The Fútbol Club Barcelona is one of the three entities with the most deficit in European football with an expenditure of 1,112.35 million euros and has a red of 352.35 since the 2015/16 season, when it managed to complete all possible titles in the squad that had Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta.
In the press conference in which he explained the reasons why Barcelona could not reach an agreement to rehire Messi (who was released on June 30), the president of the Catalan club, Joan Laporta, indicated that the expected losses “were of the order of 200 million euros but will eventually be 487” and that “it is evident that the football industry recommends that salaries be at a maximum of 65 percent of income. In this case, there is a lot to work on, to reduce. The problem is not only the salary, but the amortizations. Investments of great magnitude were made and that is a drag ”.
Those times in which Barcelona put out their chests for the players that emerged from their quarry, such as when Messi, Xavi and Iniesta shared the shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d’Or in 2010, they were already left behind and whether or not they were right with the hires or sales became critical.
“How much has Barcelona spent in the last five years?”, The Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo was asked sarcastically in one of the many awards he received, while he recalled that the Catalans “have not won a Champions League since 2015 and Real Madrid won four since 2014 ”.
In fact, Laporta blames the management of his predecessor, Josep María Bartomeu – to whom Messi sent the famous burofax in August 2020, by which he communicated that he was leaving Barcelona when he considered himself free – responsible for the current crisis of the club -, who with collaborators such as former goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta first, and then Robert Fernández, Albert Soler, Jordi Mestre, Pep Segura, and finally former French full-back Eric Abidal and Ramón Planes have not been able to translate that spending into European successes since 2016. Beyond the balance sheet of these last six years it has three Leagues, four King’s Cups, two Spanish Super Cups, one European Super Cup and one Club World Cup, although in the last two seasons, the harvest was meager with just one King’s Cup.
According to the CIES research center, belonging to FIFA, Barcelona was one of the three clubs with the most deficit balance in Europe in the last five years together with Manchester City and Manchester United in a study carried out in 2021, taking into account expenses and income from footballers hiring, all with more than 400 million euros in the red.
If Manchester City invested 1006 million euros in hires and obtained 375 from sales to other clubs, with a negative balance of 631 million between 2016 and 2021, its city rival, Manchester United, is close with a negative balance of 586 million as a result of an expense of 832 million in purchases and only 246 of gains from sales.
For CIES, Barcelona had in those years a balance in the red of 471 million in net spending, investing 1,171 million and receiving 700, also being the one that has spent the most in that period among the five major European leagues ahead of Manchester City and Juventus (999 million).
According to this same study, Paris Saint Germain (PSG) had a balance of 455 million, as a result of an expense of 854 and an income of 399, while Inter Milan generated a balance of 386 million due to an expense of 664 and an income of 278.
For different reasons, many of the players hired by Barcelona in the last six years did not work. The Turkish Arda Turan, signed for 35 million euros from Atlético Madrid, generated great expectations but ended up going on loan to his league.
Another similar case is that of the Portuguese André Gomes, for which Barcelona paid 35 million to Valencia, with a surreal clause such as establishing a bonus in the event that he won the Ballon d’Or, although he ended up at a good level in the Everton, where two other players hired by the Catalans also stand out, the French Lucas Digne (who could never take the left-back position from Jordi Alba) and the Colombian Yerry Mina, although for this, Barcelona could, at least, take advantage the pull of his good World Cup by scoring three goals in Russia 2018.
For the Brazilian Paulinho, Barcelona paid 40 million euros to Guangzhou Evergrande of China, to loan him again a year later to the same team, although the passing of the steering wheel through the Camp Nou was acceptable.
On the other hand, they did not even result in the return of a home player like Gerard Deulofeu, for whom he paid 12 million euros to Everton although he ended up selling it for 13 to Watford, while Marlon Santos only played three games and ended up at Sassuolo.
Perhaps the most resonant operations in recent times have been those of the Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé and the Brazilian Philippe Coutinho, with whom Barcelona tried to quickly cover the departure of Neymar, when he received the 222 million of the Brazilian’s rescission clause and spent on them 270 million, but neither of them achieved continuity. Dembélé totaled 527 days in the infirmary, and Cou missed almost the entirety of last season due to an injury when before he left on loan to Bayern Munich, with whom he participated in the resounding 8-2 win that Barcelona suffered for the Champions League League 2020.
