5 players ruined by Barcelona
Barcelona are one of the most admired and respected clubs in the history of 'the beautiful game'. It's a dream for most players to strut their stuff for either Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Both clubs have been able to field some of the best players the game has ever seen. That kind of legacy is hard to overlook. But signing for a big club does not immediately mean success. A new club arrives with a fresh set of challenges.
Big clubs like Barcelona have very limited room for experimenting
At big clubs like Barcelona, it's easy to get sidelined if you're not in contention for a starting berth. That could happen for a multitude of reasons and it's not anyone's fault. But at times, clubs can get a little callous with players whom they deem surplus to requirements.
Top talents could be removed from the fray after a couple of poor performances as expectations are constantly sky high. Coming back from a slump at a team like Barcelona can be extremely difficult. A lot of players have suffered in that manner.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who were ruined by Barcelona.
#5 Alen Halilovic
18-year-old Alen Halilovic was signed in the summer of 2014 for a sum of just €2.2 million. He seemed like an absolute steal at the time as he had already been likened to Lionel Messi owing to his silky dribbling ability.
Unfortunately for Halilovic, he pulled up at Barcelona at a time when the MSN trio were running riot in Europe. These were crucial years in Halilovic's development and he stagnated.
The following summer, Halilovic was loaned out to Sporting Gijon so he could get some valuable minutes under his belt. The wide attacking midfielder made 36 appearances for Sporting Gijon, scoring three goals and providing five assists.
It was simply not enough to impress Barcelona manager Luis Enrique and they made the call to sell Halilovic in the summer of 2016. He is currently plying his trade for English second-flight side Birmingham City.
He wasted his most important years at Barcelona and the club were too caught up in their drive for success to tend to him in the way he perhaps deserved.
#4 Alexander Hleb
Belarusian midfielder Alexander Hleb was part of the Arsenal side that made it to the 2006 Champions League final. Over the next couple of years, he would establish himself as one of their most exciting players before copping a surprise move to Barcelona in 2008.
It is a decision that Hleb would come to regret. He spent just one year at Barcelona and mostly came off the bench during the 2008-09 season. He did win the treble with the Catalans but couldn't really play much of a role in that.
Unhappy with the lack of playing time, Hleb didn't want to spend his best years warming the bench. He sought to leave and after rejecting the opportunity to join Inter Milan, he signed for VfB Stuttgart on loan. The next summer he was shipped out to Birmingham City. In 2011, Hleb moved to Wolfsburg on yet another loan deal.
Hleb's contract with the Catal was mutually terminated a year later and he has never been able to play for a club of Arsenal's or Barcelona's stature. Barcelona took his best years and made nothing out of it.