Six of Barcelona's best signings since 2008: Pique, Alba...
Barcelona haven't exactly been the most thrifty team on the transfer market in recent years, but they've still managed to do some good business.
Among the likes of Neymar, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann are absolute gems, and some have become brilliant servants to the club after joining for a small fee.
We flash back to 2008 when Barcelona became the team to beat in European football as Pep Guardiola led them to the treble and picked out some of their best deals since.
Ivan Rakitic – £16.2mA favorite of Luis Enrique and then Ernesto Valverde, Ivan Rakitic is a coach's dream player. A hard worker, selfless and tireless, he proved to be a better fit in the Barcelona midfield than La Masia graduate Cesc Fabregas, whom he replaced.
He wasn't always the most popular among the fans (particularly the keyboard warriors), but helping the club's transition as Xavi declined was no small feat.
The Croatian lifted the treble in his debut season, and a glut of domestic trophies followed.
Oh, and he scored a few rockets in his time.
Javier Mascherano – £18millionBeloved by his teammates and a cult favorite among fans, Mascherano was a far cry from the technically gifted types produced by Barcelona, but his tenacity, determination and versatility had a huge impact.
He was never going to usurp Sergio Busquets to play in his natural role as a defensive midfielder, but he certainly made himself useful in midfield.
Jordi Alba – £11.2mThe La Masia academy product had established himself as one of Europe's best left-backs at Valencia, something he underscored with brilliant performances for Spain when they won the Euro 2012.
His transfer was confirmed days before Spain beat Italy 4-0 in the final, and the trophies came in droves and fast.
Although he has declined over the past two years, he helped Barca win five league titles, five Copas del Rey and the Champions League in 2015.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen – £9.7mThe young German goalkeeper's supreme confidence and ability with his feet at Borussia Mönchengladbach made him an ideal candidate to lead the post-Victor Valdes era at Barcelona.
He had to bide his time, only playing in cup competitions at first, winning the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, while Claudio Bravo played in the league.
But he has since established himself as a competent No.1 for Barca, as well as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Claudio Bravo – £7.2mThe goalkeeper's bizarre fate at Manchester City, where every shot seemed to overtake him, has sadly tarnished the reputation of a solid La Liga stalwart and Chilean legend.
Always reliable at Real Sociedad, he was just as reliable when he joinedLa Blaugranaalongside Ter Stegen in 2014.
A key part of back-to-back titles won under Luis Enrique, the club then made a profit of £6m when they sold him to City after two years. A brilliant affair.
Gerard Pique – £4mAn integral part of the backline of Barcelona's treble of 2008-09 and 2014-15, the Spanish World Cup and Euro 2012, Pique also won the Champions League in 2011, a total of eight league titles and seven Copas del Rey in 14 years.
He went from Carles Puyol to Mascherano to Araujo and and was never anything less than a leader. Not bad for £4m, which was all it took to bring home Manchester United talent back in 2008.
READ MORE: Ranking the 10 worst signings of Bartomeu's presidency at Barcelona
Barcelona haven't exactly been the most thrifty team on the transfer market in recent years, but they've still managed to do some good business.
Among the likes of Neymar, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann are absolute gems, and some have become brilliant servants to the club after joining for a small fee.
We flash back to 2008 when Barcelona became the team to beat in European football as Pep Guardiola led them to the treble and picked out some of their best deals since.
Ivan Rakitic – £16.2mA favorite of Luis Enrique and then Ernesto Valverde, Ivan Rakitic is a coach's dream player. A hard worker, selfless and tireless, he proved to be a better fit in the Barcelona midfield than La Masia graduate Cesc Fabregas, whom he replaced.
He wasn't always the most popular among the fans (particularly the keyboard warriors), but helping the club's transition as Xavi declined was no small feat.
The Croatian lifted the treble in his debut season, and a glut of domestic trophies followed.
Oh, and he scored a few rockets in his time.
Javier Mascherano – £18millionBeloved by his teammates and a cult favorite among fans, Mascherano was a far cry from the technically gifted types produced by Barcelona, but his tenacity, determination and versatility had a huge impact.
He was never going to usurp Sergio Busquets to play in his natural role as a defensive midfielder, but he certainly made himself useful in midfield.
Jordi Alba – £11.2mThe La Masia academy product had established himself as one of Europe's best left-backs at Valencia, something he underscored with brilliant performances for Spain when they won the Euro 2012.
His transfer was confirmed days before Spain beat Italy 4-0 in the final, and the trophies came in droves and fast.
Although he has declined over the past two years, he helped Barca win five league titles, five Copas del Rey and the Champions League in 2015.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen – £9.7mThe young German goalkeeper's supreme confidence and ability with his feet at Borussia Mönchengladbach made him an ideal candidate to lead the post-Victor Valdes era at Barcelona.
He had to bide his time, only playing in cup competitions at first, winning the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, while Claudio Bravo played in the league.
But he has since established himself as a competent No.1 for Barca, as well as one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Claudio Bravo – £7.2mThe goalkeeper's bizarre fate at Manchester City, where every shot seemed to overtake him, has sadly tarnished the reputation of a solid La Liga stalwart and Chilean legend.
Always reliable at Real Sociedad, he was just as reliable when he joinedLa Blaugranaalongside Ter Stegen in 2014.
A key part of back-to-back titles won under Luis Enrique, the club then made a profit of £6m when they sold him to City after two years. A brilliant affair.
Gerard Pique – £4mAn integral part of the backline of Barcelona's treble of 2008-09 and 2014-15, the Spanish World Cup and Euro 2012, Pique also won the Champions League in 2011, a total of eight league titles and seven Copas del Rey in 14 years.
He went from Carles Puyol to Mascherano to Araujo and and was never anything less than a leader. Not bad for £4m, which was all it took to bring home Manchester United talent back in 2008.
READ MORE: Ranking the 10 worst signings of Bartomeu's presidency at Barcelona
What's Your Reaction?
![Three of ID's top PR executives quit ad firm Powerhouse [EXCLUSIVE]](https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/ID-PR-Logo.jpg?#){kind=logo}
