Barcelona sold Luis Figo to arch-rivals Real Madrid for €60million in 2000. Arguably the most infamous transfer in history, the move is the subject of a brand new Netflix documentary.
The purchases made in the aftermath of that sale were also heavily criticised as Barca burned through a succession of managers and went four seasons without winning any silverware. Parallels can certainly be drawn with the way the club wasted the Neymar fee in 2017.
We’ve taken a closer look at the five players Barcelona signed for a fee in the summer of Figo’s switch to the Bernabeu.
Marc Overmars
The Dutchman was signed from Arsenal in the summer of 2000 for €40million; a significant chunk of the fee received for Figo.
In his three seasons with the Gunners, Overmars never scored fewer than 12 goals in a season, with a personal best of 16 helping Arsene Wenger to a league and cup double in 1998.
Arriving in Catalonia aged 27, the forward should have been in the prime of his career, but his standards quickly began to slide once he pulled on his new colours.
In four seasons with Barca, he scored just 19 goals as persistent knee injuries prevented him from building up form and fitness. A second-place finish in Frank Rijkaard’s first season at the helm marked a change in fortunes but it also marked the end of Overmars’ time with the club, as he retired in July 2004.
🔵🔴 Pass & move from Barcelona before Marc Overmars slots home against Liverpool back in 2001…#UCL | @FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/1SUmiOOTKu
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) May 1, 2019
Emmanuel Petit
Another Gunner arrived at the Camp Nou that summer in the form of Emmanuel Petit, who made the switch in a joint transfer alongside Overmars.
Two years earlier, the midfielder had played a major role in guiding France to their first World Cup victory, scoring the third goal against Brazil in the final, while he had just helped Les Bleus also win Euro 2000. Hopes were therefore high at his new home.
Arriving at the age of 29, Barca were able to bring him in for a fraction of the price splashed on Overmars, albeit still a considerable €14million for the time.
Wenger had turned Petit into a defensive midfielder at Highbury, proving a colossus alongside Patrick Viera, but he was bumped further back into the centre of defence by Barca boss Lorenzo Serra Ferrer.
Petit has since accused Ferrer of not knowing what position he played in at the time of his signing, telling SFRSport in…
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