Not so long ago, no one wanted to cross paths with FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. Now, they're not even going to take part in the knockout stage and will test their luck in the UEFA Europa League instead.
Barcelona's fast debacle has gone way beyond Lionel Messi's departure. Obviously, losing one of the greatest players of all time is going to take a toll on your ability to compete, but it started way before Messi.
Poor money management, bad decisions, questionable signings, and even bad luck has hurt the Catalans over the past couple of years. So, now that Sergio Aguero was forced to retire, let's take a look at all the players who left Barcelona in 2021.
Messi, Aguero, And All Barcelona Players Who Left The Team In 2021
Emerson - Tottenham - €25,000,000
Junior Firpo - Leeds - €15,000,000
Jean-Clair Todibo - Nice - €8,500,000
Francisco Trincao - Wolverhampton - €6,000,000
Carles Aleñá - Getafe - €5,000,000
Juan Miranda - Betis - Free transfer
Monchu - Granada - Free transfer
Matheus Fernandes - Palmeiras - Free transfer
Miralem Pjanic - Besiktas - Free transfer
Lionel Messi - PSG - Free transfer
Yusuf Demir - Rapid Vienna - Loan
Alex Collado - Granada - Loan
Luuk de Jong - Sevilla - Loan
Antoine Griezmann - Atletico de Madrid - Loan
Sergio Aguero - Retired
Xavi's team currently sits at the eighth spot in the La Liga table with just 24 points, winning 6 of 16 fixtures this season. They're three points behind Rayo Vallecano for the final UEFA Europa League spot and trail league-leader Real Madrid by a whopping 18 points.
Moreover, it's not like they have a lot to work with to try and solve this crisis right away. Other than Memphis Depay and the glimpses of Ousmane Dembelé, there's not too much talent on their roster.
It's been a helluva ride and Barcelona enjoyed perhaps the greatest stretch in modern soccer history but all good things eventually come to an end. Now, they have a long, tough road ahead of them to get back to the top.
