FC Barcelona are one of the biggest and most successful sporting institutions on the planet. With over 88 major trophies across Spain, Europe and the world, their quality is renown in the most far-flung reaches of the planet. Their unparalleled footballing identity – which started in 1988 with Johan Cruyff and peaked in the Guardiola era (2008-2012) – is known as tiki-taka, and its effects on football are still felt today.
Not only were Barcelona able to dominate the club stage using their very own brand of football, they also played a huge role in shaping the Spain national team that won the 3 biggest international trophies on the trot. In the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa, 7 players who graduated from the famous La Masia played (with 6 starters) in Spain’s victorious final against the Netherlands.
When it comes to football players, they have arguably fielded the finest players of all time. Argentinian superstars Lionel Messi & Diego Maradona head the list, followed by the Brazilians – Ronaldinho, Ronaldo & Romario. Dutch supremo (Johan Cruyff), Cameroonian lion (Samuel Eto’o) and Spanish legends like Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta and Xavi all wowed crowds there.
With 11 Ballon D’Or awards & 7 World Player of the Year honours, the Camp Nou is the home of the superstars of football. Many were raised at home, but some of the very best were purchased for marquee prices – so who are the men to go to Barcelona for huge transfer fees?
10. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal 2011/2012) – €34 million
To start with, we have the prodigal son who returned home to the club that nurtured him and styled his game when he was as young as 10 years old. Back then, his previous coach at CE Mataro used to play him in every match except against the Barcelona kids – because he knew they’d snap him up.
However, the young Catalan was so in love with Barcelona that he couldn’t dash his dreams any longer and eventually fielded him against his dream club. They swooped almost immediately, signing him when he was just 10 years old in 1997.
He immediately made an impression there, scoring up to 30 goals for their youth teams (alongside a young Argentinian boy who would dominate football) and receiving a gift from his idol Pep Guardiola (not the last). However, he was unable to crack into the first team and in 2003 he moved to England to join the Arsenal academy.
Although his was just a typical 16yr-old’s apprenticeship under Arsene Wenger, he made a very early impact, becoming their youngest ever player in the first team and youngest ever scorer (in a 5-1 win against Wycombe) as Arsenal became the only Invincible side in Premier League history in 2003/2004.
The following season, he was expected to get a slightly more hands-on introduction but injuries to Patrick Vieira, Edu & Gilberto Silva meant that he wound up making 46 appearances for the defending champions. His quality was so clear that Wenger started the 17yr-old midfielder in the 2005 FA Cup final which would signal the end of a sustained period of success as they won their last trophy for the next 9 years.
Fabregas’ influence on Arsenal’s style became more pronounced as he played 50 matches the next season, reaching the Champions League against a familiar foe – Barcelona. In a painful meeting with his past, Cesc Fabregas lost 2-1 to hand his old team the European crown.
The following season he reached even greater heights, winning the Golden Boy & Arsenal Player of the Year awards as he hit 13 league assists and scored 4 goals. The following year saw Barcelona come calling again – but for his French teammate, Thierry Henry – a genuine Arsenal legend.
The deal was sealed, leaving Fabregas as the new star of Arsenal. Despite injuries limiting his appearances, he played a crucial part in the team scoring 13 goals and winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award. That earned him the captaincy in the following season, and he responded with aplomb, leading his team to the top of the table after half the season.
However, he was injured winning the penalty that he scored for the equalizer against none other Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinal. With him out, Arsenal’s form dipped and they finished another mediocre season.
But Barcelona chiefs were wondering how they’d let such a mercurial talent go already, and murmurs of interest from his home club culminated in a €35 million being rejected by the club in 2010. Destiny is destiny however, and Fabregas once again faced Barcelona in the Champions League, but a poorly-judged backheel allowed Barcelona to hit the aggregate equalizer and knock his team out of the Champions League.
His 2010 World Cup win seemed a pivotal moment as his feasting Barcelona teammates pulled a blaugrana shirt over the then Arsenal captain. Months later, Arsenal could not restrain him any longer and Barcelona coughed up the fee that finally made Cesc Fabregas go home. In fact, he contributed €1 million himself to make it happen. It was one of the most incredible homecomings after years and years of clashes, injuries, goals and courtship.
