10 of the worst transfer flops in FC Barcelona's history

Over the years, FC Barcelona has been the cradle of footballing talent in Spain. Their youth academy has produced the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. Over the years, we have grown accustomed to seeing Barcelona build their squad around their home-grown talent.However, recent years have seen them buy some big players in order to add some experience to the youthful nature of their squad. The likes of Ronaldinho, Johan Cruyff and Luis Figo will go down in history as the clubs best signings. But, the Catalans have had their fair share of bad luck and misjudgment in the transfer market.While selecting the list, we tried to avoid players who played well, during their tenure at Camp Nou, but failed to extend their stay. So, here are the club’s biggest transfer flops:

#10 Aleksandr Hleb

Hleb has now played for six clubs in the last four seasons

Belarus International Aleksandr Hleb signed for the Catalans from Premier League side, Arsenal for €15 million.

"I love this team, I will give my best and I want to win everything with Barca," were the exact words said by Hleb, when he joined. If his time at Arsenal was paradise, his tenure at Barcelona was anything but that. He failed to impress the Nou Camp faithful, making just 19 appearances for the team.

Hleb rejected a loan deal to Inter Milan opting for a move to his former Bundesliga club VFB Stuttgart. He struggled for form and scored just one goal in his tenure. After leaving Barcelona, he played for six different club in four years.

The 33-year old is currently plying his trade at Turkish Superlig club Konyaspor. His time at Arsenal saw him make 89 appearances in three years, scoring seven goals and making countless attack-breaking tackles. But, after he left the Emirates, he was a shadow of his best.

#9 Juan Roman Riquelme

Riquelme didn’t manage to adjust at the Nou Camp

The Argentine playmaker's career path is exactly opposite to Hleb's. Riquelme went onto do better at his next club, Villareal. He was signed from Boca Juniors in 2002 for a fee of €11 million.

Riquelme, who recently announced his retirement from the game was the poster boy of non-conformism. His ability to leave Europe and join the Argentine league at the peak of his form only helped him adhere to his stereotype.

However, the talent did not showcase itself at the Nou Camp. Riquelme scored just four goals in 44 games for them. For Villareal, he scored 42 goals in 119 games and created several more for strike force, which included the likes of Diego Forlan.

He was also often played out of position by then Barcelona manager, Louis Van Gaal, who often deployed him down the wings.

#8 Keirrison

Keirrison didn’t make a single appearance for the club

When a club signs a player, they look forward to what influence he would have on the team. However, imagine coming to a club, being loaned out in a month and never playing for them again?

He signed from Ajax for a fee of €14 million but was immediately loaned to Benfica. Keirrison failed to make an appearance for the club and played for five different clubs during his five-year tenure with the club, failing to make even a single appearance for the Catalan giants.

His time at Benfica, Fiorentina, Santos, Cruzeiro and Coritiba saw him score just eight goals in total. This particular transfer has to go down in Barcelona history as one of the most ridiculous.

He is now finally found a new home in Coritiba but has been plagued with injuries this season.

#7 Geovanni Deiberson

Geovanni has played for eight clubs in the last 10 years

The midfielder was signed from Brazilian outfit, Cruzeiro for €21 million. Consistency was Geovani's biggest problem, his time later at Hull City highlighted his ability to score from absolutely nothing. However, while playing for Barca, no such moments of brilliance showed up.

In 21 La Liga appearances, the midfielder scored just one goal failing to impress manager Carles Rexach, who handed him just five appearances in his second season. Since then, Geovanni's career has gone down-hill playing for eight clubs in 10 years.

The only time she showed some form resurgence was at Hull City, where he scored some brilliant goals. However, his term at the club ended with the Tigers getting relegated back down to the first division.

#6 Phillipe Christanval

Christanval was touted to be Lilian Thuram’s replacement

His time at the Nou Camp can all but be forgotten by the club. Christanval signed from French Ligue 1 side, AS Monaco for €17 million. Widely known as Lilian Thuram's replacement, he failed to live up to the expectation bestowed on him.

