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FC Barcelona is one of the most popular football clubs and boasts millions of fans from around the world. This spectacular club has always been linked with the top names in the footballing world.
Johan Cruyff, Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola, Diego Maradona, Andrés Iniesta, and Xavi are just a few legendary names to be associated with the Blaugrana. Boasting one of the best youth academies and teams in the world, FC Barcelona is undoubtedly a dream team for every world-class player out there.
While it is a fact that hardly any player can say no when the Blaugrana come knocking on their doors, there have been a few prolific names that FCB have failed to convince to join their ranks. Let's take a look at
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5 world-class players that FC Barcelona missed out on.
#5 Paul Pogba
Paul Labile Pogba is a name that almost every football fan is familiar with. Oozing class and suave on and off the pitch, the current Manchester United player made an emotional homecoming in 2016 for a then-world record transfer sum of €105 million.
Pogba was praised by critics and fans alike after he led Italian giants Juventus to the Champions League finals in 2015. A year before Manchester United signed him, Barcelona had made Juventus an offer of €80million to bring the Frenchman to Camp Nou.
However, Juventus had no plans to sell Paul Pogba that year and kept him in Turin for another year. Rejecting this offer from FC Barcelona helped Juventus eventually make more profit by selling Pogba to Manchester United the following year.
#4 David Beckham
In the 90s and early 2000s, David Beckham was nothing less than a footballing superstar. His fame, exceptional footballing skills, and alluring personality made him a top name on the list of players to buy for all the big football clubs in Europe.
Having made his senior debut for Manchester United in 1993, he stayed at Old Trafford until 2003. Right around that time, Joan Laporta was campaigning to be the president of the Catalan club. To garner votes in his favor, he promised to bring David Beckham to Camp Nou.
A team of delegates representing Joan Laporta even met David Beckham to convince him to play for the Catalans. However, the English player refused to be merely a political mannequin that could catapult Joan Laporta to victory.
Eventually, David Beckham ended up signing for Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona signed Ronaldinho.
#3 Mesut Özil
The 2010 FIFA World Cup hosted in South Africa witnessed the coming-of-age performances of young players from different countries. Among them, the player that took the world by storm was Mesut Özil.
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two footballing superpowers, both wanted to sign Mesut Özil after his performance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The German star ended up ditching the Catalan side in favor of Los Blancos, where he played from 2010 to 2013.
In his autobiography, Mesut Özil explains that he refused to sign for Barca because he preferred the behavior of Jose Mourinho over his rival Pep Guardiola's. Mesut Özil writes in his book, “Because of Guardiola’s behavior, I did not want to go to Barcelona. Especially because Mourinho fought so much at the same time.”
#2 Zinedine Zidane
Zizou, the French magician who danced through the defense with ease, has been one of the best players to grace the pitch in recent decades. He has had tremendous success as a player with the French national team and clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid.
By leading Los Blancos to three consecutive UEFA Champions League titles during his stint as the manager, Zinedine Zidane also earned a place among the most successful managers of all time.
In 1996, when Zizou was still playing for Bordeaux, Johan Cruyff reached a verbal agreement to bring the French maestro to Camp Nou. However, with the sacking of the Dutch veteran, this verbal agreement never materialized into anything solid and Zizou ended up becoming a Real Madrid legend.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
CR7 is one of the most popular footballers of this generation, period. Cristiano Ronaldo is known for his superhuman athletic abilities, prolific goal scoring and desire to do better each time he steps on the field.
While he displayed his menacing pace and ability to destroy the team's defense alone during his first stint with Manchester United, he adapted his game to score match-winning goals and win titles at clubs like Real Madrid and Juventus.
It is no secret that Real Madrid fans have Cristiano Ronaldo to thank for their success in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in the previous decade. However, none of this would have ever been possible had Cristiano Signed for the Blaugrana.
In 2003, Juan Laporta famously admitted that FC Barcelona were in the mix of clubs looking to sign the Portuguese legend from Sporting Lisbon. The deal, however, was stolen by Alex Ferguson's Manchester United.
