'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Rivaldo - €23.50 million
Surely one of the all-time greats to wear the Barcelona jersey, Rivaldo kept Barcelona in the hunt for trophies when they clearly needed a crutch. In his first season in Spain with Deportivo La Coruna, his reputation sky-rocketed as he scored 21 goals in La Liga.
The next season, Barcelona came looking for his signature and paid €23.50m to avail his services. The Catalans had not won La Liga in the last three years. But with the Brazilian in their ranks, they went on to win two successive campaigns. Rivaldo was mesmerizing and prolific.
He scored screamers on one hand, and the most sublime and elegant goals on the other. His ball control was exquisite and put everyone on the field to shame. Head on, he was savage when involved in one-vs-one situations with his exceptional dribbling.
Rivaldo played for Barcelona for five years, scoring 130 goals and providing 54 assists in 235 appearances. He is the club's ninth all-time top scorer and Brazil's seventh highest scorer.
#2 Sonny Anderson - €26.25 million
Sonny Anderson arrived at Barcelona on the back of a Ligue 1 winning campaign, where he was named the best player in the French top-flight. In light of that achievement he was rather harshly judged in his time with the Catalans but it was surely an underwhelming spell.
Louis van Gaal, the then Barcelona manager, had both Patrick Kluivert and Luis Enrique higher than the Brazilian in the pecking order. More and more time on the bench started to frustrate Anderson, who had his disagreements and discussions with the Dutch boss.
Eventually, he was sold to Olympique Lyon and the striker found his comfort again in the French territory as he helped them lift two Ligue 1 titles. However, his Barcelona days were far from his prolific best as he scored 21 goals in 68 appearances for the Catalans.
Without being the team's first-choice striker at all times, it's not a bad feat.
#1 Marc Overmars - €29.30 million
The most expensive signing that Barcelona made before 2001 was Marc Overmars. Thanks to Arsene Wenger's shrewd recruitment policy, this is still one of the most profitable deals in Arsenal's history. Considering the fact that he cost more than both Rivaldo and Ronaldo Nazario, this was an underwhelming transfer.
The left-winger was really formidable at Arsenal. The timing of his runs was always on-point and with his great pace he ran behind defenses without them noticing. However, his task was to replace Luis Figo who generated great goal contributions and Overmars failed to produce those numbers.
In 142 appearances over four years, he managed only 19 each of goals and assists. The Dutchman was one of those figures who got better with the more time he spent on the pitch.
Wenger was patient with him despite his slow start at Arsenal. But at Barcelona, he did not have the luxury of taking his time and gradually his game time decreased which saw him lose his flare.