9. Arda Turan (Atletico Madrid 2015/2016) – €34 million
The most expensive player in Turkish history was brought through at Galatasary, taking the armband at the tender age of 21. His feisty attitude, superb close control and terrific vision have established him as one of their finest players ever. With only 7 caps to go until he is made a centurion, few would doubt that assessment – his 17 goals in the national colours have endeared him to all of Turkey’s top coaches.
In fact, his fame spread further than that, to Iberian nation Spain, where Atletico Madrid were seeking a player who embodied their tough, feisty and tenacious identity. Eventually, he signed on for a record fee for any Turkish player (€12 million). 45 matches later, his 5 goals and 12 assists (including one for Falcao’s game-killer in their 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in final) saw him become a European champion as Atletico Madrid won the Europa League.
In the UEFA Super Cup, he played a key role as Radamel Falcao ran riot against Chelsea to win 4-1 for his second trophy in Spain. He switched to the number 10 to signal his growing creative duties in the team, eventually totalling 5 goals and 8 assists as his team won the Copa Del Rey against Mourinho’s Real Madrid – at the Santiago Bernabeu!
The following season he played a crucial part of Diego Simeone’s valiant side that broke the frankly boring duopoly of La Liga, winning Atletico Madrid’s first La Liga title since 1996. Although they lost in the Champions League final, they won a lot of respect around the globe for doing the unthinkable over 38 games. Arda Turan’s hit-and-run goal at Stamford Bridge was what ensured that the Spaniards would humble Mourinho’s Chelsea at their own home (3-1). He scored 9 goals and laid a further 6 for his team.
Atletico’s rivalry with Barcelona was a daring affair to see as Messi and Co. slowly removed the chokehold that Simeone’s men had had over them in the previous season. Eventually, things came to a head and Arda Turan threw his boot at a linesman in a fit of rage after a decision didn’t go his way.
Despite the moment of madness going viral, he was not punished for it at all, but his anger at Barcelona benefitting from decisions was clear. So how insane was it that just months later, he moved on from Atletico to sign for Barcelona – who had just been handed a transfer ban, meaning he would have to wait 6 months before making his debut for them?
As insane as the truth, which is that he did exactly that at the start of the 2015/2016 season for a gigantic fee. Eventually, Turan would take the number 7 and make his debut in a Barcelona derby in which his new side ran out 4-1 winners. His debut season was poor however, scoring just 4 and assisting 2 in 25 games.
8. Andre Gomes (Valencia CF 2016/2017) – €35 million
Only 13 caps into his international career and Andre Gomes is already a European champion, as Portugal won the UEFA Euro 2016 courtesy of Eder’s late, late goal against the hosts. The 22yr-old central midfielder’s fledgling career has already seen him win a host of silverware as his early period with Benfica saw him become a domestic treble winner in the 2013/2014 season.
He played 23 times that season, scoring just twice but establishing himself as an important member of that dominant squad. It earned him a move to La Liga side Valencia on loan, where he played 34 times and scored 4 goals before signing on permanently before the new season started.
In 2015/2016, Andre Gomes played a a huge role in Valencia’s campaign, making 41 appearances and scoring 5 goals as he was selected for the UEFA Euro 2016 team. His strong physical displays and intelligent positioning formed a perfect foil for William Carvalho and/or Joao Moutinho as a resilient Portuguese side went on to win the Euro unexpectedly.
With international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo’s team sniffing around, Barcelona immediately stole in and signed him for a significant fee. Will he be worth it? Only time can tell, but he is a burgeoning star in the European football scene.
7. Dani Alves (Sevilla FC 2008/2009) – €35.5 million
Dani Alves has now moved to Juventus, but his legacy at Barcelona will never be forgotten. When he arrived at the Camp Nou way back at the end of the 2007/2008 season, he could barely hide his emotions. He had been fantastic for them, winning the Copa Del Rey, 2 UEFA Cups and the UEFA Super Cup in his 6 years there.
