Coutinho and five Barcelona flops who shone after leaving

Robin Bairner

10 Feb 2022 10:52 GMT
4 min read

Philippe Coutinho, Barcelona, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Barcelona have had to watch on as Philippe Coutinho has shone for Aston Villa in the Premier League.

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The Brazilian was acquired in January 2018 using the money that was raised from the sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, with the expectation that he would continue the electric form he had shown with Liverpool in the Premier League.

That never materialised, though. Amid a succession of injuries and a loss of confidence, Coutinho struggled throughout his time at Camp Nou.

His form for Aston Villa, however, suggests he has quickly rediscovered his sparkle back in England under former team-mate Steven Gerrard. Coutinho scored two goals in his first three Premier League matches in Birmingham, while he also chalked up a couple of assists in a 3-3 draw against Leeds.

Coutinho is just one of a number of players to have struggled at Barca only to shine elsewhere.

Martin Caceres

Barcelona spent lavishly to sign Martin Caceres in 2008, believing him to be one of the best up-and-coming defenders in the world game. He played just one season with Barca, having been hampered with injuries.

Juventus and then Sevilla picked him up on loan deals before he was ultimately sold to the Andalusian side for just €3m. His long-term future, though, was with Juve, where he enjoyed his strongest years.

Caceres never realised his potential because of a succession of injury problems but he was a stalwart defender when fit for Juventus and Uruguay, and Barca certainly did not see anything like the best of him.

Lucas Digne

Lucas Digne’s opportunities were limited at Barcelona. The France international left-back featured only 29 times in La Liga after arriving from Paris Saint-Germain and stayed only a couple of years before being moved on to Everton.

With the Toffees, he established himself as one of the most dangerous attacking full-backs in the Premier League, ranking well in terms of assists and chances created throughout his time at Goodison Park.

Digne ultimately moved on following a fallout with manager Rafael Benitez, becoming a team-mate of Coutinho at Villa, but the club still made a hefty profit on the defender.

New Aston Villa signing Lucas Digne, Everton, 2021/22 — © ProShots

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Although Ibrahimovic scored 22 goals in 46 games for Barcelona, he will be remembered as a flop for his single season at Camp Nou because of the awkwardness he showed in terms of fitting into the culture both on and off the field.

He was quickly moved on, signing for Milan, where he regained his best level. Subsequently, he became Paris Saint-Germain’s record goalscorer, impressed with Manchester United, starred in MLS and he continues to play into his 40s in Serie A back at the Rossoneri.

Juan-Roman Riquelme

Riquelme moved to Barcelona as one of the brightest prospects in South American football yet was treated with disdain by head coach Louis van Gaal, who infamously branded him a “political signing”.

A No.10 of grace and class, Van Gaal dumped him out on the wing, where he predictably struggled given his lack of pace. Even when the coach was sacked, Riquelme failed to regain his verve and he would depart after just a single season

He went on to shine in Villarreal, where he was nominated for FIFA World Player of the Year in 2005 and helped the club as far as the Champions League semi-final a year later.

Jean-Clair Todibo

Barely given a chance at Camp Nou to impress, the French youngster was left disappointed by his lack of game time in Barcelona and quickly moved back to his homeland with Nice. Initially, he departed on a loan deal, but the Ligue 1 side made it permanent.

Now playing on a weekly basis, the 22-year-old is winning widespread critical acclaim as his side fight to finish second behind PSG in Ligue 1.