5 players who left Barcelona after clashing with the club
Barcelona have been represented by some of the finest players in the world over the years. The Catalan giants have had no problem in terms of attracting top superstars, with the Camp Nou still serving as home to some spectacular talents at the moment.
Meanwhile, one thing that is questionable is how the Blaugrana treat their players. For instance, the departure of Lionel Messi during the summer was a big slap to the face, owing to the way it was handled. But there have been even worse cases at the club in recent years.
Several top superstars have been forced to leave Barcelona over the last few years after clashing with the club. On that note, here's a look at five of them:
#5 Miralem Pjanic
Miralem Pjanic finally completed his dream of becoming a Barcelona player when he switched to the Camp Nou from Juventus in the summer of 2020. However, the midfielder couldn't make anything out of the move, thanks to the recently sacked Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman standing in his way.
Miralem Pjanic: "Ronald Koeman has disrespected me. He put the cross on me from the beginning. I wish he would have told me to my face what he wanted from me, but he never did. He's a very strange coach. It's the first time I've seen such a management." https://t.co/CVviiiNyfs
Pjanic barely got a chance to prove himself under Koeman, and it was glaring that the pair didn't get along during their time at Camp Nou. Pjanic was eventually kicked out of the club by the tactician in the recently concluded transfer window.
Shortly after joining Besiktas on a loan deal this summer, the midfielder didn't hesitate to lash out at the former Blaugrana coach, saying:
"It was a very difficult situation to accept, but I wasn’t going to fight. There was a person who was never going to change. He’s the coach. There was a lack of respect for the club, for those who didn’t play after training well."
"It was one of the worst things I’ve seen, a huge lack of respect, and it wasn’t easy for those of us not playing. Now I’ve found a solution to play and I’m happy".
#4 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The striker looked set to take Europe by storm when he got his Barcelona career off to a great start after arriving in the 2009-10 campaign. Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagged 21 goals and 13 assists for the club in his debut season, but couldn't continue beyond that due to a clash with Pep Guardiola.
Zlatan Ibrahimović for Barcelona:
• 46 games
• 22 goals
• 5 trophies
He was sold for €24m. https://t.co/o2aQND4WS5
The Swede later explained how things broke down between the pair, leading to his eventual departure. He said:
"In Barcelona, the first season but the second half of the season was a challenge for me because I came into a situation where the coach wasn’t speaking to me, and that was something new for me. I'm not the person who - if I don't have a problem - I will approach you. It's about the person who has the problem, he should approach the other one, and we resolve it like men."