first choice right-back Douglas Pereira. Despite the best efforts of the club to retain his services, the Brazilian defender made the move to Spain for a fee believed to be in the region of €4 Million.
However, despite being touted to be the natural replacement for countryman Dani Alves, Douglas failed to impress in the little time he was afforded on the pitch. Not believed to be in the plans of Luis Enrique, the defender was shipped on a loan to Sporting Gijon in a bid to resurrect his flailing career.
Having featured just 379 minutes during his time at Barcelona, the Brazilian has cost the club heavily in terms of € per minute without any end product to show for and it would be prudent to deem him a flop at the club.
#2 Luis Suarez- €9,676/- per minute
Despite costing the club close to €10K per minute he has been on the pitch so far, the prolific Uruguayan‘s transfer to the Catalan giants for a massive €81 million ranks amongst the best piece of business done by the club in recent times.
Regarded as one of the best strikers in the world and an integral part of the hailed MSN partnership that sends shivers down the opposition defence, the hierarchy at the Camp Nou will not be bothered about the cost per minute, given the maverick striker’s abilities.
Having won everything there is on offer with Barcelona, the superstar is also approaching the personal landmarks of 100 goals and 50 assists for Barcelona at a faster rate than his teammate Lionel Messi and the prolific Cristiano Ronaldo.
It is unfortunate that regardless of his imperious performances, he has been overlooked for numerous individual awards due to his behaviour and we hope he can put it behind him and continue to bag goals and assists at a furious rate for years to come.
#3 Thomas Vermaelen- €7,496/- per minute
The former Ajax and Arsenal man made the ill-fated move to Barcelona for a fee believed to be in the region of €15 million and has since struggled for playing time, largely owing to a series of injuries he has suffered.
While there remains no doubt about his abilities as a rock solid defender, age has certainly caught up with him and it remains unlikely that he will feature again for the Catalan giants as he spends the current season on loan to AS Roma, who have the option to sign him at the end of the season.
Having featured just over 2000 minutes in the Catalan colours, the Belgium international cost Barcelona close to €7,500 per minute on the pitch. At 30 years of age, we believe the player still has 2-3 years in him to perform at the top stage, albeit in a slower league and hence, are led to believe that the move to the Serie A club is a sound piece of business by the player’s camp.
#4 Jeremy Mathieu- €3,846/- per minute
It can be safe to say that the former Valencia man has been restricted to a bit-part role at the club ever since making the move to Camp Nou. 31 years of age when he was brought to the club, Mathieu was never expected to become a regular starter and was regarded as a squad player who would add to the depth of his side.
The French international has featured for 5200 minutes since his move from Valencia, making him one of the costliest players at the club in terms of € per minute on the pitch, including the side’s latest tie against Sporting De Gijon.
The ball-playing central defender adds to his side’s defensive muscle as well as the attacking threat of his side with his presence in the air. His current contract runs until the end of 2017-18 season and given Barcelona’s luck with injuries, Mathieu is destined to have a role to play at the club and would be critical to his side’s chances of winning silverware during his time at the club.
#5 Marc-Andre Ter Stegen- €2,795/- per minute
The German goalkeeper moved to Barcelona at the beginning of the 2014-15 season and was touted to be an ideal upgrade on Victor Valdes. However, he suffered an injury prior to the first league game of the season and manager Luis Enrique was left with no choice but to start Claudio Bravo in the goal.
The performances of the Chilean keeper kept the German out of the Barca line-up during his time at the club. He was bought by Barca for €12 million and having featured for 4,293 minutes, the goalkeeper has cost his club €2,795/- per minute he has been on the pitch.
While Ter Stegen had been the first choice at the club in the Champions League and the Copa Del Rey, he is also finding playing time easier to come by since the departure of Bravo for Manchester City and is expected to feature in a higher number of games in the current season, with Jasper Cillessen serving as his understudy.
He has already impressed with his shot-stopping abilities and distributional prowess and is touted to become a great for both club and country by many.
#6 Ivan Rakitic- €2,427/- per minute
The Croatian International and the former Sevilla man arrived at Barcelona at the end of 2013-14 season, having put in a glorious performance for his club during his last season and picked it up where he left off at his previous home. He has become one of the mainstays of the Barcelona midfield and when fit, he has the ability to dictate the tempo of the game and put in match winning performances.
The €18 million that Barcelona were believed to have shelled out for him, make him one of the sweetest buys by the club in recent times as he has added to the attacking threat of his side as well as ensuring that they remain combative in the middle of the park.
He has featured for over 7,400 minutes since making the switch to the Catalan club and has cost his club €2,427/- per minute. However, given his performances, we are sure the club would have made a high return on investment and should be looking to tie him down for at least another 2 years. As of now, his contract is due to expire at the end of the 2018-19 season.
#7 Claudio Bravo- €1,852/- per minute
The Manchester City numero uno had a great time in Spain, first with Real Sociedad and then with Barcelona, engraving his name in the history of both the clubs. He made an instant impact at Barcelona since making the move in 2014 and went on to win the Ricardo Zamora trophy at the end of the season for his performances in between the sticks for the club and kept the prodigal German keeper Ter Stegen out of the line-up.
The €12 million that Barcelona paid for his services reaped rich rewards not only on the pitch, but also in the books as they were able to ship him to Manchester City for a cool €18 million, making a 50% profit on the fees they paid for him 2 seasons ago.
While he did cost them €1,852/- per minute he featured for them, it is not an extravagant amount given his performances and is definitely amongst the sound pieces of business done by the club in recent times.
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