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Barcelona are well known for attracting the biggest players in world football, with many elite superstars playing for them over the years. Many of these players made history at the club and assumed hero status before bidding adieu. However, not all of them were given the type of exit they deserved.
Lionel Messi and Barcelona, for instance, ended their 21-year association this summer. The Argentine was the epitome of greatness during his time in Catalonia, and many expected him to retire at the club. So his departure came as a big shock to everyone, especially considering the way it happened.
It is irrelevant to blame the Blaugrana for Messi's exit, considering the club's poor financial situation at the moment. However, the same cannot be said of other top superstars who have been forced out of Camp Nou on a disrespectful note over the years.
On that note, here's a look at five such players:
#5 Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann was at the top of his game when Barcelona signed him from Atletico Madrid for €120 million in the summer of 2018. However, the Frenchman failed to meet expectations at Camp Nou, bagging only 35 goals and 17 assists across two seasons.
Much of Griezmann's problems at Barcelona were because he wasn't utilised properly. The attacker was played out of position throughout his stint at the club. He was heavily scrutinised last season despite orchestrating Barcelona's Copa Del Rey triumph.
The worst happened this summer, as the Blaugrana decided to offload the 30-year-old back to his former club on a two-year loan deal. The motive behind the transfer was simply to get his wages off the club's wage bill and to raise some funds amid their financial crisis.
#4 Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho helped a crippling Barcelona return to the summit of European football just three years after joining from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003. Leading the club to dominance in Spain with his magical displays helped establish the Brazilian as the best player on the planet.
However, things quickly turned sour when Pep Guardiola was appointed the Barcelona manager in the summer of 2008. A fallout reportedly emerged between the duo. The tactician apparently didn't like Ronnie's lifestyle, as he believed the Brazilian could be a bad influence on the rising youngsters at the club.
Eventually, the South American ended up leaving Barcelona and joining AC Milan in a deal worth €24 million on July 15, 2008. During his five-year stint with the Blaugrana, Ronaldinho bagged 94 goals and 71 assists in 207 appearances across competitions.
#3 Samuel Eto'o
Just a year after Ronaldinho's exit, Barcelona also parted ways with Samuel Eto'o. The Cameroonian, who was arguably the best striker in Europe at the time, also left because of a fallout with Pep Guardiola. He later revealed the pair didn't have a good relationship, and accused the tactician of disrespecting him.
Eto'o opened up in an interview in 2014:
"Guardiola has never had the courage to say things in front of me. He passed by the players. Xavi told me they wanted me to stay, but I had to talk to Pep. I say 'never, if you do not respect me, I do not respect you."
The Cameroonian eventually left for Inter Milan in the summer of 2008 in a swap deal that saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic move the other way. Despite his abrupt departure, Eto'o still ranks fifth among Barcelona's all-time scorers, with 130 goals to his name in 199 games across competitions.
#2 Dani Alves
Letting go of Dani Alves is one of the worst decisions Barcelona have made in recent years. The Brazilian was a huge force to reckon with during his time at Camp Nou. Since his departure, the club have failed to find a proper replacement for Alves.
Dani Alves helped the Blaugrana win a whopping 23 titles during his eight-year stint at the club. However, a strained relationship with Josep Maria Bartomeu's board forced him to leave as a free agent in 2016. The defender later revealed he was treated disrespectfully by the club.
The Brazilian revealed:
"I like to be loved, and if I'm not loved, I leave. Leaving Barcelona for free was a punch with class. In my last season, I always heard that Alves was leaving, but the directors never said anything to my face."
He continued:
"They were false and ungrateful. They didn't have respect for me. They only offered to renew my contract when the FIFA ban came into effect. So that's when I decided I would play, and I signed a renovation with a free clause. The people who run Barcelona have no idea how to treat the footballers."
#1 Luis Suarez
Besides Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez is, without doubt, the finest Barcelona player in the last seven years. The Uruguayan formed an incredible partnership with his Argentine colleague in attack, which brought a lot of success to the club.
However, Suarez's heroics at Camp Nou were given very little consideration when he was forced out of the club last summer. The striker was offloaded to Atletico Madrid with the reason that he was too old to perform. But he managed to prove Barcelona wrong by leading the Rojiblancos to the Liga title last season.
Suarez didn't hold anything back when he reflected on what really happened. He explained:
"What really bothered me was when they told me that I was old and that I could no longer play at a high level, be up to (the task of fronting) a great team. That's what I did not like.
He continued:
"If I hadn't done anything at a club like Barcelona for three or four seasons, I would have understood. But, every year at Barca, I scored more than 20 goals per season. I have always had good statistics, just behind Leo (Messi)."
