10 recent Dutch players to have signed for Barcelona

3. Ibrahim Afellay (from PSV Eindhoven, €3 million)

Ibrahim Afellay

Though Afellay is a Moroccan descendant, he was born and brought up amongst the immigrant communties in Utrecht. He was brought to Barcelona after nearly fifteen years at PSV Eindhoven where he rose through the ranks, initially among the young players to finally get his first senior break in 2006, going on to even captain the Dutch side. Barca agreed terms with the right-winger in the January transfer window of 2010, which saw Afellay sign a contract that would end in 2015.

Though Afellay made only a handful of appearances, he was a vital cog in the team's golden runs in both the La Liga and the Champions League in 2010. His best moment from the season would be when he assisted Leo Messi's goal in the away fixture against Real Madrid in the UCL semis. Barca's 2-0 win there took them to the finals, where they overcame Manchester United to lift the coveted cup. Afellay featured in 28 Barca matches (18 were substitute appearances including the UCL finals) and he scored his only Barca goal against Almeria in the Spanish League.

In the beginning of the 2011-'12, he began fighting against recurring bouts of injuries and recovery periods, one of them lasting as many as seven months. He was subsequently loaned to Schalke (2012-'13) and then Olympiacos (2014-'15), following which he made a permanent move to Stoke City. Afellay continues to play for Stoke till date.