He had become a full Brazil international, scoring and assisting a goal in their 3-0 Copa Ameria victory over Argentina. Finally, his talent propelled him to new heights as Barcelona launched an unstoppable bid to make the world’s most expensive defender. Their opinion of him was clear as he was immediately given a €90 million buyout clause to ward off anyone who thought they could pick him up later on.
His debut season went swimmingly, as he won the continental treble, adding the Champions League medal to his two UEFA Cup trophies. He was also elected La Liga’ Best Defender in 2009, as his offensive and defensive capabilities from right-back turned him into an invaluable part of Spanish football.
With him in the side, Barcelona went on a brilliant, sustained run of success, winning 6 La Liga trophies in 8 years, 2 continental trebles and millions of admirers worldwide. The Brazilian superstar covered ground up and down the pitch like a motorbike and also formed a very close relationship with Lionel Messi, laying on more goals for the Argentine wizard than anyone.
In his 391 appearances for the Catalan club, he stood out as the best fullback they had ever seen as he registered 21 goals and over 100 assists – ridiculous for a defender! His marauding runs forward and high-pressing style made him an essential part of Barcelona’s incredible success, as well as adding bite to a side that could at times be overpowered. Dani Alves cost Barcelona a hefty sum he gave them so much more back, becoming an icon of their football.
He is the second-most decorated player in European competitions, winning 9 European titles (2 UEFA Cups, 3 Champions Leagues and 3 Super Cups) as well as 3 Club World Cups; only the great Paolo Maldini has more.
6. Javier Saviola (River Plate 2001/2002) – €35.9 million
Before Lionel Messi, there was already a ‘New Maradona’ at Barcelona. Yes, that was Javier Saviola, and he sure looked the part. He made his first-team debut for River Plate at the tender age of 16, scoring 6 goals in 19 matches. As his skill was in no doubt, he was given a bigger role in the following (1999/2000) season as he hit 19 goals in 33 games to fire River Plate to the 1999 Apertura and 2000 Clasura titles in the top tier of Argentinian football.
The following season, he went one better in every department, scoring 20 goals in 34 matches. It earned him the Golden Boot award at 18, younger than the great Diego Maradona was when he won it – immediately raising his stock!
Barcelona wasted no time in signing him up to become the younger version of the man they had once employed. His first season was no disappointment as he scored 21 goals in all competitions to mark an exciting debut – Saviola was still just 19 years old.
The following year, his output suffered in the league as tumultuous upheaval shook Camp Nou, but he upped his European strike-rate to compensate, scoring 7 in Europe to finish with 20 goals for the season. Despite new manager Frank Rijkaard not being a major fan of his, the Argentinian youngster’s talent was irrepressible, and he hit 19 in 45 matches before being shunted out on loan to Monaco.
There, his star dimmed a bit as he could hit 11 in the entire league season before he was again sent off to Sevilla where he hit 15 in 42 matches. He spent his last season back working hard to replace his injured teammates and impress the hierarchy but after 120 games and roughly 50 goals, Javier Saviola was released.
5. David Villa (Valencia CF 2010/2011) – €40 million
Spain’s all-time leading goalscorer David Villa has played at several of Spain’s top clubs, but it was his time at Valencia that marked him out as a true world-beater. His debut season started in emphatic style, scoring an equalizer against old club Zaragoza in the 81st minute as he come on as a late sub.
A brace at the Camp Nou held Barcelona to a draw; just one of his many top-drawer performances against big clubs. In the 2005/2006, he would score a winner at the Santiago Bernabeu and one against a visiting Barcelona side to announce himself to Valencia fans in splendid style.
Deportivo La Coruna were another victim of his penchant for the spectacular as he struck a goal from the halfway line on the turn. A 5-minute hat-trick against Athletic Bilbao came from the 80th to 85th minute to display his decisive finishing. He finished his debut season with 28 goals in the league, just one shy of Barcelona’s Eto’o.
