Top 3 most successful Barcelona outcasts this season

Barcelona have long been known as a highly ambitious team that is willing to spend big in the transfer market. However, their spendings are sometimes wasteful as they are still heavily relying upon veteran players such as Lionel Messi, Gerrard Pique, and Sergio Busquets.

Many former players failed to assimilate into the system although Barca bought them for a considerable price. Paco Alcacer, for example, was purchased by the Catalans for a massive €30 million only to be benched for 2-consecutive seasons before he was eventually sold to Borussia Dortmund for a lower price.

The Spanish striker had intended to be the future replacement for the aging Luis Suarez but found it hard to fit into the first team. Hence, his short Barcelona spell ended up in disappointment.

However, a miserable Barca career does not always mean it is the end of the world as several former Barca outcasts later became successful after switching to new clubs. Here, we will take a look at 3 of them:

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#3 Marc Bartra

Batra rose from Barca's youth setup

The Spanish defender was part of that not so successful La Masia generations who graduated after megastars such as Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol. He was used sporadically by ever-changing Barcelona managers in his 6 years spell at the Nou Camp.

He had shown some promising signs at certain occasions in his time at the Catalan capital but he was no match against legendary defenders such as Puyol and Pique in the end. Barcelona then sold him to Borussia Dortmund for a mere €8 million. However, he found a foothold in the German division and he was eventually traded again to Real Betis for a slightly higher price not long after.

Now Bartra has proven to Barca how good he is as a center back. He has started nearly all of Betis games this season and has performed at a high level on a consistent basis. The Spaniard's defensive stats are impressive. His Barca DNA is also still intact as he has delivered an average of 88 percent of his passes.

#2 Thiago Alcantara

Thiago Alcantara is one of Barcelona's academy products

The Spanish playmaker is also one of La Masia products who, unfortunately, could not gain a foothold in Barcelona's first team. Everybody knew how talented Alcantara was in his 4 seasons spell at the Catalans main squad. After all, he is the son of Brazilian famous player Mazinho and, it is only normal if people expect the 27-year-old to be a shining star.

Despite his immense talent, Alcantara failed to break into the first team and played as a second fiddle to Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta before eventually following Pep Guardiola's footstep to join Bayern in 2013 for a considerable €25 million.

Although he endured some difficulties in his first season in the Bundesliga, he has gradually stepped up to become one of the best midfielders in Europe since. A technically gifted player with endless vision and an eye for goal, the 27-year-old is now attracting interest from many European giants.

He has played mostly as a starter this season and has scored 3 times with 6 assists across all competitions. His outstanding defensive stats have also come as a surprise as he has completed 2.5 tackles and 1.3 intercepts per game.

#1 Lucas Digne

Digne joined Everton after a difficult spell at Barcelona

The French defender was bought by Barcelona for a considerable €16.5 million from PSG in 2016 after his impressive loan season at AS Roma. He had started nearly every matches for the Italian outfit and impressed in his debut season.

Barcelona expected Digne to be the future replacement for Jordi Alba as well as to provide some competition for the Spaniard at that time. However, the 25-year-old found himself frustrated with the lack of opportunities at Camp Nou as he started just 22 times over 2 La Liga seasons. Barcelona eventually sold him for a slightly higher price to Everton last year.

Now he perhaps has been a pain to watch for the Catalans due to his outstanding form with the Toffees. He has started nearly every match for the English side and has been involved in an impressive 7 Premier League goals so far.

The Blaugrana might still have excellent Alba at their disposal but Digne has been such a hit for Everton that he surely would give Barca some headache. He also has more room for improvements as he is 5 years younger than his Barca counterpart.