5 Best Barcelona signings of the first Laporta era
FC Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the entire sport and is also a club with a lot of ups and downs, with the early 2000s being a critical time for the Spanish giants. Debts, poor decisions in the market, underperforming squads, and, overall, a descent into irrelevance were harming the club when Joan Laporta became the club's president in 2003.Laporta had his hands full during his first tenure at Barcelona but was key in overseeing the club's most successful era, with the institution arguably winning after his stint because of the decisions he made. While he made a lot of signings that proved to be fundamental for the Catalonian side's success, these five were definitely the finest.
Rafael Marquez
The Mexican defender is a legend in his country but definitely one of the most underrated center-backs of his generation in the world over. He was signed in the summer of 2003 during the beginning of Laporta's tenure and became a major stalwart in the team's defense for seven years, oftentimes switching from starting role to backup and vice versa.Marquez proved to be a talented defender, a leader, and a very gifted player with the ball on his feet, while having the knack of scoring sometimes through free kicks. He could also play in midfield if necessary, making him a tactical tool that could be useful from time to time if Barcelona needed versatility.
He was a key performer during Frank Rijkaard's reign that had the team win two La Liga titles and one UEFA Champions League while he was also part of Pep Guardiola's treble winning side from the 2008/09 season. His trajectory speaks for himself.
Gerard Pique
While the Catalonian center-back was an academy graduate, he was sold to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2004 to Manchester United and was signed from that institution four years later when Pep Guardiola was starting his tenure as team manager. The rest, as the saying goes, is history and Pique became one of the biggest legends the club ever had.Pique played 616 matches across all competitions with Barcelona in the course of fourteen uninterrupted years in the institution and cemented himself as one of the finest center-backs of his generation. He was also a mainstay of the club's greatest era during that period and also proved to be a major leader, even if he was controversial to a lot of people who weren't Barcelona supporters.
Samuel Eto'o
The Cameroonian is one of the finest attackers of his generation and one of the greatest African players of all time, but he was also a man with a vengeance. He was a Real Madrid academy player who was disregarded by Los Blancos and went on to thrive at Mallorca, becoming that institution's all-time goalscorer in a short amount of time, only for him to sign for FC Barcelona in the summer of 2004.Eto'o would spend five years at Camp Nou delivering stellar seasons as a natural goalscorer, but his pace and work rate also made him capable of moving across the attack if necessary. The trio he formed with Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi in the 2008/09 season is the stuff of legends, serving to lead Barcelona to a historical treble.
A phenomenal scorer, a gifted performer, and also a winner of monumental qualities. Definitely one of Laporta's finest moments during his first tenure.
Dani Alves
It is interesting to look back at Dani Alves' 23 million transfer fee in the summer of 2008 and think that he was Barcelona's third most expensive signing ever at the time. How times have changed!Be that as it may, the Brazilian right-back was viewed as a coup even back then since his performances with Sevilla had cemented him as one of the best full-backs in the world. However, his time at Barcelona would cement him as one of the greatest full-backs in the history of the game.
Alves spent eight years in Barcelona where he would be one of the best players in the world, a consistent performer, and also a serial winner, becoming a key cog in the club's greatest era. His partnership with Lionel Messi on the team's right side has also become one of the club's best memories.
Ronaldinho
There is no denying that Ronaldinho might be the most important signing in the history of Joan Laporta's first tenure as Barcelona's president. That is because the Brazilian not only brought a lot of quality and results, being the star player for the institution to win two La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League, but also because of what he represented.Ronaldinho brought back joy and entertainment at the Camp Nou at a time when the club was in dire straits and was suffering a major inferiority complex with rivals Real Madrid and their Galacticos. Within that context, Ronaldinho represented a star, a playmaker, and someone who could elevate the team in the direst of situations.
There is no denying that the player's last two seasons weren't the finest, but the rise of Lionel Messi began to mitigate his decline. Moreover, the Brazilian was a key performer during a moment in Laporta's tenure when he needed time to build Rijkaard a winning team and Ronaldinho kept the team floating during his first season.
It is difficult to envision FC Barcelona's greatest era without the contributions of Ronaldinho and what he represented for the club as a whole.