In 2006/2007, he became La Liga’s top assist maker, scoring 20 goals in all competitions. The following year, his 22 goals fired Valencia to the Copa Del Rey trophy in 41 appearances. His best-ever seasons came in 2008/2009 as he recorded 31 goals despite taking corners and freekicks for his team, making him the standout striker in the Spanish top division.
By the end of 2009, he had scored more goals than any footballer on the planet, with 43 in 54 matches for Spain & Valencia. After 225 appearances, he’d scored 129 goals and won the Euro 2008 Golden Boot.
The top clubs could be repressed no longer and in the summer of 2010, David Villa signed for Barcelona. The 2006 Spanish Player of the Year and 4-time Zarra award winner was one of the planet’s attacking sensations, with his passing, dribbling and goalscoring skills making him arguably the planet’s deadliest striker.
Now, he was joining the likes of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta. He scored on his league and Champions League debut, as well as 2 magnificent goals in their 5-0 demolition of Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid side. His time proved fruitful indeed as he won 2 league titles, 1 Champions League, 1 Super Cup, 1 Club World Cup & 1 Copa Del Rey in just 3 years there.
He scored in the 2011 final in Wembley against Manchester United and won the FIFA 2010 World Cup – as well as the Silver Shoe & Bronze Ball – with Spain. He is Spain’s deadliest striker ever, and he proved it by scoring against Barcelona once again on his return after they let him go to Atletico Madrid.
4. Marc Overmars (Arsenal 2000/2001) – €40 million
Marc Overmars was an Arsenal favourite, scoring 40 goals in 3 years as he revived a career threatened by injury at Ajax to take England by storm. His lightning speed and fantastic dribbles led to Arsene Wenger making him one of the focal points of their attack as the Gunners won the domestic double in 1997/1998.
Although there were doubts about his adaptability to the Premier League at first, he quickly became a key part of a fantastic Arsenal side, famously netting quite late against Manchester United to halt their title tilt. Against Newcastle United in the FA Cup Final, he drew first blood to set Wenger’s men on their way to double glory.
That made ears perk up, and his rise continued as he struck 13 goals in 47 games but Arsenal won nothing. Eventually, Barcelona bid for him before the 2000/2001 season, and his debut was a friendly against former club Arsenal. Unfortunately he was injured in the game; not for the first or last time in his career.
With Barcelona firing Ferrer as results dipped, Arsene Wenger was touted as a replacement. Overmars was used as the inside man, providing plenty of information on his old manager, but a move never materialized. For Overmars that didn’t matter though, and he kept on putting in good showings including the final-day equalizer that set Barcelona up for a 3-2 win that guaranteed them a 4th place finish in La Liga. Injuries blighted his career however, and after 19 goals in 165 appearances in Catalunya he retired from the game.
3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter 2009/2010) – €69.5 million
The Swedish giant will be remembered as one of the best players of his generation, and his time in Italy is definitely a testament to that statement. After 26 goals in 92 games in Turin, the fallout from the Calciopoli scandal led to Mino Raiola threatening legal action against the club if Ibrahimovic was held to his contract.
So they relented and he moved on to Inter Milan for €24.8 million, which is when he began to show how deadly he could really be on a consistent basis. His debut goal was just the first of 15 as he led Inter to a record Scudetto victory (97 points) as their number one goalscorer.
His second season went in very much the same fashion as he struck 22 goals in all competitions to win another league title, as well as picking up the Serie A Player of the Year and Foreign Player of the Year awards. In his final season alongside Jose Mourinho, he scored 29 goals and defend his 3 trophies from the previous season, adding the Goal of the Year award for a skillful strike against Bologna.
Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona then agreed a huge switch that involved money (€46 million), a player sale (Samuel Eto’o for €20 million) and a loan (Alexander Hleb for €10 million). The latter collapsed but still making Ibrahimovic worth a gigantic amount of money and one of Barcelona’s finest strikers ever.
In his first game he assisted Lionel Messi, but he eventually made his own record as the first player to score in his first five La Liga matches. His 2009/2010 season went strangely as he scored 21 goals, won La Liga, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and two Supercopa de Espana trophies but fell out completely with manager Pep Guardiola.
