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Ranking the 5 best transfer windows of all time: Barcelona

Barcelona v Espanyol - La Liga
French youngster Dembele became Barcelona's record signing this summer

The last summer transfer window was the possibly the craziest one. PSG were involved in two world record transfers, but in all the melee surrounding the French side, Barcelona were cast in the shadow.

Let's not forget that the Catalans were involved in two record transfers as well, selling Brazilian superstar Neymar for €222 million, and signing French wonderkid Ousmane Dembele from Dortmund for €105 million as a replacement.

When you look at the best players to have played for the Blaugrana, most of them have graduated from the famed La Masia academy - Xavi, Iniesta, Valdes, Puyol, Messi and so on. They are traditionally a team that have not relied on spending money to get world-class players.

But they have pulled off a few remarkably bargain deals in the past, and this summer showed that they won't shy away from splashing the cash either.

Here, we take a look at the 5 best transfer windows in Barca's recent history.


#5 Summer, 2010

David Villa
David Villa joined Barcelona from Valencia

There were quite a few notable departures that summer, with Thierry Henry, Rafael Marquez, Yaya Toure and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all leaving. Barca had to bring in some big names, and they did exactly that.

Having lost two mercurial forwards, they signed David Villa from Valencia for €40 million, following an immensely successful personal season where he scored 21 league goals. Villa was already 28 when he signed, but was part of an incredible side under Pep Guardiola that personified Johan Cruyff's revolutionary tiki-taka football, and ended up winning the La Liga and Champions League.

Javier Mascherano joined from Liverpool for €19 million. The 26-year-old was turning heads in the Premier League with his tough tackling and no-nonsense defending. His versatility allows him to play in both defensive midfield and centre-back.

Ibrahim Afellay, Adriano and Jeffren were the other arrivals, but only the Brazilian left-back had anywhere near the same amount of impact as Mascherano and Villa.

Villa had a short career in Catalonia, but he did have an impact in the three seasons that he spent there. He helped them win eight trophies, including two league titles and one Champions League.

Mascherano, on the other hand, is still at the club, and very much a central figure of their backline. Sergio Busquets' excellent form has stopped him from playing in midfield, but he is undoubtedly their first choice centre-back along with Pique.

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