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Playing for Barcelona is a dream for a lot of footballers. There are many players who have gone on strikes and forced their way to Camp Nou while there are many who started off at La Masia and never moved away because they were loving it at the club.
It's not a surprise because Barcelona are undoubtedly one of the biggest clubs in the world, fighting for silverware every season. However, there are a few who got the opportunity to join the Catalan side but rejected it!
Here are 5 World Class players who rejected Barcelona:
#5 Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand was one of the best defenders in the world during his prime. Manchester United shelled out a world record fee to land him from Leeds United and it turned out to be one of their best signings of all time!
The defender was so good that Barcelona wanted to sign him to play alongside Gerard Pique – another defender they got from Old Trafford. The Englishman rebuffed their interest and stayed put at Manchester United.
“I spoke to Roma and also there was interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona at one time. But when I was at Manchester United and there was interest from other clubs I was winning things at Manchester United. So my head was never turned to go anywhere else,” said Rio.
#4 Alessandro Del Piero
Del Piero is a Juventus icon. He played for the Old Lady through thick and thin and was at the club for 19 years.
He made over 700 appearances and captained them for a long time. When Juventus were relegated to Serie B, the Italian had the opportunity to move away and join another European giant.
Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, Del Piero’s agent Claudio Pasqualin confirmed that there was interest from Barcelona and Manchester United but the Juve legend rejected the move. The agent was quoted saying, "Del Piero is Juventus, During the prime of his career, he rejected Manchester United and Barcelona. He did that for love.”
#3 Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva had the opportunity to join Barcelona twice. The Catalan side were desperate to sign a world-class replacement for Carlos Puyol but the Brazilian rebuffed the interest.
Speaking in an interview, Silva revealed: “It was a difficult decision to say no twice to Barcelona. It was never a secret that I have admired them since I was a kid and that I always wished I could play for Barcelona. But life is made of hard decisions that sometimes go against what you dream of.”
“I heard people saying I was just thinking of the money, but they forget we have families to feed. Why would I accept to earn less money to play for Barcelona? Why are players the ones supposed to sacrifice themselves Besides, PSG offered me also an opportunity for a new challenge and the club are trailing the right path,” added the PSG captain.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo
It's the dream for a lot of football fans to see Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi play in the same team. That dream was almost a reality in 2009 but the Portuguese international rejected Barcelona as he wanted to join Real Madrid.
Sir Alex Ferguson was not happy with Madrid luring his best player to Bernabeu so he offered Ronaldo to Barcelona. The Catalan side were keen on securing a deal but were unable to convince Ronaldo to sign for them.
In March 2014, Former Real President, Roman Calderon confirmed that Ronaldo indeed rejected Barcelona: “In the few weeks, he tried to avoid him going to Real Madrid, offering him to Barcelona. Barcelona were very happy but at that moment but it was very crucial as Ronaldo said: I'm not going to any other club but Real Madrid.”
#1 Gianluigi Buffon
Barcelona know how to find the best young talent around the world. The Catalan side's scouts had Gianluigi Buffon on their list during his time at Parma.
The Spanish side made a move for him and so did Juventus. The Italian goalkeeper had a tough choice to make but he ended up declining Barcelona's offer to join Juve instead.
“I could have joined Barcelona in 2001. However, I decided to join Juventus after discussing it with my father and I'm still grateful for it. Being at Juventus is a unique experience and has brought me a lot of satisfaction. And let's not forget that Barcelona back then were nothing like the team they are now,” said Buffon in an interview with Mediaset.
