- When Arsenal face Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16, there will be one player in each squad who will be facing a former club. Thomas Vermaelen and Alexis Sanchez will both find themselves in action against a team they have already represented.
- However, they’re not the only players to have represented both the Gunners and the Catalan club. There was once a fairly steady flow of talent from Islington to the Nou Camp, ranging from flops to iconic stars.
- In this piece, we count down the top 10 players to have featured for both sides. The ranking takes into account how the players in question fared with both clubs—and in the rest of their careers.
10. Aleksandr Hleb
When Barcelona moved to sign Aleksandr Hleb in 2008, it actually came as something of a surprise. Yes, he had enjoyed a decent 2007/08 campaign, but he didn’t look like a player ready to step up to a continental giant.
So it proved. Hleb was a flop at Barcelona, making just 19 appearances in four years amid a succession of loan spells.
He has since had a journeyman career, representing everyone from Birmingham City to BATE Borisov. In truth, his career never recovered from his decision to leave north London.
9. Sylvinho
Sylvinho was an impressive attacking full-back in the Brazilian mould who carved a niche for himself in the Arsenal side around the turn of the millennium. However, the emergence of Ashley Cole put paid to his Arsenal career, and he was hurriedly sold to Celta Vigo.
After three good seasons there, he moved to Barcelona. Although he was not always a regular at the Nou Camp, his personal medal collection demonstrates that he enjoyed a good time there. When he left to return to England and Manchester City in 2009, he had three domestic titles and two Champions Leagues under his belt.
8. Thomas Vermaelen
At the outset of his Arsenal career, Thomas Vermaelen looked like a future Arsenal legend in the making. Not only was he an athletic and aggressive defender, but he also had a handy knack of breaking forward to score invaluable goals.
When Robin van Persie joined Manchester United in the summer of 2012, Vermaelen was promoted to be Arsenal’s club captain. However, by the end of that season, he had lost his regular place in the side, with Arsene Wenger preferring a central defensive pairing of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
In the summer of 2014, Vermaelen’s discontent led to his departure for Barcelona. However, he has since been plagued by injuries and only made his first start for Barca in the final La Liga game of the 2014/15 season. This season he has played more regularly but has still yet to make a major impact in Spain.
7. Alex Song
Alex Song is another player whose career has stalled significantly since moving from Arsenal to Barcelona.
After starting out as a very raw teenager at Arsenal, he eventually went on to become a cultured defensive midfielder, as capable of picking out creative passes as winning the ball back. That caught Barcelona’s eye, and he moved to La Liga in 2012.
Although he helped capture the league title in his first season, he was anything but a regular. The fact he has since moved to West Ham on loan suggests he might have been better off simply sticking with the Gunners.
6. Giovanni van Bronckhorst
It may be surprising to see Giovanni van Bronckhorst feature so high on this list. That’s partly because his time at Arsenal was marred by a serious knee injury that meant he never fully established himself in the side.
Nevertheless, he did get a league-winner’s medal in 2002 and repeated that feat with Barcelona in 2005 and 2006. He was also on the winning side in the notorious 2006 Champions League final between the two clubs.
Key to his success was his conversion to left-back from central midfield. Van Bronckhorst also enjoyed a very good international career, finishing as a runner-up in the 2010 World Cup with the Netherlands.
5. Emmanuel Petit
At Arsenal, Emmanuel Petit was hugely influential. His midfield partnership with Patrick Vieira has become the stuff of legend.
He never really replicated that success at Barcelona. After joining in 2000, he had only one season in Spain before returning to London with Chelsea.
That’s an unfortunate blot on an otherwise excellent career. Petit made 63 appearances for the French national team, winning both the World Cup and European Championship. Add that to domestic titles in France and England, and it’s clear he was a major talent.
4. Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars was one of the brightest football talents of the 1990s. His early career was blighted by injuries, but still Arsene Wenger saw fit to bring him to London to pair him with fellow
Dutchman Dennis Bergkamp. The two struck up an electric understanding, with Overmars’ speed and finishing ability from the left wing making the perfect foil for Arsenal’s No. 10.
He moved to Barcelona with Emmanuel Petit in 2000, but the niggling injuries returned and prevented him from hitting the heights he had achieved in London.
He was forced into early retirement in 2004 but emerged from the wilderness in 2008 to play one season with Go Ahead Eagles. It was a last glimpse of a brilliant but ultimately unfulfilled talent.
3. Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas’ time at Arsenal was sandwiched by two spells with Barcelona. He started off at their youth academy before jumping ship to Arsenal, then was lured back to the Nou Camp.
The dream of a return to Barcelona didn’t pan out as planned—Fabregas now turns out for Chelsea back in London—but his ability is not really in question.
Fabregas remains one of the greatest midfield players in Arsenal’s history. It’s just unfortunate that he went back to Barcelona at a time when they had one of the greatest midfields in football history.
2. Alexis Sanchez
Although Barcelona sold Alexis Sanchez to make room for Luis Suarez, it would be wrong to think his time with the club was anything less than a success. His time there saw him win three major trophies and score 39 goals in 88 games.
Since coming to Arsenal, Alexis’ talent appears to have blossomed further. He has claimed the FA Cup and the Copa America and has become absolutely integral to the Gunners’ style of play.
He will be desperate to make an impact when his former employers come to visit the Emirates Stadium this week.
1. Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry sits atop this list, fondly remembered at Barcelona and arguably the greatest player in Arsenal’s history.
His time in London saw him crowned the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. Fans were devastated when he moved to the Nou Camp, and the blow didn’t get any easier as he went on to claim a historic treble with Barcelona in 2009.
Throw in a glittering international career, and it’s unquestionable that Henry is the best player to have ever represented both Arsenal and Barcelona
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