FC Barcelona: Top 10 Worst Signings

It's a paradox as to why Barcelona spends so much money signing footballers when they could just rely on La Masia. 

Just to name a few graduates: Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Pep Guardiola, Carles Puyol, Amor, Albert Ferrer, Víctor Valdés, Pedro, Thiago and so on.  

This article will highlight the top 10 worst Barcelona signings in recent memory. 

Please forgive me if this article brings back bad memories (specifically, flashbacks of Joan Gaspart's catastrophic reign).

Dishonorable Mention: Roberto Bonano

Signed from River Plate for €1.2 million in 2001

What a hapless mess Roberto Bonano was. 

My everlasting memory of Bonano is him palming a miscued Zinedine Zidane chip into his own net.

Later in the game, he was chipped by Steve McManaman.

How important was this game? 

Well, it was the first leg of the 2001/02 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. 

A month later, Real Madrid secured their ninth European Cup/UEFA Champions League title. 

Alexander Hleb

Signed from Arsenal for €15 million in 2008

Talk about a career-jeopardising choice, well, this is it. Alexander Hleb has never been the same footballer since abandoning London. 

Hleb was perfect for Arsenal. He wasn't world class, but he was a technically solid Premier League footballer. 

He threw it all away just to warm the Barcelona benches. 

Also, €15 million? Are you serious? 

He is still on the books of Barcelona. 

Alfonso

Signed from Real Betis for €16.5 million in 2000

You couldn't have scripted this signing any better. 

In the backdrop of Luís Figo betraying the Culés, Barcelona signed Real Madrid-produced Alfonso from Real Betis. 

During his time at Betis, Alfonso had outperformed an expensive, unproductive showpony in Denílson. 

Now, Alfonso was going to Barcelona, as an expensive signing, and he was unproductive.

In the end, he cost Barcelona €8.25 million per La Liga goal. 

Gabriel Milito

Signed from Real Zaragoza for €20 million in 2007

In 2003, Real Madrid had agreed to sign Gabriel Milito from Independiente for €3.5 million, provided he passed his medical. 

He didn't, and there was even a statement by Real Madrid to clarify the situation: 

"

"After the medical tests, our staff considers that, bearing in mind the intensity and high frequency of the efforts required by the club, they cannot guarantee the fitness of the player for the next four seasons."

"

Milito made Real Madrid's medical department look foolish as he played 151 games in the next four seasons for Real Zaragoza. 

In 2007, Barcelona overlooked the failed medical at Real Madrid and signed Milito. 

I just wonder, why didn't Barcelona's medical department come to the same diagnosis as the Real Madrid medical department? 

A cruciate knee injury, a hamstring injury, a thigh injury and a torn calf muscle injury later, Real Madrid's medical department was vindicated. 

Even if Barcelona were skeptical of Real Madrid's medical department, they should have used the failed medical at Real Madrid to strong-arm Zaragoza into halving the €20 million transfer fee. 

Philippe Christanval

Signed from Monaco for €17 million in 2001

Just because Philippe Christanval looks like a centre-back doesn't mean he'll play like a €17 million centre-back. 

David Luiz's struggles at centre-back for Chelsea are Christanval-esq: lacking any positional sense, uncoordinated, and inconsistent. 

Gerard

Signed from Valencia for €24 million in 2000

Before Cesc Fàbregas there was Gerard.

A former La Masia standout, he left for Valencia, and Barcelona was crest-fallen after his performances for Los Che. 

If you've never watched Gerard play, think of a lesser version of Borja Valero. 

In retrospect, Gerard didn't even live up to quarter of his transfer fee. 

Geovanni

Signed from Cruzeiro for €21 million in 2001

I wouldn't attach too much blame to the scout that recommended Geovanni because the Brazilian is mercurial. 

He's world-class some days and goes missing other days. 

He went missing a lot for Barcelona. 

The scout probably watched Geovanni during a purple patch and thought he had discovered the next Ronaldo. 

Dmytro Chygrynskiy

Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk for €25 million in 2009

I watched Dmytro Chygrynskiy play abysmally against Porto and Zenit St Petersburg in this season's UEFA Champions League. 

Therefore, I have no idea what Pep Guardiola saw in Chygrynskiy. 

Guardiola made it clear that the Ukrainian was his signing: 

"

"Dima is a fantastic player and the more he gets whistled the more support we will give him because he has many years ahead of him here."

"

When you think about it, Barcelona did excellently to recoup €15 million from Shakhtar when they sold Chygrynskiy back a year later. 

Marc Overmars

Signed from Arsenal for €40 million in 2000

Did Marc Overmars win a FIFA World Player of the Year, or even come close to winning it?

No, and therefore he didn't warrant a €40 million transfer fee. 

He was an explosive player for Arsenal, and Arsène Wenger convincingly sold that trait to Joan Gaspart. 

Zlatan Ibrahimović

Signed from Inter Milan for €49 million + Samuel Eto'o in 2009

Zlatan Ibrahimović is to Pep Guardiola to what Andriy Shevchenko was to José Mourinho. It was never going to work out. 

If Guardiola had issues with Eto'o, he was going to get into a fist-fight with Ibrahimović.

Maybe Guardiola thought Ibrahimović would be humbled being around Lionel Messi and Xavi. 

Watch the video and here's some additional insight from Ibrahimović about his relationship with Guardiola:

"

"Messi, Xavi and Iniesta always obeyed without protest. They were like schoolboys. I am not like that. I couldn't be myself. 

He [Pep] hardly looked at me. 

Messi wanted to play centre forward and got his way

I told Pep: 'I am a Ferrari and you are driving me as if I am a Fiat.'"

"

Ibrahimović would have been seen in a better light if he tried in spite of Guardiola.

I will never forget him purposely sabotaging Barcelona against Mourinho's Inter Milan during the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg. 

That day, Ibrahimović covered just 400ms more than Víctor Valdés. 

Oh, and to add insult to injury, Eto'o's willingness to play out of position and defend for Inter Milan contradicted any suggestions that he was a selfish egomaniac at Barcelona. 

Keirrison

Signed from Palmeiras for €14 million in 2009

I facepalm when Pep Guardiola haters use Keirrison as an example to demean Guardiola's achievements. 

The blame lies with Joan Laporta, who over thought the transfer. 

The idea was to sign one of Brazil's rising talents, loan him out to Benfica, and then hope Keirrison played so well that Benfica forked out €20-30 million or more.

For Keirrison to justify such a transfer fee, he'd have to score 30+ goals for Benfica, and if he did achieve that, why not let him play for Barcelona? 

Laporta's thought process was flawed, and this signing was made even more stupid when Henrique wasn't signed by Bayer Leverkusen. 

For your information, before Keirrison, Barcelona attempted the same flawed process with centre-back Henrique.

Keep up to date with the January Transfer Window Live Blog. 

Follow me @ http://twitter.com/allanjiangLIVE.