For the 2019/20 season, Frenchman Antoine Griezmann was hired, for which Barcelona prided itself on paying 120 million euros because he waited for his clause to drop from the initial 200, and although he remains on the squad, he never finished adapting , while the following year the Bosnian Miralem Pjanic arrived, as part of an operation that included the departure of the Brazilian Arthur to Juventus, but the midfielder was hardly taken into account and an outlet is being sought in this market.
The last of the cases is that of Luis Suárez, who left for a very low value at the beginning of the 2020/21 season when he was not taken into account by the Dutch coach Ronald Koeman and ended up being champion of the Spanish League and fundamental with their goals. (Infobae)
According to the Transfermarkt site, these are the ups and downs of Barcelona since the 20115/16 season, with the titles won each season:
• 2015/16 (Copa del Rey, League, Club World Cup, European Super Cup)
Transfers: Arda Turán (34), Aleix Vidal (17). Total: 51M
Departures: Pedro Rodríguez (27), Gerard Deulofeu (6), Denis Suárez (4) Martín Montoya (1.30 loan). Total: 38.30M
• 2016/17 (Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup)
Transfers: André Gomes (37), Paco Alcácer (30), Samuel Umtiti (25), Lucas Digne (16.50), Jasper Cilessen (13), Denis Suárez (3.25). Total: 124.75 M
Departures: Claudio Bravo (18), Marc Bartra (8). Alen Halilovic (5), Adriano (2.30), Cristian Tello (500,000 loan). Total: 33.80M
• 2017/18 (Copa del Rey, League)
Transfers: Philippe Coutinho (135), Ousmane Dembélé (135), Paulinho (40), Nelson Semedo (35.70), Gerard Deulofeu (12), Yerry Mina (11.80). Marlon (5). Total: 374 M
Departures: Neymar (222), Javier Mascherano (5.50), Cristian Tello (4), Gerard Deulofeu (1, loan). Total: 232.50M
• 2018/19 (League, Spanish Super Cup)
Transfers: Malcom (41), Arthur (31), Clement Lenglet (35.90), Arturo Vidal (18), Emerson Royal (12), Jean-Clair Todibo (1), Jeison Murillo (1.20 loan), Kevin Prince Boateng (1, loan). Total: 141.10 M
Departures: Paulinho (42), Yerry Mina (30.25), Lucas Digne (20.20), Gerard Deulofeu (13). Marlon (12), Aleix Vidal (9.30), Emerson Royal (6). Denis Suárez (2.50 loan), André Gomes (2.25 loan), Paco Alcácer (2, loan). Total: 139.50
• 2019/20
Transfers: Antoine Griezmann (120), Frenkie De Jong (86), Neto (26). Junior Firpo (20), Pedri (20) Martin Braithwaite (18), Matheus Fernandes (7), Marc Cucurella (4). Total: 301 M
Departures: Jasper Cilessen (35), André Gomes (25), Paco Alcácer (21) Denis Suárez (12.90), Philippe Coutinho (8.50, loan) Marc Cardona (2.50), Marc Cucurella (2) Sergio Palencia ( 2), Malcom (40). Rafinha (1.50 loan), Jean-Claire Todibo (1.50 loan), Carlos Pérez (1, loan) Total: 152.90 M
• 2020/21 (Copa del Rey)
Transfers: Miralem Pjanic (60), Francisco Trincao (31), Sergiño Dest (21). Total: 112 M
Departures: Arthur (72), Nelson Semedo (30), Carlos Pérez (11), Marc Cucurella (10), Luis Suárez (7), Rafinha (1.50), Iván Rakitic (1.50). Total: 135 M
• 2021/22
Transfers: Emerson Royal (22 years old, Betis) (9), Memphis Depay (27) (Free), Sergio Agüero (33) (Free), Eric García (20) (Free), Total: 9M
Departures: Junior Firpo (Leeds United) (15), Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice) (8.50), Carlos Aleñá (Getafe) (5), Juan Miranda (Betis, Free), Matheus Fernandes (Palmeiras, free), Monchu ( Granada, Libre), Francisco Trincao (Wolverhampton, loan). Total: 28.50M
Total Transfers: 1112.85 euros
Total departures: 760.50 euros
Total: -352.35 euros