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Notwithstanding their current turmoils, Barcelona remain one of the most attractive destinations for the biggest superstars in the game. The Blaugrana have succeeded in luring many world-class players to Camp Nou over the last few years. The likes of Neymar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann are some of the notable examples in this regard.
Despite their success in pulling off big-name transfers, Barcelona also have a history of high-profile near misses. The last few years have seen Barcelona getting close to securing the services of world-class superstars, only to miss out on them at the last minute due to various reasons.
From unbeatable defenders to highly talented midfielders and unstoppable forwards, here's a look at five world-class players Barcelona almost signed during the last few years:
#5 Vincent Kompany
Manchester City centre-back Vincent Kompany is one of the highly rated players who almost switched to Barcelona. The defender caught the eye of the Blaugrana with his brilliant displays for German outfit Hamburger SV between 2006 and 2008.
Barcelona reportedly made an approach to lure him out of the Bundesliga in the summer of 2008, but were outpaced by Manchester City. Even after that, the Blaugrana attempted to sign Kompany on a few occasions during his spell at the Etihad.
The Belgian opened up about Barcelona's interest during an interview in 2014 saying:
"I’ve been close a few times to signing for the club (Barcelona); there was contact. But in recent times, I can officially assure you there has not been anything that I know of."
#4 Juan Mata
Juan Mata has made a name for himself as one of the finest ball-playing midfielders in Europe in the last few years. Considering his vision, impeccable passing and technical abilities, it is only natural that a club like Barcelona would show interest in securing his services.
The Blaugrana indeed tried to sign the Spaniard on multiple occasions during his career. After impressing with Valencia in the early phase of his career, Mata was linked with a switch to Camp Nou. But he ended up joining Chelsea, instead, in the summer of 2011.
Barcelona also tried to sign Mata during his spell at Stamford Bridge, but failed to do so. The Spaniard ended up leaving the Blues for Manchester United in 2014. He has been at Old Trafford since then, making 274 appearances and bagging 51 goals and 47 assists across competitions.
#3 Mesut Ozil
Another player who would've been a perfect fit at Barcelona is Mesut Ozil. The 2014 FIFA World Cup winner was heavily linked with a switch to the Blaugrana in 2010. In fact, Barcelona reached an agreement with Werder Bremen to sign the Turkish for just £7 million.
The midfielder even had a meeting with then Barcelona president Sandro Rosell to secure a move to Camp Nou. However, the Bremen board weren't convinced with the transfer, and decided against it. After the move fell through, Ozil ended up joining Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid on August 17, 2010.
The former Germany international went to on to become a huge success at the Santiago Bernabeu. He bagged 27 goals and 80 assists in 159 appearances for Los Blancos across competitions. Ozil also won multiple trophies, including La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup during his three-year spell in Madrid.
#2 David Beckham
David Beckham enjoyed a decent spell at Real Madrid, recording 20 goals and 51 assists in 159 appearances between 2003 and 2007. However, the attacker could've bagged those numbers at Camp Nou had things worked in Barcelona's favour.
Ahead of his transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2003, Beckham was expected to switch to Barcelona. In fact, the Blaugrana had an agreement in place with Manchester United to sign Beckham for £25 million. However, the winger turned down the move, and joined Real Madrid instead.
As a result, Barcelona decided to sign Ronaldinho from PSG instead. That proved to be a masterstroke, as the Brazilian went on to establish himself as one of the greatest players in the club's history. The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner recorded 94 goals and 74 assists in 207 games for the club across competitions.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Barcelona were among the clubs who tried to sign a young Cristiano Ronaldo from Sporting CP. The Blaugrana were offered the chance to snap up the winger in 2003 while they were in negotiations to sign another Portuguese player, Deco.
Joan Laporta, who was the club's president during that period, later opened up on what transpired back then. He explained:
"We had signed Ronaldinho, (Rafael) Marquez and (Ricardo) Quaresma. We were in a process of reconstruction throughout the whole club. (Ronaldo) was at Sporting at the time, before Manchester United, and we were speaking with his agent who wanted to sell us Deco."
"We said that we couldn't because we weren't able to (spend that much at the time, so he told us he had another really good kid. It was Ronaldo. He had a deal with United for €19 million, but we were offered him for €17 million."
Barcelona squandered that opportunity to sign one of the greatest footballers in history. Cristiano Ronaldo ended up joining Manchester United that summer, where he spent six successful years before joining Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid in 2009.
