LIONEL MESSI sporting the captain’s armband strapped round his bicep within the colors of Barcelona was presumably probably the most acquainted sight in soccer.
But if we forged our minds all the best way again to November 2003, that was far from being the case.
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Barcelona followers are nonetheless coming to phrases with the truth that Messi has left – the celebrity joined PSG final summer time after the Catalan giants couldn’t afford to hold him on their books.
But, for a second, let’s forged our minds again to the start of the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner’s love affair with Barca.
A fresh-faced 16-year-old, Messi was enjoying for Barca’s C crew and a lifetime away from his gut-wrenching exit.
But when the Spanish giants despatched a squad to Portugal to face Porto in a mid-season pleasant to open the model new Estadio Dragao – constructed for Euro 2004 – Messi was handed a fleeting alternative to shine.
Frank Rijkaard’s line-up, as remembered by Planet Football, was experimental to say the least, and ended up falling 2-0 to Jose Mourinho’s crew – who went on to win the Champions League that season.
Messi was given quarter-hour on the finish, and the diminutive 5ft 7in attacker managed to create two probabilities.
He went on to break into the Barcelona B facet that season, earlier than making 9 first-team appearances the next yr.
His prominence grew and he reworked into the 35-year-old celebrity we all know in the present day.
But what occurred to the opposite gamers that have been thrown collectively to play for Barca in that pretty innocuous pleasant?
Here SunSport takes a glance:
Albert Jorquera
Perennial understudy to Victor Valdes, Jorquera made 24 appearances throughout over a decade on the Nou Camp.
He left in 2009 after being additional marginalised by the 2008 arrival of Jose Pinto – having fun with a yr within the second tier with close by Girona earlier than hanging up his boots aged simply 31 in 2010.
Jorquera went on to work in his household’s jewelry business – having studied for a gemology diploma whereas enjoying understudy to Valdes.
Oscar Lopez
Another academy graduate, the right-back had made two appearances on the again finish of the earlier marketing campaign.
More first-team matches have been exhausting to come by, nevertheless, and he completed his Barcelona profession having featured solely 13 occasions.
Injury-hit spells at Lazio, Real Betis, Numancia and Gimnastic failed to ignite issues – and he ended up ending his profession in Holland with Go Ahead Eagles in 2012 at simply 32.
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Oleguer
Oleguer is one other La Masia graduate that retired in his early thirties – however he made much more of an impression on and off the pitch.
Making 175 appearances for Barca’s first-team between 2002 and 2008 – he even started the 2006 Champions League ultimate towards Arsenal.
More politically engaged than the typical footballer, he has turn into known for his pro-independence Catalonian beliefs – and has written a lot of articles to that finish.
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Rafael Marquez
Mexican Rafa Marquez should have felt misplaced on this XI as he was truly a first-team common that season.
The commanding defender made 242 appearances for Barcelona in addition to incomes 147 caps for his nation throughout an extended, distinguished profession in soccer.
He left Barca in 2010 however that did not imply that his time within the highlight was over.
Marquez appeared within the music video for Shakira’s hit tune Waka Waka that summer time forward of the World Cup in South Africa.
But that wasn’t to be his final World Cup, as he was nonetheless enjoying for Mexico on the 2018 version in Russia aged 39 regardless of having been blacklisted by the US for allegedly offering a entrance for a medicine cartel.
He retired from skilled soccer after Mexico have been knocked out of the competitors by Brazil within the round-of-16.
In July, Marquez returned to Spain to turn into coach of Barcelona B.
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Fernando Navarro
Left-back Navarro was an everyday for Barcelona’s B squad at this level – however he managed to carve out a really respectable profession for himself.
He went on to handle 35 appearances for the first-team whereas competing with the likes of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Sylvinho.
Navarro ultimately left Barca for Mallorca, earlier than turning into an everyday at Sevilla in a seven-year spell.
His kind even earned him a spot in Spain’s victorious Euro 2008 squad – showing of their group stage conquer Greece.
He retired in 2018 after an unsuccessful stint at Deportivo La Coruna.
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Ramon Ros
Possibly probably the most obscure identify on this retro teamsheet, Ramon Ros, like Messi, was an everyday in Barca’s C crew that season.
The defensive midfielder did handle to break by means of two years later, making a cameo look towards Sevilla by which he changed Oscar Lopez.
But that was to be his solely Barcelona look and after a mortgage spell at Numancia – he moved down a division to Lleida within the second tier.
Sadly he had to retire aged simply 26 two years later after succumbing to a lot of accidents.
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Xavi
Now it is truthful to say that this man was fairly profitable, too.
The midfield metronome gained 32 trophies for membership and nation all through a distinguished profession by which he turned broadly heralded as one of many biggest gamers of all time.
He left Barca in 2015 to play for Qatari facet Al-Sadd and retired from his enjoying profession 4 years later to handle the membership.
But, in November 2021 he made a triumphant return to the Nou Camp to exchange Ronald Koeman as supervisor with the intention of main Barcelona again to European glory.
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Sergio Santamaria
After Xavi, this record comes crashing again down to Earth with the entry of attacking midfielder, Sergio Santamaria.
While the Malaga native did a minimum of get to benefit from the privilege of fleeting appearances in Barcelona’s first-team – he failed to dwell up to the promise that noticed him scoop the celebrated Golden Ball award on the 1997 Under-17 World Cup.
He went on to play for Albacete, Saint Andreu and Logrones, amongst others, and retired aged simply 31 after seeing accidents blight his senior profession.
Gabri
A Catalan born and bred, Gabri was a helpful determine at Barcelona within the early 2000s, appearing as a useful utility man between 1999 and 2006.
Predominantly a midfielder, he additionally did a job on the flanks on quite a few events – in addition to filling in at full-back.
His efforts earned him three Spain caps and a spot of their Euro 2004 squad.
Since retiring in 2014, Gabri has turn into a coach, working at La Masia with the Barcelona academy for 3 years.
He has since turn into a supervisor in his personal proper, main Swiss facet Sion, FC Andorra, Olot and presently Catalan minnows Lleida Esportiu.
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Luis Enrique
Enrique should have felt like a person amongst boys on this facet. At 33 he was within the ultimate yr of his celebrated profession when he took to the sphere in Oporto.
The 62-cap Spain worldwide, who has since gone on to handle his nation, performed upfront, on the wings, in midfield and even as soon as at centre-back towards FC Puchov within the Uefa Cup that yr.
Enrique waved goodbye to the Nou Camp on the finish of that season after 301 appearances, however was to return a decade later to handle the membership with distinction – profitable the Champions League with a Messi-inspired crew in 2015.
He is now supervisor of the Spanish nationwide crew as soon as once more.
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Luis Garcia
More well-known in England for his well-liked spell at Liverpool, Garcia truly struggled to make an impression whereas at boyhood membership Barca.
Garcia had simply returned to the Nou Camp just a few months earlier than this match having initially been bought to Atletico Madrid in 2002.
And whereas he managed seven objectives and 9 assists in his sole season within the Barca first-team – he may by no means obtain the recognition he was to achieve at Anfield.
He joined Liverpool for £6million the next summer time, turning into a hero within the Reds’ subsequent run to their fifth European Cup in his first season.
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