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#3 Luis Suarez (Sold to Atletico Madrid)
Former Barcelona striker Luis Suarez is revered as one of the best strikers the game has ever seen, and deservedly so. The Uruguay international, who brought Liverpool mighty close to winning the Premier League in the 2013-14 season, joined Barcelona for a reported fee of €82.3million. His signing in the summer of 2014 brought along additional baggage, which most teams refused to carry in Europe. He served a four-month ban at Barcelona for biting Italy's Georgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, but he more than made up for it.
Alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, Suarez completed the formidable trio of 'MSN'. Suarez enjoyed a record-breaking debut season at the Camp Nou and won the treble at the end of the 2014-15 season. The next season, he was at his best for Barcelona, scoring 59 goals and providing 24 assists across all competitions.
After four more seasons, 195 goals and 13 trophies, he was deemed surplus by new coach Ronald Koeman. Atletico Madrid cashed in on the opportunity and signed him for only €7million. The same season, in 2020-21, Suarez guided Atletico to the Spanish league title.
#2 Neymar (Sold to Paris Saint-Germain)
After having a dazzling season for Brazilian club Santos, wonderboy Neymar signed for Barcelona for €88.2million (plus add-ons) in the summer of 2013. Rivals Real Madrid, too, were interested in his services but it was the Catalan giants who got the job done. His arrival gave Barcelona a new lifeline, allowing them to field the formidable duo of Lionel Messi and Neymar week in, week out.
The left-winger took a bit of time to settle in but still recorded 15 goals and 15 assists for Barcelona across all competitions in the 2013-14 campaign. The following season, in 2014-15, Barcelona fired on all cylinders and won a treble, marking their second hat-trick in history. Neymar scored an important goal against Juventus in the Champions League final.
In his final season in 2016-17, Neymar played a decisive role as Barcelona came from four goals behind to beat PSG 6-1 in the Champions League. At the end of the season, PSG triggered Neymar’s €222million release clause and signed the Brazilian player. The transfer fee remains the highest paid for any footballer.
Despite signing several high-profile players since 2017, Barcelona are yet to find his replacement. Chances are, they never will.
#1 Lionel Messi (Moved to Paris Saint-Germain)
Barcelona captain Lionel Messi was forced to move away from the club in the summer of 2021. Thanks to Barcelona’s careless transfers and mismanaged finances, the club could not give Messi a contract while being in line with La Liga regulations.
Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain were quick to respond and offered him a two-year contract right away. Messi, who registered 672 goals and 305 assists in 778 games and won 35 trophies with Barcelona, helplessly obliged.
Without Messi’s brilliance, Barcelona are likely to have a hard time unlocking tricky defenses. The Barcelona icon made his PSG debut against Reims in a Ligue 1 fixture on the 29th of August.
Honorable mention: Ronaldo Nazario
