Barcelona’s well-known monetary difficulties within the early 2020s spelled an finish to their big-money spending – a minimum of in the meanwhile.
However a take a look at their costliest ever signings may also counsel another excuse they’re much less prepared to place down nine-figure charges for gamers as a result of their checklist of all-time greatest signings accommodates some actually notable flops.
Here is a take a look at the ten greatest signings Barcelona has ever made, beginning on the high…
Who’s the most costly Barcelona participant of all time?
Philippe Coutinho struggled to impress at Barcelona
And now we have a tie! A minimum of, when you go on the spend in Euros somewhat than the conversion to kilos sterling on the time, which solely appears smart, since Euros is the foreign money Barcelona could have used.
Each Philippe Coutinho’s signing from Liverpool in 2018 and Antoine Griezmann’s arrival from Atletico Madrid the next 12 months set Barcelona again a cool €120m – miles greater than the type of cash they’d been capable of spend over the previous few extra straitened years. These charges imply each gamers rank among the many costliest gamers of all time.
Neither participant precisely set the world alight throughout their time on the membership. Griezmann lasted simply two-and-a-bit seasons, scoring 35 targets in all competitions, earlier than being returned to Atletico (first on mortgage, then completely) and discovering higher type once more.
Coutinho was an outright flop regardless of wanting promising in his first half-season on the membership. Inside a number of months of his arrival he confronted scathing criticism from followers, and was despatched out on mortgage to Bayern Munich in 2019, then to Aston Villa in January 2022, earlier than making his transfer to Villa Park everlasting that summer time.
Who held the all time document switch charge for a Barcelona participant earlier than Coutinho and Griezmann?
Ousmane Dembele held the document earlier than Coutinho and Griezmann (Picture credit score: Getty)
That honour belongs to Barcelona’s solely different €100m+ signing, Ousmane Dembele, who got here in from Borussia Dortmund for €105m in 2017. The winger spent six seasons at Barcelona earlier than strolling the well-trodden path to PSG in 2023 for roughly half the cash.
Barca had received greater than their a reimbursement from one other former document holder by transport him out to Paris, although.
Neymar was a club-record signing for Barcelona at €88.2m in 2013, however they bought the Brazilian for practically thrice that quantity in 2017, just some months after placing in a scintillating Champions League show in opposition to PSG that’s ranked at no.38 in FourFourTwo’s checklist of the best particular person performances of all time. The €222m PSG paid stays the very best switch charge ever paid within the historical past of soccer.
And earlier than Neymar? Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is one other massive-money signing who by no means checked out house on the Nou Camp after transferring from Inter in 2009. A fall-out with Pep Guardiola meant he solely lasted a 12 months at Barca earlier than being despatched out to AC Milan.
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Rank
Charge
Participant
From
12 months
1=
€120m
Philippe Coutinho
Liverpool
2018
1=
€120m
Antoine Griezmann
Atletico Madrid
2019
3
€105m
Ousmane Dembele
Borussia Dortmund
2017
4
€88.2m
Neymar
Santos
2013
5
€82.3m
Luis Suarez
Liverpool
2014
6
€75m
Frenkie de Jong
Ajax
2019
7
€69.5m
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Inter
2009
8
€60m
Miralem Pjanic
Juventus
2020
9
€58m
Raphinha
Leeds United
2022
10
€55m
Ferran Torres
Manchester Metropolis
2022
