Although joining a club as big as Barça may be the pinnacle for many young people who dream of being professional footballers, this jump to the Catalan team has proven not to be for everyone.
There are many footballers, Brazilian or not, who have had irregular performances or very turbulent times for the culé team and today at Sambafoot we compile the journeys of some of the Brazilians who, in recent times, have not managed to succeed at Barça for one reason. , or another.
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++ Vitor Roque is ruled out by Barcelona for next season, according to the local press
++ Brazilian legend calls out Xavi for not giving Vitor Roque more playing time
++ Vitor Roque’s agent does not hide his anger: “Xavi has never spoken to him”
From Vitor Roque to Keirrison, the Brazilians with irregular steps for Barça
Although Brazilian footballers have managed to pass through Barça and have left an indelible mark on the club thanks to their good work, many others have not been able to perform to the highest standards and here we bring a list of the most famous in times recent.
Obviously, with this compilation we do not want to say that all these players performed at a bad level at Barça or that they were bad players, but we are highlighting those who had irregular, unexpected or disappointing steps in the Catalan team.
Matheus Fernandes
Arrived at Barça in January 2020 from Palmeiras, the Libertadores champion with Verdão, Matheus Fernandes, never managed to gain the trust of the sports management of the culé team.
Jogo inesquecível com essa camisa. Uma honra enorme poder estrear em uma partida de @ChampionsLeague. Grande partida, time! 🔵🔴🇧🇷
Juego inolvidable con esta camiseta. Un gran honor poder debutar en un partido de la @ChampionsLeague. Gran partido, equipo! 🔵🔴🇪🇸 #FcBarcelona pic.twitter.com/ivF4gh72rg
— Matheus Fernandes (@_matheusf) November 24, 2020
After several failed transfers, Matheus returned to Palmeiras as a free agent in 2021 after terminating his contract with the culé club and is currently a player for RB Bragantino.
Arthur Melo
Grêmio’s versatile and talented midfielder, Arthur Melo, arrived at FC Barcelona in 2018 as one of the greatest promises in Brazilian football.
Keep improving! @ChampionsLeague 🔵🔴 pic.twitter.com/JGl4q5tD7J
— Arthur Melo (@arthurhromelo) February 26, 2020
He arrived, fell in love with the fans, performed at a high level and gradually faded away, to the point that the Barça board chose to remove him from the project in 2020 in a still inexplicable, criticized and even investigated exchange with Juventus for Pjanic more money.
Emerson Royal
If we talk about irregular steps for Barça, Emerson deserves a special mention. The full-back arrived at Barça in 2019 in a joint operation with Real Betis, a club that also owned a percentage of his rights.
So HAPPY to be here ♥️ pic.twitter.com/9cbTVtNLcR
— Emerson Royal (@Emerson_Royal22) August 24, 2021
In 2021, Barça made its definitive purchase option and acquired his services, but just a month after signing him, the Catalans sold him to Tottenham after playing only three games in the Blaugrana shirt.
Irregularity at its finest.
Malcolm
Another footballer who had a very irregular time at Can Barça, but who performed at a high level since his debut, was the attacker Malcom, who arrived from Girondins de Bordeaux for 41 million euros in 2018.
🏠 ¿Quieres acompañarnos a pasar un día con #Malcom?
🇧🇷 ¡El brasileño nos acoge en su casa! Y el pandeiro no puede faltar… 🎧🎊
🎥👉 https://t.co/32nDbGQgfV pic.twitter.com/QlFYmAClAB— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) February 7, 2019
That first season, Malcom stood out with his overflow and self-confidence, but inexplicably, in his case similar to that of Arthur Melo, Barça chose to sell him the following summer for only 41.5 million euros to Zenit. Will this be the same fate as Vitor Roque at Barça?
Marlon Santos
Marlon Santos, current Fluminense defender, signed for Barça in 2017 and was a player widely used by Barça B, a subsidiary of the Catalan team. With the first team, he barely managed to make three appearances and left Spain in 2018, signing for Sassuolo.
👏 Marlon Santos ha hecho su debut oficial con el primer equipo del FC Barcelona en Celtic Park. ¡Felicidades! #fcblive #ForçaBarça pic.twitter.com/VF8H1rbDs8
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) November 23, 2016
Philippe Coutinho
Of course, when talking about Brazilian footballers who failed at Barça, it is impossible not to think of Philippe Coutinho right off the bat. The attacking midfielder arrived for the scandalous figure of 135 million euros from Liverpool and was never able to demonstrate the magic that he exuded at Anfield, at the Camp Nou.
. @Phil_Coutinho ya luce el escudo del Barça 👌
🔵🔴 #CoutinhoDay pic.twitter.com/xvNNMhwRmJ— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) January 7, 2018
After failed loan after failed loan, Coutinho left the Catalan team in the summer of 2022 having played only 106 games for Barça, in which he scored 25 goals and distributed 14 assists.
They are not bad numbers, but there were 135 million reasons why the fan of the culé team expected more from “Cou”.
Douglas
Sometimes, you just need a great agent to go far in football and that was the exact case of Douglas, the scandalous and inexplicable signing of Barça who, that same year, would win the treble with the famous MSN.
🎂🎁🎉
Parabéns Douglas!!! pic.twitter.com/NYjh2P24lX— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) August 6, 2017
To summarize his career at Barça, we can only talk about injuries and irregular performances that never convinced.
Keirrison
To close, the footballer to highlight is one who has been widely mentioned recently by the Catalan press, since fear is growing in Barcelona that Vitor Roque so he can have a career similar to Keirrison’s in the culé team.
Failed loan after failed loan, that would be the best way to summarize what Keirrison’s turbulent time at Barça was. Since his arrival in the summer of 2009 from Desportivo Brasil, the attacker was never able to establish himself in the Blaugrana team and never managed to make his debut with the first team.
Despite spending five years at the club, Keirrison did not play a single minute with Barça and in the teams where he was on loan (Benfica, Fiorentina, Santos, Cruzeiro and Coritiba), he also failed to convince. In 2014, he signed as a free agent for Coritiba, thus leaving Barcelona after five hellish years.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the first five episodes available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel. Stay tuned for upcoming releases as we keep telling this legend’s life story.
