Are Barcelona set to be Europes next fallen giants?

10 years ago, Barcelona was undoubtedly the greatest club side in world football. They had just won their second Champions League title in 3 years. After a remarkable performance at Wembley against Manchester United, they were revered as one of the greatest ever football teams. Fast forward ten years and a rot have set in at the club, and it doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon.

It's been 6 years since Barca's last Champions League triumph. Since then, they have lost all of their legendary trio, Messi, Neymar and Suarez, and have little to show for it. One major problem for the Catalan club has been their recent transfer business. They spent 9 figures on each of Griezzmann, Dembele and Coutinho. However, Griezmann was sold back to Atletico Madrid this summer, Dembele has had his time ravaged by injuries and they are afraid to play Coutinho in fear of having to pay any bonuses to Liverpool.

Not only have their incomings been strange though. La Masia, Barcelona's world renowned academy, is not producing talent like it once did. During Barca's best years under Guardiola, you couldn't move for homegrown talent in Barca's team. Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets, Valdes and Pedro to name a few. During last night's embarrassing 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, Barcelona had just 2 players under 30 who had come through the academy in the starting 11.

How much longer will Barcelona's demise continue?

Earlier in the year, Barcelona elected a new club president. Joan Laporta was confirmed as president, beginning his second spell in the role as he looked to clean up the mess left by Bartomeu. The mess is eye-watering. He says that Barca is currently in 1.35 billion euros of debt. They can't afford to keep hold of club legend Leo Messi, a sign of how far they have fallen.

Another sign is the European Super League. On the 18th of April this year, it was announced that a proposed Super League would include Barcelona. It was seen as the end of the beautiful game by many, leading to an outcry of anger from fans. However, Barcelona remains one of 3 teams yet to withdraw from the proposed competition. They have no choice. It is their only hope of avoiding financial disaster. They simply can't compete on the pitch with football's elite whilst having over a billion euros of debt.

Whilst their issues off the pitch are awful, they are just as bad on it. Ronald Koeman was appointed as manager in 2020 having played for the club for 6 years in the late 80s and 90s. He arrived with limited prestige as a manager, perhaps yet another indicator of how far this giant has fallen. He is yet to win a trophy in a managerial career spanning 20 years, with his most notable job being his 2-year spell as manager of his national team, the Netherlands.

Realistically, Barcelona could slip for years to come, to a level that just a few years ago many would not have been able to imagine. Off the pitch, their finances are unsustainable and on it, their performances are uninspiring, so don't expect to see Barcelona at the top of European football again any time soon.