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A veritable global football behemoth, Barcelona, currently in transition, have been the home to many of the greatest superstars in the game and continue to house one of the best footballers ever, Lionel Messi.
That does not mean every star who has played for the Blaugrana has succeeded at the club. While already established players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic fell out with then-Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola during his only season at the club, others such as Thierry Henry and Arda Turan also flattered to deceive at Camp Nou.
Five players who got away from Barcelona
In this list, we will focus on those players who were still relatively green but talented while at Barcelona; nevertheless, they failed to establish themselves at the club for a variety of reasons and then became superstars of the game at a different club.
So without further ado, let us take a look at five such footballers who got away from Barcelona.
#5 Adama Trarore
The player with one of the most respected physiques in the game, Adama Traore has been a breath of fresh air since joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018. His ascent has coincided with the rise of Wolves as a force in the English game, and the winger has scored key goals for the club while becoming a vital cog in the team's set-up.
Adama Traore's great form has led to him being called up by the Spain national team, whom he chose over Mali after some dilemma; the player has also been linked with a move away from his current club.
However, not many remember that Adama Traore actually began his career with the Barcelona youth teams; he was born in the city and made four appearances for the senior side after coming through the ranks. But Barcelona back then was possibly the toughest team to break into, and Traore chose to move on to Aston Villa in 2015.
#4 Eric Garcia
La Masia. You will come across this name quite a few times in the rest of this article. Most of the players on this list are graduates of Barcelona's famed youth academy that has produced the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Pep Gaurdiola...etc etc...you get the drift.
Eric Garcia, a 19-year-old central defender, was also nurtured by the Barcelona school and trained in their philosophy but moved very early to Manchester to join City. He moved up their youth teams to finally become a first-team player for Pep Guardiola's men.
Such is his potential that both Barcelona and City want him; Eric Garcia is being heavily linked with a move back to Catalonia. His contract at City expires at the end of this season, but for now he remains a Cityzen.
#3 Hector Bellerin
A three-time FA Cup winner with Arsenal, Hector Bellerin is a true Gunner right now. However, like Traore, Bellerin was born in Barcelona and began his career in the club's youth team before moving to Arsenal very early, not unlike Garcia who made the shift to Manchester City.
A versatile wing-back who is capable of providing attacking threat as well as defensive solidity, Bellerin is now also a Spain international. Tellingly, Barcelona recently let go of Nelson Semedo this season and picked up Sergino Dest as cover for Sergi Roberto in that position.
Bellerin might have been a home-grown solution to Barcelona's issues at the position right now.
#2 Mauro Icardi
Mauro Icardi has proven his class as a centre-forward during a brilliant spell at Inter Milan and is currently showing his mettle at PSG.
Icardi was, however, another La Masia graduate who decided to leave the club early, possibly thinking that he wasn't a perfect fit as a classical forward in the fluid tiki taka system that Barcelona employed then.
Ironically, Barcelona had won the race to sign Icardi as a youth player after beating the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal. Barcelona will definitely consider him as one that got away, as the 27-year-old won the Capocannoinere twice for Inter and has scored 187 goals already in his club career.
#1 Thiago Alcantara
A proven midfield maestro, Thiago Alcantara pulled the strings masterfully as Bayern Munich romped to a continental treble last season. He has now moved to Liverpool and has shown his class in the very few appearances he has made for the English champions.
Unlike most of the names on this list, Alcantara actually played quite a few matches for the Barcelona senior team, scoring 11 goals and assisting 20 times in exactly 100 matches.
However, due to the legendary duo of Xavi and Iniesta being at their primes, Thiago Alcantara never became a first-team regular at Barcelona. His desire to leave the club was capitalised on by Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich, who promptly brought the player to Bavaria. Alcantara hasn't looked back since.
Alcantara's fellow players at Barcelona still hold him in high regard; The Liverpool midfielder won a truckload of trophies for the club despite being a bit-part player for over four years.
This is what Xavi said about Thiago then:
“I think he is an extraordinary player. Thiago is not just a player for the future, but he is someone who can make an impact right now as well.”
Thus began his rise to become one of the best in the world. How Barcelona would have benefited from having the 29-year-old at the heart of their midfield right now!