Making just 31 appearances, he was found out several times. With the emphasis of high press defending in Louis Van Gaal's system, he failed to adjust to the pace of the game. He eventually went onto say, "The new Barca system, with three defenders rather than four, doesn't favour me".

Christanval went onto leave the club for free, by the next season. He was last seen playing for Premier League outfit Fulham in 2008.

#5 Gerard Lopez

Lopez played the Champions League final with Valencia

A youth academy product Gerard Lopez, he eventually graduated into the Barcelona 'B' squad, before being released by the club. He then went onto join Valencia, before moving to Alaves on loan.

It is here where he caught Barcelona's eye again. The central midfielder scored seven goals in 29 games and created several more to help Alaves survive. He returned to Valencia and helped the team reach the UEFA Champions League final.

Often compared with his phonetic namesake, Steven Gerrard, the midfielder failed to create an impact at the Nou Camp. He scored just seven times in 116 games. A mixture of poor form and injuries amalgamated itself into an exit from the club in 2005.

He would never go onto play regulary, due to his injuries, ending his career in 2011.

#4 Dmytro Chygrynskiy

Chygrynskiy returned to Shakhtar Donetsk within a season

The Ukranian could easily go down as the biggest mistake of Pep Guardiola's transfer indulgences. He signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of €25 million. However, a season later he would go back to the Ukranian outfit for 10 million lesser.

It was clear that Barcelona didn't do their homework before signing him. Chygrinskiy's mistakes against AC Milan and Sevilla was precaution enough for a top team to wait it out.

His 851 minutes at the club saw him out of position, missing tackles, fluffing clearances and clumsy on the ball. All these traits were enough for Guardiola to relieve him of his services.

Leave alone replacing Carles Puyol or Gerard Pique, he would probably find it difficult of making in into the B team.

#3 Garbriel Milito

Milito was sidelined with injury throughout his Barcelona tenure

Failing the medical to break a potential move to Real Madrid is something that players don't even want to think about. However, in 2003, he failed one and never had another chance to join the Los Blancos.

The Real Madrid medical staff stated, “After the medical tests, our staff considers that, bearing in mind the intensity and high frequency of the efforts required by the club, they cannot guarantee the fitness of the player for the next four seasons.”

Barcelona's medical team chose to ignore the anecdote and signed the player in 2007. In hindsight, they should have adhered to the warning. A cruciate knee injury, along with a torn calf muscle and a hamstring injury saw him play just 48 games in four seasons.

The €20 million investment has to be one of the worst the club has ever made.

#2 Marc Overmars

Overmars failed to justify his price-tag

Overmars was brought in to replace Luis Figo for €40 million in the year 2000. Most certainly one of the most inflated price tags in the history of football. Yes, he was a good player for Barcelona but was clearly not good enough to replace a player who had immortalised the winger position,

He scored 17 goals in 118 matches for the club and clearly lacked creativity down the flanks. Whereas Figo scored 21 goals in 116 games in the La Liga and also brought in a sense of leadership within the squad. Figo was also very good in the UEFA Champions League scoring seven goals in 24 matches.

Clearly Overmars’ performance was not even close to the standards set by the former Barcelona captain. He was a good player at Arsenal and transitioned the same way to the Nou Camp, but never reaching the heights he was expected to.

#1 Javier Saviola

Saviola was sold to Real Madrid for free

The pocket size dynamite arrived from River Plate in 2001 for a fee of €36 million. In 148 appearances for the Catalans, the striker notched up only sixty goals. Often touted as the 'new Maradona,' he won the South American Player of the Year in 1999.

Barcelona were so desperate to get rid of him that they sold him in 2007 to Real Madrid of all teams. He moved to Madrid on a free transfer. Despite having a decent scoring record, he would often play second fiddle.

Saviola never really justified his price tag and lacked being clinical in front of goal. He was loaned out to AS Monaco and Sevilla for two years, before being shipped out.