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26-time La Liga champions FC Barcelona are the second-most successful team in Spain. Thanks to their strong pull in the transfer market and impressive youth academy, they have not had a shortage of world-class footballers.
While most have tried to extend their stay in the Catalan capital, some have chosen to be a tad more adventurous.
Today, we will take a look at a list of five explorers who were not afraid of going behind enemy lines.
Here are the top five Barcelona players who signed directly for a rival La Liga club:
#5 Miguel Reina - Atletico Madrid
Pepe Reina’s father, Miguel Reina, had a permanent address in both Madrid and Barcelona. Having emerged as a pronounced figure at Cordoba, Reina joined Barcelona in 1966. However, thanks to Jose Manuel Pesudo and Salvador Sadurní, Reina only played in four La Liga matches in his first three years at the Camp Nou.
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Starting from the 1969-70 season, he became the team’s first-choice keeper and helped them to the Copa del Rey title the following campaign. In the 1972-73 season, Reina went 824 minutes without conceding a goal. That impressive record stood until Victor Valdes bettered it in 2011.
At the end of the 1972-73 season, he signed for rivals Atletico Madrid and eventually helped them to the league title (1976-77).
With more than 450 official appearances to his name, then 34-year-old Reina retired from football in 1980.
#4 Luis Suarez - Atletico Madrid
Barcelona have had the privilege of deploying some of the finest centre-forwards in their history. They have scored, assisted and even helped the Blaugrana to key titles. Yet very few of them can even hold a candle to the impact Luis Suarez made at Barcelona.
After missing out on the Premier League title by the narrowest of margins, the Liverpool forward moved to the Camp Nou in an €81.7m deal in 2014. The former Ajax man was full of passion and hunger, which made him the perfect candidate for Barcelona.
Despite missing a large chunk of the campaign due to a suspension, Suarez finished the season with 25 goals and 29 assists in 43 appearances. Thanks to his unstoppable partnership with Lionel Messi and Neymar, Barcelona cruised to their second treble at the end of the 2014-15 campaign.
After spending six seasons and 308 goal contributions for Barcelona, Suarez reluctantly joined Atletico Madrid for €7m. He ended up contributing heavily to Atletico Madrid’s La Liga win in the 2020-21 season with 21 goals.
#3 Bernd Schuster - Real Madrid
For eight seasons, Bernd Schuster served as one of the most influential midfielders for Barcelona. He was strong, quick, and knew how to pop up with match-winning goals. Schuster’s contributions led Barcelona to three Copas del Rey trophies and a La Liga title amongst other honors.
Despite being a brilliant player, Schuster had a difficult relationship with many members of the board. So when he slid down the pecking order, they happily let his contract run out.
After becoming a free agent, Schuster did the unthinkable and joined Real Madrid.
He was a Real Madrid player for only two seasons, but won La Liga on both occasions, providing his doubters with a fitting reply.
#2 Michael Laudrup - Real Madrid
In the summer of 1989, Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona were looking to assemble a group of spirited, world-class individuals. Michael Laudrup, who was a big fan of Cruyff at the time, readily signed for the club.
Laudrup was one of the most versatile midfielders in Cruyff’s team. A natural attacking midfielder, Laudrup could also play on the wings, as a central midfielder, or even as a deep-lying playmaker. The Dane helped Barcelona to four La Liga titles in five years, one European Cup and four other trophies.
In 1994, he fell out with Cruyff and ended up joining rivals Real Madrid for €9.6m. Incidentally, he helped Real Madrid to a La Liga title in his debut season, breaking Barcelona’s four-season streak.
With the win in 1994-95, he became the only player to win five consecutive La Liga titles while playing for two clubs.
#1 Luis Figo - Real Madrid
As we have seen, Barcelona have allowed quite a few players to join their La Liga rivals over the years. However, none of those transfers were as grand or controversial as Luis Figo’s switch to Real Madrid in 2001.
Hailed widely as the best player in the world, Figo was full of finesse, pace, and goals. The Portugal captain was also a leader on the pitch and had deservedly worn the Catalan armband.
Figo, who had spent five years at the Camp Nou, was Barcelona’s biggest idol at the time, their best weapon against Real Madrid.
So, when Real Madrid got Barcelona’s captain for €60m, it sent shockwaves around the footballing world. The rivalry between the two teams reached an all-time high in the following years which made the Clasicos all the more memorable.
Figo won two La Liga titles with Real Madrid, matching his tally with Barcelona. However, he also won the UEFA Champions League in the 2001-02 season, courtesy of Zinedine Zidane’s brilliant volley against Bayer Leverkusen in the final.
Figo continues to have a strong relationship with Real Madrid and has even appeared in a few Real Madrid Legends matches over the years.
