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There have been some great names who have played for Barcelona down the years, and who will go down in the incredible history of the club. Barça, like every other club, have been guilty of some poor signings over the years - whether it is a player who is simply not good enough or one that might've well been overpaid for. Some are indeed best forgotten about - and some you can't help forget about as they barely even featured for the club.
Louis van Gaal's reign at the club was particularly uneasy, with several players unable to express themselves under the pragmatic Dutchman. It's not a surprise then, that several players from van Gaal's reign make the cut here - and there could've easily been more included! With that being said, here are the five players you might've forgotten even played for the club - such was the anonymity of their time at the Camp Nou.
#5 Juan Roman Riquelme
He’s been a significant presence throughout his career at Boca Juniors and Villarreal, but his spell at Barcelona is often forgotten. Juan Roman Riquelme made the move from Boca Juniors to Europe with Barcelona in November 2002.
At the time it was a reported €10m transfer fee and before he even landed in Spain there was an issue to deal with regarding his brother who had been kidnapped. When that was resolved he made the move - not that Barca boss at the time Louis Van Goal was enthusiastic, however.
The Dutchman voiced his discontent with the signing from the first moment of the Riquelme deal being speculated and continued to do so when he arrived. The silky midfielder was often deployed as a winger and never managed to show his incredible ability while with the club - Villarreal were to profit from van Gaal’s indifference though. A loan soon came about, before Riquelme settled and made the permanent move to the Yellow Submarine.
#4 Simao
Another player who fell victim under Louis van Gaal’s reign, Simao’s spell at Barcelona was incredibly short-lived. Arriving in the summer of 1999 for a fee close to £11m, he partnered with fellow Portuguese star Luis Figo as Barca secured a second-place finish behind the vintage Deportivo La Coruna team.
Perhaps the most important moment for Simao was being overlooked by scenes elsewhere in the same game. The winger scored in a Clasico, now well remembered for when Figo was the subject of anger from Barca’s fans as he made the controversial switch. Simao scored in the 2-0 win, but never really kicked on afterwards and was soon out the door.
Van Gaal continued to freeze out the player and a move to Sporting CP was discussed. In the end, it was their city rivals Benfica who ended Simao’s misery at the Camp Nou.
#3 Ricardo Quaresma
There’s plenty to forget about Ricardo Quaresma’s time at Barcelona - including those terrible cornrows. With only 22 appearances the enigmatic winger would last just one year at Barca, with the odd glimpse of his incredible individual brilliance and then plenty of frustration. You could even say that has been his career in a nutshell.
The finale to his time at Barca was a bad one too. He picked up an injury which meant he would miss the European Under 21 Championships that year, and there was also very public falling out with coach Frank Rijkaard.
The Dutchman played Quaresma on the left wing and that didn’t sit well with the player, who also grumbled about a general lack of playing time. There was then a refusal to play for the club again while Rijkaard was there, insisting he would only play for another coach.
He eventually moved back to his native Portugal and pitched up at Porto, where he experienced some of the best moments of his career.
#2 Jari Litmanen
Jari Litmanen has cult-like status among many football fans, and when Louis van Gaal went back to old club Ajax to recruit players it was the Finnish attacking midfielder he wanted the most. Unfortunately, his time at Barcelona is not fondly remembered, as the player suffered from injuries and the misfortune of Van Gaal leaving the club.
Van Gaal had an unsuccessful season and left the Camp Nou leaving the club in a state of disarray. New coach Llorenc Serra Ferrer came in and didn’t take to Litmanen at all, as Rivaldo began to emerge as a leading world star.
He took the number 10 shirt off Litmanen and the Finn was frozen out altogether before sealing a free transfer move to Liverpool in January 2001.
#1 Maxi Lopez
One of the players that it’s very easy to forget even played for Barcelona, let alone how their spell at the club went. In January 2015, Lopez moved to Spain for €6.2m and was signed on the basis of replacing Henrik Larsson who was sidelined with an injury at the time.
His start at the club was spectacular but it certainly never continued that way. Lopez scored on his debut for Barca off the bench in a Champions League game against Chelsea - needing only his first shot to bag the goal. Things were all downhill from there for the striker, though.
He went on to make just 13 league appearances and never truly broke into the first team, scoring just one more goal for the club and that was against lowly Zamora in the Copa del Rey.
Lopez stayed in Spain for a little while as he moved to Real Mallorca on loan, but it never worked out there either and the player eventually signed for FC Moscow to end his Barca misery.