Hence, he only stayed at Barcelona one season and moved on to the last team he faced in blaugrana colours AC Milan. He’d left Italy to win the Champions League and ironically, Mourinho’s Inter beat Barcelona on the way to the treble using the man they’d swapped for Ibrahimovic.
2. Luis Suarez (Liverpool 2014/2015) – €81.72 million
The Uruguayan record goalscorer is never too far from controversy, and the start of his Barcelona career was underpinned by it. Back in 2013/2014, he had played his best football, scoring 31 goals in 33 league games as he became the dominant force in England. Headers, freekicks, assists, dribbles and speed – Suarez had it all.
His intelligence and skill made him the heart and soul of a vibrant, thrilling Liverpool team that scored 101 goals on their way to – absolutely nothing. A defensive collapse and a lack of gamesmanship meant that they lost to Chelsea and drew to Crystal Palace in the very, very final moments of Liverpool’s best assault on the title in decades. Although he won the European Golden Shoe, the Premier League Golden Boot, the Liverpool, PFA & Premier League Player of the Season awards, his team had ‘slipped’ when it mattered most.
After he bit Giorgio Chiellini in the FIFA World Cup, Luis Suarez’s past transgressions became an easy target for the notoriously powerful English media. Barcelona saw an opportunity and offered him a reprieve and he took it, signing for the La Liga side for an immense fee.
His FIFA ban for biting was extreme to say the least – he could not even set foot in a stadium to watch games for 4 months until October. Barcelona had paid a fortune for a man who couldn’t play, but would he make the difference when he did?
At the end of the season, Luis Suarez had struck 20 goals in 25 games as he won the treble in his first season at Barcelona with MSN becoming the most deadly attack in Spanish history.
His first full season was an exhibition of one of the globe’s supreme talents. He scored in the FIFA Club World Cup final, he scored in the UEFA Super Cup final, he scored back-to-back 4-goal hauls; there was nothing he couldn’t do. He even scored 14 goals in his last 5 league matches, as well as laying on 16 assists – matched only by Lionel Messi.
It was he who broke the Messi-Ronaldo duopoly, winning the Pichichi and European Golden Shoe as their only challenger in 7 years. In just 96 games in Catalunya, he has already hit an incredible 84 goals, winning a continental treble & a domestic double. Basically, he was worth every penny.
1. Neymar da Silva (Santos FC 2013/2014) – €88.3 million
Perhaps the most disputed transfer in Barcelona history, this is the one that really cost the club more than just money. A controversial affair involving tax fraud, an agent-father and some angry employees within the club hierarchy have made this the most incredible – and expensive – Barcelona signing ever.
Back in 2013, the interest in Neymar was filling column inches, tabloids and conversations around the world. Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Arsenal, Juventus or Barcelona; where would Brazilian sensation Neymar Dos Santos move to?
He had the pick of every great club at his desire as the most-coveted young player on the planet. Eventually, it was announced that he had signed a 5-year contract with Barcelona for an undisclosed fee, to the pleasure of fans all over Catalunya. The boy-wonder was theirs now, and there was nothing anybody in Madrid could do. However, the whistle-blower on the murky deal would come from the inside.
A disgruntled Barcelona club member (Jordi Cases) was unhappy about how the deal was conducted and demanded that the fee’s true value be reviewed. This led to a full-scale investigation on the gigantic €57million transfer cost that had been mooted, but was nowhere near the truth.
Why? Because the club's coffers had been plundered for far more than that. Eventually, it was discovered that Neymar’s agent (and father) had been paid around €40 million for their son’s services. The case brought Barcelona on the brink of prosecution over tax evasion, but they paid another €13 million in ‘complementary tax declaration’ fees to the Spanish government.
Including his wages, Barcelona splashed out an incredible minimum fee of €127 million for the boy-wonder. And the resignation of former president Sandro Rosell. 85 goals and 8 trophies so far, the young man still has some way to go to justify all of those transfer twists and turns, but if anyone ever had the talent to do so, it’s definitely Neymar.
