5 players whose careers dipped after joining Barcelona

#3 Malcolm

Barcelona v Chelsea - Preseason Friendly

Brazilian winger Malcolm was one of the biggest prospects in world football while at French club Bordeaux. He was known for scoring world-class goals often during his time in Ligue 1 and developed into one of the league's best players.

Malcolm was heavily linked with a move to AS Roma in the summer of 2018, only for Barcelona to hijack the deal at the eleventh hour. Barcelona signed Malcolm for €40 million, hoping he would be an ideal replacement for the recently-departed Neymar.

Malcolm had to do with a bit part during his time with the Catalan giants. He made just 24 appearances in his first and only season at Barcelona before being sold to Zenit St Petersburg in 2019. At just 24, Malcolm's career prospects took a massive dip following his move to the Spanish giants.

#2 Philippe Coutinho

FC Barcelona v Levante UD - La Liga Santander

It always seemed like a matter of time before Philippe Coutinho made the move to Barcelona from Liverpool. Widely regarded as one of the world's best attacking midfielders during his time with the Reds, Coutinho was expected to make the move to either Barcelona or Real Madrid.

He joined Barcelona in January of 2018 after signing a deal worth €160 million, making him the world's second most expensive player. A combination of injuries and lack of confidence caused the Brazilian to fail to live up to expectations.

Barcelona sent the attacking midfielder out on loan to Bayern Munich for the 2019-20 season in the hope that he would be able to regain his form and seal a permanent move to the Bundesliga giants.

Fans convinced Barcelona have photoshopped Philippe Coutinho into team photo https://t.co/5HnbBY226k

— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) April 19, 2021

Coutinho helped Bayern win the treble last season but was unable to secure a permanent move to the club. Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman was eager to hold on to the 28-year-old this summer in the hope that he would continue his good form. Coutinho, however, missed a number of games due to injury this season and was generally a shadow of the player he was at Liverpool.

#1 Arda Turan

FC Barcelona v UD Las Palmas - La Liga

Arda Turan was rated as one of the best midfielders in the world during his four years at Atletico Madrid. The Turkey international helped the club win the 2013-14 La Liga title and led them to the 2013-14 Champions League final.

His consistent performances earned him a move to Barcelona in 2015. Turan was a key member of the Barcelona squad in his first two seasons with the club, but a mixture of poor form and disciplinary issues saw him get loaned out to Istanbul Basaksehir in 2017.

Arda Turan has officially left FC Barcelona after the expiration of his five-year contract at the Nou Camp.#ForçaBarça #FCB pic.twitter.com/eC4fX7B5w9

— Camp Nou Barça (@cnbarca) June 30, 2020

Arda Turan spent three seasons on loan in Turkey, during which he even received a jail sentence for firing a gun to cause panic. He is currently plying his trade at Galatasaray.