Top 7 Argentines To Have Played For Barcelona Since 2000

7. Sergio Aguero

Aguero joined in 2021 following 10 successful years at Manchester City with the express aim of playing alongside Lionel Messi… only for Barca to lose their all-time greatest player to PSG. Whoops.

After furiously checking the small print of his contract, Aguero stayed on but would only score once in four appearances before being forced to retire with a heart condition.

A fantastic player, but not the finest signing in Barca’s history.

6. Maxi Lopez

Despite failing to break into the Barca starting XI, Lopez scored in a Champions League victory over Chelsea and went on to have a semi-successful career across Europe.

They’ve had worse.

5. Gabriel Milito

A solid centre-back, Milito’s time at Camp Nou was marked by injuries; he missed the entire 2008-09 campaign with cruciate ligament damage in his knee and was absent for large chunks of the following two seasons too.

And, worse of all, he was beaten by his brother Diego in the 2010 Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan.

Milito’s time in the Catalan capital is a classic story of what might’ve been.

4. Juan Pablo Sorin

Parachuted in to help Barcelona avoid relegation(!) in 2003, Sorin made 15 appearances and scored the odd goal as his new side hauled themselves to sixth and UEFA Cup qualification.

His reward? To be loaned out to PSG and sold permanently to Villarreal a year later. Great hair though.

3. Javier Saviola

Touted as the ‘next Maradona’, Saviola couldn’t quite live up to those expectations – but he was still a fantastic player.

2. Javier Mascherano

Having forged his reputation as a world-leading defensive midfielder, Mascherano was snapped up by Guardiola from Liverpool in 2010 – and promptly turned into a centre-back.

Mascherano revealed last year: “The first thing Pep told me when I joined Barcelona was: ‘You know you’re coming here to be a substitute, no’. I said yes, but that I wasn’t going to make it easy for him.”

And, in a 2016 interview with The Guardian, he said: “Honestly, ater five, six months I thought it was unlikely I’d be here long: my characteristics seemed to go against everything Barcelona stood for”.

But one tackle on Nicklas Bendtner changed all that; Barca went on to win the Champions League, while Mascherano stayed for eight seasons and became one of the greatest servants in the club’s modern history.

1. Messi

The 7 times Ballon d'or winner has been touted as the best player to ever play for both the Argentine national team and Barcelona.

The Argentinean records speaks for himself.

Source: Planet Football