Xavi Hernandez is making a good fist of turning Barcelona’s fortunes around as manager but what has become of the rest of the XI from his final appearance for the club as a player?
The legendary midfielder made his 767th and final Barcelona appearance in June 2015, coming on as a late substitute during the 2015 Champions League final as Barca beat Juventus 3-1 to lift the trophy for the fifth time.
We’ve taken a look at the Barca team from that triumphant night to see how they are all faring today.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Ter Stegen arrived at Barcelona in 2014, replacing the departing Victor Valdes, but didn’t make a single La Liga appearance in his first season.
But the goalkeeper played in every Champions League game, culminating in the triumph over Juve in Berlin.
He became Barca’s first choice in all competitions after Claudio Bravo left for Manchester City in 2016 and has racked up 335 appearances during his spell at the club.
Dani Alves
Alves is a Barcelona legend, winning an incredible 23 trophies during his time at the Camp Nou, but he only lasted a year after the Champions League triumph, leaving on a free transfer to final opponents Juventus in 2016.
The Brazil international spent a successful year in Serie A, two seasons at PSG before returning to his homeland with Sao Paulo.
He even made a brief return to Barca last season, helping to steady the listing ship under Xavi. He now plays for Liga MX club UNAM.
Gerard Pique
Another club legend.
Pique has made an astonishing 571 appearances for Barcelona and further cemented his iconic status by taking a dramatic pay-cut in the summer of 2021 – allowing Barca to register three new signings.
The 35-year-old may have creaking knees these days, and one of Xavi’s first tasks will be identifying a replacement for the centre-back, but Pique remained an important part of the Barca team last season and made 40 appearances.
But the World Cup winner has been sidelined so far this year and his days at the club appear numbered.
READ: The 10 highest paid players in La Liga for 22-23: Pique, Hazard, De Jong…
Javier Mascherano
Signed as a defensive midfielder, Mascherano was quickly converted into a centre-back by Pep Guardiola and performed the role to distinction during the victory over Juventus.
The Argentina international remained in Spain until January 2018 when he completed a €5.5 million move to Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune.
After returning to his native Argentina for…
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