Joan Laporta is again as Barcelona president, and we will have a pleasant experience if his final time period was something to go by.

The charismatic Barcelona-born lawyer final served as president for seven full seasons between 2003 and 2010, with the membership profitable 4 league titles and two Champions Leagues throughout that point.

We appeared on the first beginning XI throughout his preliminary presidency, a 1-0 away win at Athletic Bilbao in 2003, and in contrast him to the squad that celebrated their La Liga title win. 2009-10 with 99 factors after a battle. Actual Valladolid 4-0.

Victor Valdes – Victor Valdes

Such was the longevity of the goalkeeper at his childhood membership, practically 20 years of Valdes, from youth coaching to the senior squad, have seen six totally different presidents answerable for the membership.

He has additionally performed beneath six totally different managers since his debut in August 2002, lastly leaving in the summertime of 2014, because the Luis Enrique period started with two new faces competing for a spot between the sticks with Marc-André ter Stegen l ‘lastly profitable over Claudio. Properly finished.

Michael Reiziger – Dani Alves

A part of Louis Can Gaal’s flagship Ajax squad, Reiziger reunited together with his Dutch compatriot at Camp Nou in 1997.

He gained back-to-back league titles in his first two years on the membership, however one other 5 trophy-less years would comply with, as Barcelona entered the 2000s with a fallow interval.

Former Ajax teammate Frank Rijkaard – with whom he began alongside the 1995 Champions League last, a well-known 1-0 win over Milan – used the right-back usually in his debut season at lead earlier than being cleared to go away for Steve McClaren’s Middlesbrough in the summertime of 2004.

Juliano Belletti, Damia and Gianluca Zambrotta appeared at right-back within the following years earlier than Alves got here to outline the publish, arriving in the identical summer time as Guardiola and profitable 13 main honors in eight years of success on the membership.

The signing of the Brazilian in 2008 was an actual triumph for the Laporta presidency.

Carles Puyol – Carles Puyol

El Tiburon (“The Shark”) will all the time take pleasure in legendary standing in the one membership he has ever represented.

Since his retirement in 2014, he stays a number one voice on all Barcelona points, and the previous center-half was seen voting in Barcelona’s 2021 presidential elections.

Puyol went on to congratulate Laporta – with whom he had essentially the most profitable years of his 15-year profession – on his return to energy.

Visca el Barça. Avui i semper! 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/HvONN3EMJM

– Carles Puyol (@ Carles5puyol) March 7, 2021

Phillip Cocu – Gérard Pique

Half of a giant Dutch contingent on the flip of the century, Cocu left alongside Reiziger, Patrick Kluivert and Marc Overmars in the summertime of 2004, whereas Edgar Davids returned to Italy after a profitable half-season mortgage. .

Barcelona have not made a penny for both of them, however they’ve helped make room for Samuel Eto’o, Deco, Sylvinho and Ludovic Giuly to reach.

Cuckold was usually the staff’s captain throughout his 12 months in Rijkaard’s service, and though he served primarily as a midfielder, his versatility led him to maneuver to center-back for the victory to Sam Mames. He scored the winner of the match on this event, securing the top of a cross from Ronaldinho.

Gerard Pique, 16, was nonetheless within the youth ranks at the moment earlier than spending a four-year stint at Manchester United. Laporta and Guardiola introduced him again for £ 5million in the summertime of 2008 – and the remainder is historical past.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst – Eric Abidal

Van Bronckhorst made his La Liga debut within the Bilbao victory, having initially joined Arsenal, which was the beginning of his adjustment interval from midfielder to left-back.

A everlasting transfer was sealed a 12 months later and two league titles and the Champions League rapidly adopted.

Abidal was signed from Lyon as his alternative in the summertime of 2007, and the French would turn into a mainstay of the Guardiola period.

Xavi – Sergio Busquets

In his sixth season since graduating from La Masia in 1998, Xavi was not even a 3rd of the way in which to his profitable Barcelona profession in 2003.

