5 Players Whose Barcelona Moves Turned Nightmare Amid Vitor Roque Saga
- Vitor Roque is facing a Barcelona departure after about six months since he arrived at the club
- The Brazilian teenager did not get enough minutes under Xavi and will now leave Spain
- He is not the first of his kind to secure a dream move to Barcelona, and it turned sour quickly
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Brazilian teenage striker Vitor Roque is set to leave Barcelona either on loan or permanently this summer after less than a year since he arrived at the club.
Roque joined Barcelona in a €40 million move from Athletico Paranaense in the summer of 2023 and was immediately loaned back. He was recalled halfway into his loan in January due to an injury crisis.
Source: Getty Images
Former boss Xavi Hernandez failed to hand him regular minutes, and his relationship with the club deteriorated. He is now set for an untimely departure.
Legit.ng looks at five other players whose Barcelona move turned into a nightmare, as first called by Planet Football.
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Players who had nightmare moves to Barcelona
1. Philippe Coutinho
Barca signed the Brazilian attacker for £142 million, including add-ons, in January 2018. He struggled to settle in, and it immediately showed that it was a wrong move. He was loaned to Bayern Munich and scored against his parent club in their 8-2 loss. He joined Aston Villa in 2022 and has been on loans to Al-Duhail and Vasco da Gama.
2. Antoine Griezmann
The Frenchman admitted that moving to the Catalan club was a mistake, and many believe it was too late. He struggled to settle in and returned to Atletico Madrid after two seasons, initially on loan before it was made permanent. He missed out on that 2021 La Liga title. Barca paid €120mil for him.
3. Ousmane Dembele
Dembele’s move was a nightmare for both the player and the club. He was signed for €105mil from Dortmund in 2017 and was injured for over half his time at the club. When he overcame his fitness issues, he ditched the club and joined Paris Saint-Germain for €50mil. He scored against his former club in the UCL last season and celebrated.
4. Arda Turan
Another one who moved from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona and faded. He joined in 2015 and left in 2020, featuring in only 36 league games. He returned to Turkey with Istanbul Basaksehir and also played for Galatasaray before retiring to embark on a managerial career. He recently admitted to The Athletic that he couldn't turn down the move.
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Swede Superman never won the UEFA Champions League. In hindsight, his move to Barcelona from Inter in 2009 cost him a treble as the Italians won a treble after his departure. His relationship with Guardiola deteriorated, and he left after one season to join AC Milan.
Lamine Yamal takes Roque’s number
Legit.ng reported that wonder kid Lamine Yamal took Roque’s number 19, which is another indication that the Brazilian is set to leave the Spanish club this summer.
Yamal, who previously wore the number 27 since he broke into the first team, has been announced as the new number 19, following in the footsteps of Lionel Messi.
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Source: Legit.ng
