Neymar is among the most high-profile names to choose to leave Barcelona with his departure for Paris Saint-Germain, but he’s not the first or the last. While last season’s MSN attack may have been touted to be one of the deadliest in the world, it was never going to be the Messi-Suarez-Neymar show, but instead, the Lionel Messi show featuring Luis Suarez and Neymar Jr.
There have been others whose abilities have been sacrificed for the Catalans’ greater good, and they also decided to find places where they could be allowed to shine. Here are 10 players who decided to leave FC Barcelona so that they could once again rediscover their ability to thrive.
1. David Villa
Arguably, the player who has had to put in the most sacrifice because of Messi’s dominance at Barcelona, David Villa was forced to play his trade in an unnatural left wing position for the Catalan giants, seldom being allowed to spearhead the Blaugrana attack.
National team coach Vicente Del Bosque, though, continued to field him up front for Spain, and Villa even became his country’s top scorer while on Barcelona’s books. While he did win eight trophies with Barcelona, including two Primera Ligas and the Champions League, he was chafing under the restrictions of his new role, often openly arguing with Messi while on the pitch.
Despite scoring 49 goals in 119 games for Barcelona, he was denied his preferred forward role, and so decided to move to Atletico Madrid for just €5.1 million in 2013, an eighth of the price Barcelona paid for him, helping the capital side to their first Spanish league title since 1996. He’s now scoring goals for fun over at New York City FC in the States.
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Ibra was another player whose individual brilliance was curbed, so that Messi’s more inspirational qualities could take centre stage. Zlatan was initially the focal point of the Barca attack, with Messi stationed out wide.
Pep Guardiola, though, after an alleged conversation with the Argentine, decided to change formations from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1, sticking Messi up front and Ibrahimovic in a shadow striker role, acting more as a conduit for the former’s talents, and curbing his more aggressive, physical role in the process.
Consigned to the bench, the Swede could only watch, fuming, as Barcelona tumbled out of the Champions League on away goals in that famous win in 2010 orchestrated by Jose Mourinho and Inter Milan, who would go on to win the competition. After 22 goals in 46 games, Zlatan left Barcelona to enjoy highly successful spells at AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United followed, where he scored a combined 240 times in 301 matches.
3. Ronaldinho
Although the Brazilian was ageing at the time, his supreme skills should have done Messi a world of good, and most fans were salivating to see their partnership. Unfortunately, it was one that was cut short with little room for sentiment.
With Xavi and Iniesta coming of age, the individual powers of Deco and Ronaldinho were determined by Pep Guardiola to be out of sync with the new Barcelona. Ronaldinho was shipped off to a declining AC Milan, where he could never capture the heady heights of his inimitable jogo bonito skills, winning a single Serie A title before stints in his native Brazil with Flamengo, Atletico Mineiro and Fluminense, in addition to two seasons with Queretaro in Mexico.
Ironically, Guardiola’s intention to create a more balanced side by spreading creative responsibility went on to reveal flaws of its own, with Messi donning the role of creator-in-chief in Ronaldinho’s absence.
4. Alexis Sanchez
Sanchez combined South American flair with Native American determination: a characteristic seen in all Chileans, and one that has seen him push himself to the very limits of his physical and mental endurance.
Although these skills made Sanchez a very effective and alternative attacking weapon for Barcelona, he was never able to nail down a starting berth, constantly flitting in and out of the side, as Guardiola tried to figure out the best player for that position, with his formation requiring everyone to rigidly follow his tactical plan, one that stymied Sanchez’s natural inclination to run with the ball.
Frustrated at being unable to play his unbridled game and lack of consistent game time, Sanchez packed his bags for North London when Arsenal came calling, where he has established himself as a firm fan favourite, in addition to becoming top scorer for his country.
5. Thierry Henry
While Sanchez moved from the Nou Camp to the Emirates, Arsenal’s greatest goalscorer of all time moved in the opposite direction. The predecessor to the MSN trident, Titi was one of the prongs of another attacking triumvirate, alongside Samuel Eto’o and Messi.
But with Eto’o ploughing the lone furrow up front and Messi being groomed for that role, Henry was – like many others – forced to play out wide, once again blunting his natural game as he was made to reprise the unhappy role he had at Juventus, having left the Bianconeri to join Arsenal in the first place.
Disagreements with Guardiola – who was always going to favour Messi over his competitors – saw France’s leading goal scorer occupy a place on the bench alongside Ibrahimovic, and he too was made to watch as an insipid Barcelona bowed out to Inter Milan in the Champions League. Forty-nine goals in 141 games later, Henry was offered a lucrative deal at Red Bull New York, in addition to an unforgettable short term return to Arsenal.
6. Ibrahim Afellay
Here is a player Barcelona could really do with right now. With Neymar having left, Suarez currently injured and no reliable back-up to Andres Iniesta on the bench, the Netherlands international is someone who would capably fill in any one of the three roles.
Blessed with abundant technical ability, flair on the ball, a willingness to work hard and a powerful shot, Afellay, a youth product from PSV Eindhoven, was slated for great things when Barcelona came calling, and he played 28 games in his first season.
After spending seven months out through injury, Afellay worked hard to re-establish himself in Barcelona’s first team – no mean feat, that – but was overlooked by Guardiola for crucial Champions League matches against Chelsea and Real Madrid. New coach Tito Villanova also told Afellay he was not going to be considered as a vital member of the squad, and subsequent loan spells to Schalke 04 and Olympiakos followed.
With Barcelona seemingly preferring to promote their own products through the ranks, Afellay decided to cut his losses and sign on with Premier League outfit Stoke City, where he continues to be a fan favourite.
7. Bojan Krkic
Another Barcelona player who was expected to attain legendary status at the Camp Nou, Bojan’s hybrid winger-forward qualities meant he could occupy any of the front three positions. Breaking Messi’s record to become the youngest player to feature for the Blaugrana, Bojan finished his first season with 10 goals, surpassing the legendary Raul’s record of most goals scored in a debut season.
But with Messi, Pedro, Villa and Colombian attacker Jeffren Suarez ahead of him in the pecking order, Bojan found game time hard to come by. In a topsy-turvy transfer saga, AS Roma signed him for €12million, with an option to either buy him outright for another €28million after three seasons, or return him to Barcelona.
A season apiece at Roma and Milan later, Barcelona brought him back to Spain, but only with the intention of cashing in on him. Having had enough of being traded around Europe after yet another loan spell, this time with Ajax, Bojan joined Afellay at Stoke in 2014. After 15 goals in 61 games, he found himself on the bench increasingly often, but was then able to help save Mainz from relegation when loaned to them last January.
8. Pedro Rodriguez
What Barcelona would do do to have him back right now. The most promising of all their La Masia products, Pedro Rodriguez was content to bide his time, as more marketable players were given preference ahead of him.
He’d seen Villa, Suarez, Neymar, Messi and Sanchez all feature ahead of him, but was always willing to aid the club that had invested so much in him, as he believed his time would come. It never seemed to, though, with Barcelona prioritising more expensive arrivals over the hardworking and technically skilled Pedro, who made 321 appearances for them, scoring 99 goals.
After signing off with a last-minute extra time winner in Barcelona’s thrilling 5-4 win over Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup, Pedro signed for Chelsea in 2015, where he was an instrumental part of Antonio Conte’s Premier League winning side last season, having weighed in with 16 league goals and 11 assists so far.
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