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Whilst it is a norm in modern football that players don’t shy away from changing club and league if it helps their careers there are some clubs that are linked in an interesting manner. Barcelona and Arsenal are one such pair.Even though their trophy cabinets in the last decade have a stark difference, they have a lot of similarities .Both are known to play effortless, easy-on-the eye football and have huge global presence. One more common factor is the players who have played for them. Thomas Vermaelen has just made the switch from England to Spain and Alexis Sanchez has moved in the opposite direction but there are many before them who have worn both club colours.Let us take a look at footballers who have played for both Arsenal and Barcelona.
#1 Sylvinho
Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior or commonly called Sylvinho was a left-back who joined Arsenal in 1999. He was the club’s first ever Brazilian signing and made quite a name for himself getting into the starting XI ahead of regular full-back Ashley Cole. He ironically lost his place to Ashley Cole and moved to Celta Vigo after two seasons in search of first-team football.
Having completed 3 years’ residency in Spain and obtaining a passport there enabled him to bypass the Non-EU rule and move to Barcelonawhere he won 2 UEFA Champions League titles and 3 La liga titles. A trophy-laden 5-yar-spell in Spain later, he returned to England and joined Manchester City on a one-year contract before announcing retirement in 2011.
#2 Giovanni van Bronckhorst
Giovanni van Bronckhorst or Gio joined Arsenal in 2001 after spending the earlier part of his career at Feyenoord and Rangers. Although a left-back, the Dutch international was bought to partner Vieira in midfield.
A Dutch international with over a hundred caps, Gio’s time at the London club was plagued with injuries, including a cruciate knee ligament which sidelined him for several months.
Despite that, he won 2 FA Cup titles and a Premier League trophy. He moved to Barcelona in 2004 on a permanent transfer after having spent a year on loan at the catalan club the previous season.
Histime in Spain was even more succesful as he won the 2006 UEFA Champions League to go along with his 2 La Liga titles.He moved to boyhood club Feyenoord in 2007.
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#3 Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit moved to London in 1997 after 9 seasons at Monaco out of which 7 he spent under manager Arsene Wenger.He helped Arsenal win the 1997-98 domestic double before going on to win the World Cup in his home country later that year. He moved to Barcelona alongwith temmate Marc Overmars where he struggled with injuries and could make only 13 first-team appearances.
He returned to London and signed for Chelsea in 2001 and spent the next three years in England before retiring in 2005.
#4 Marc Overmars
Dutch winger Marc Overmars moved to moved to Arsenal from Ajax in 199. Despite an indifferent start to the season he became a fan-favourite scoring against Manchester United at Old Trafford and in the FA Cup Final to secure a double for the club.In 2000, Barcelona bought him for £25 million but he could never live up to the price remaining trophyless in his four years at the club.
#5 Alexander Hleb
Belarus international Alexander Hleb moved to Arsenal in 2005. He played in a variety of positions ranging from left-wing to a withdrawn striker to the No. 10 role.He reached the 2006 final of the UEFA Champions League.A move to Barcelona beckoned in 2008 and he signed for the club on a four-year-contract with a buy-out clause of €90 million.
His first season had him struggling to establish himself in the first team.The club went on to win a treble but Hleb failed to make an impression. He spent the next three seasons on loan to Stuttgart, Birmingham City and Wolfsburg.In January 2012, his contract with Barcelona was ended by mutual consent enabling him to move to Russian Premier League club Krylia Sovetov Samara.
#6 Alex Song
Cameroon international Alexander Song moved to Arsenal in 2004 after having impressed in a loan stint at the club the previous season.After a couple of years on the sidelines including a loan move to Charlton, Song showed a glimpse of what he was capable of in the 2008-09 season. After the departure of Fabregas he was played a little higher up the pitch where he did not disappoint with his creative input.
Barcelona signed Song in 2012 winning the La liga in his first season. He has primarily been used as a defensive cover.
#7 Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas was signed by Arsenal in 2003 from the Barcelona academy.In the next 8 years, he established himself as one of the best young players in the world primarily playing as an attacking or central midfielder. He was made Arsenal captain in 2008.Despite getting the plaudits and the love of the fans, Fabregas moved to Barcelona in 2011 after a long-drawn transfer saga.Unfortunately for him, Barcelona went through a relative slump and he could ponly win a La Liga title and a Club World Cup title during this time.In a shock move, Fabregas joined Arsenal's London rivals Chelsea at the beginning of the 2014 season after the Emirates-based club refused the option of signing him through a first refusal clause in his contract.
#8 Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry moved to Arsenal after a frustrating 6-month spell in Italy with Juventus to reunite with his former Monaco manager Arsene Wenger.Henry spent the next 8 years creating a legacy that will be next to impossible to match helping them win 2 Premier League titles and 3 FA Cups.Henry left Arsenal in 2007 to join Barcelona as their leading all-time league goal-scorer with 174 goals. In 2008,he was voted Arsenal's greatest player ever in a fan vote.
He continued his success at Barcelona winning a Champions League and 2 La Liga titles. He moved to MLS to sign for the New York Red Bulls but returned to play for Arsenal in 2012 on a short-term loan deal.
