Barcelona’s love affair with the Netherlands goes back nearly 50 years and continues to this day.
Any Dutch player comes to Barcelona with certain expectations attached to them – ever since a certain Ballon d’Or winner arrived from Ajax in 1973, bringing total football with him.
And we’ve rated all 22 of Barcelona’s Dutch footballers, ranked from worst to best.
22. Luuk de Jong
Barca supporters never warmed to the big centre forward, but there’s an argument that De Jong’s limitations were exaggerated by a disgruntled fanbase.
A deadline day signing from the Sevilla bench in 2021, the striker could never dream of replacing the outgoing Messi.
De Jong scored six goals in 21 appearances – some of them vital late winners – but always looked an awkward fit for the club defined by tiki-taka. It was no major surprise that his loan deal wasn’t made permanent, but it can’t be said he didn’t do a job when needed.
The striker definitely wasn’t entirely without merit, so the fact that we’ve stuck him bottom of this list shows quite how strong the bond between Barca and the Netherlands is.
21. Ibrahim Afellay
Joining from PSV in 2010, Afellay ultimately didn’t amount to much at Barcelona. Or Stoke for that matter.
Nevertheless, he was responsible for one of the most important assists in the club’s history. On for the injured Pedro in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, he came up big with the cross for Messi’s first goal in a 2-0 win.
📅 #OTD in 2011, Leo Messi scored twice as Barcelona beat Real Madrid in the semi-finals…#UCL | @FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/778JRp2Mqp
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 27, 2020
20. Ronald de Boer
Ronald and Frank de Boer joined Louis van Gaal’s Barcelona from Ajax in January 1999, but it’s safe to say one of the twins is remembered more fondly than the other.
Ronald contributed to the 1998-99 title win but scored just twice in 37 appearances, something of a letdown after arriving with a reputation as a goalscoring midfielder. He was allowed to leave for Rangers after just 18 months.
19. Winston Bogarde
Injuries robbed Bogarde of a chance to make much of an impact at Barcelona, with him generally sidelined during his time at the club in the late 90s.
But alongside the De Boer twins, he did manage to play some part when he arrived midway through the 1998-99 season that ended with Barcelona topping the table.
He was sold to Chelsea in 2000, where there’s a…
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