The legendary midfielder has reportedly turned down an strategy to managing his former membership in 2020, apparently amid considerations in regards to the board. The thought of ​​discovering a president beneath whom he earned 11 silverware as a participant could also be extra interesting – so watch this area.

One other academy graduate, Busquets, would later make lots of of midfield appearances alongside Xavi, after being promoted from B-squad by Guardiola.

READ: The place are they now? Your entire XI of La Masia de Barcelona graduated from 2012

Gérard – Yaya Touré

Becoming a member of Barcelona on the flip of the century, squad participant Gerard Lopez made 91 La Liga appearances throughout his 5 years with the membership. He left for Monaco in 2005 however returned as a coach a decade later and served as supervisor of the B staff for 3 years.

Touré, introduced again from Monaco in 2007, continued his rise to stardom throughout the first two years of Guardiola’s reign earlier than being bought for £ 24million to Manchester Metropolis in 2010.

Luis Enrique – Seydou Keita

Spain worldwide Luis Enrique retired on the finish of the 2003-04 season, ending a profession that noticed him make greater than 200 appearances for Actual Madrid and greater than 300 for Barcelona. By the point of his return as supervisor 10 years later, solely Xavi and Andres Iniesta (each notable absent from the Valladolid beating in 2010) remained.

Malian midfielder Keita’s 4 years on the membership coincided with Guardiola, who arrived alongside Sevilla’s Alves when Pep took over from Rijkaard in 2008. He made 188 appearances beneath the Catalan coach, profitable 14 trophies.

Ronaldinho – Lionel Messi

Laporta had led his presidential marketing campaign by promising the signing of David Beckham. He was by no means capable of ship that, however getting Ronaldinho labored out fairly effectively in the long run.

The Brazilian made his Camp Nou debut with a midnight kickoff in opposition to Sevilla, however his first aggressive look for the membership had are available San Mames the week earlier than. Whipping the free kick for the Cuckold winner, that set the tone for what was to come back.

Breathtaking enjoyable in its heyday, Ronaldinho gained the Ballon d’Or in 2005, serving to his membership win back-to-back league titles and the Champions League, however he began to wane amid strategies of liking a bit an excessive amount of Barcelona nightlife.

“I need you to fulfill the participant who would be the best participant of all time,” he reportedly advised Kobe Bryant, when introducing the basketball star to teenage Messi on the time. Not a foul cry.

“I do not contemplate myself to be the best participant in Barca historical past as a result of he is Ronaldinho. He wasn’t simply passing the ball, he was passing the torch to me.”

Lionel Messi’s first aim for Barcelona was particular for a number of causes! 🐐pic.twitter.com/CX3uvsjedW

– 90min (at 90min_Football) July 30, 2020

Ricardo Quaresma – Pedro

Over time, it has been advised that Barcelona scouts check out rising Sporting Lisbon stars and opted for Quaresma forward of Cristiano Ronaldo. A primary misstep for the Laporta presidency, then.

The previous Portugal worldwide has finished great issues on a soccer pitch, however few of them have come to Barcelona in a 12 months to overlook. It was one among 10 La Liga departures for the membership earlier than returning to Portugal, signing for Porto a 12 months later.

Pedro, like Busquets, was bred from the B staff by Guardiola and actually made his first breakthrough within the 2009-10 marketing campaign. He scored his twenty third aim this season within the 4-0 win over Valladolid, which stays his profession finest report up to now.

Javier Saviola – Bojan Krkic

Argentina striker Saviola has scored a not-too-shabby 49 targets in 123 La Liga appearances for Barcelona, ​​however he was loaned to Monaco and Sevilla of their title profitable years of 2004-05 and 2005-06 and did not had no silverware. to indicate throughout his 4 years in Catalonia.

Bojan, in the meantime, was chosen forward of the likes of Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Iniesta for the ultimate day’s victory lap over Valladolid. At this level in his profession, he most likely hadn’t deliberate on spending 5 years within the Stoke Metropolis books.

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