Once upon a time, Barcelona crushed their rivals with incredible ease. The constant confrontation with Real Madrid was one of the most significant events in the football world, and the army of fans of the sport grew larger and larger through such matches and https://gbfreres.com/. The Catalans have won five Champions League titles to their credit. Except that their last win was seven years ago.
A star-studded squad
Past Barça were Messi, Suárez, Neymar, Alves, Iniesta, Alba, Pique, Xavi and Busquets. The striking line-up spared no one, and the team’s cohesion was nothing short of enviable. The last winning match already saw a total of 31 goals, with 27 of them scored by the devastating trio of Messi-Suárez-Neymar.
Today, at the Camp Nou, only five of the then heroes can be seen, and one has changed his role altogether. The goal was then under the protection of Marc-André ter Stegen, as it is now. He was the youngest at the time. His successes on the field made him a worthy replacement for the legendary Victor Valdes. The German had played 6 of 13 dry matches.
Dani Alves failed to appear in 2 games that season as he picked himself up the cards. However, the final game was a complete success for him. His professional work gave Barça a proper defence and he himself another trophy in his piggy bank. Also in his arsenal there are Italian and French awards, and on his return to his homeland in Brazil, also became state champion with Sao Paulo.
Another Barcelona defender who worked all 90 minutes in the final is Jordi Alba. He is gradually approaching the 500-match mark for this club. His collection consists of 21 trophies, but the footballer intends to add at least a few more to it. He remains with Barcelona until 2024.
Gerard Pique joins Alba in defending the team. He will also stay at the club for a couple more years. Despite his unstable play (he could make incredible matches, and he could make gross mistakes that cost the team dearly), Pique is still a very valuable player and a true legend of the club.
Javier Mascherano, who has been Argentina’s Under-20 head coach since the start of this year, was also present in defence. He played 12 Champions League games from start to finish, providing excellent defending for the team. Mascherano has won 19 trophies with Barça. Javier has played in China and Argentina for the last couple of years.
Many have already written Andrés Iniesta off as the iconic Xavi-Iniesta combination has long been missing. The fact is that the Spaniard now plays for Vissel Kobe of Japan, with whom he won the Japan Cup and the Super Cup. Nevertheless, in one of his latest interviews Andrés admitted that he wants to return to Barcelona, interestingly, if not to the club’s squad, then to the coaching chair, or even to the director’s chair.
Uruguayan Luis Suárez scored the winning goal in the final match before leaving for Atletico Madrid. He spent 2 seasons in his squad. Luiz has been a free agent since July this year. He is rumoured to be of interest to Los Angeles Galaxy and River Plate.