The current state of the 3 players who left Barcelona in 2017 alongside Neymar
The football world was rocked before the beginning of the 2017/18 season with the transfer of Neymar from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. The French club paid a record €222 million for his services, a record which still stands to the day. The move brought about a revolution in the transfer market characterised by inflated fees, unmatched financials, and stern negotiations.
Barcelona was forced to enter a new phase after Neymar‘s departure and a part of the club’s current troubles can be traced back to the summer of 2017. Along with the Brazilian winger, three other players also bid farewell to Camp Nou that year, and have unfortunately not been able to replicate the genius of Neymar. Here is a look at how those three individuals fared away from the Catalan capital.
Jeremy Mathieu
The Frenchman spent most of his three-year stint at Barcelona as a backup central defender. Following an exemplary time with fellow La Liga club, Valencia, Jeremy Mathieu struggled to win over Luis Enrique, who coached the Blaugrana at the time. “He is a coach who doesn’t talk to you much and doesn’t give you too much confidence”, Mathieu has been quite vocal about his opinions on the former Spanish National Team coach.
Sporting Lisbon was the next destination for Mathieu where he enjoyed a fruitful journey till 2020 when he was tragically forced into retirement due to a serious knee injury. He accumulated five appearances during 2011-2016 with the French National Team.
Cristian Tello
Cristian Tello spent his youth days learning in one of the most acclaimed academies in the world, La Masia of Barcelona. At the onset of his senior career, Tello was a part of Barcelona’s Catalunya rivals, Espanyol. In 2011, he managed to obtain a place in the first team of the Blaugrana and incredibly scored a goal on his Champions League debut in 2012.
Playing as a winger, Cristian Tello found it challenging to compete with the likes of Luis Suarez, Neymar, and Lionel Messi. Eventually, he joined Real Betis in 2017 but could not establish himself as a regular starter. Moves to Los Angeles FC and Al Fateh followed in the coming years. Currently, the 33-year-old is without a club and is a free agent on the market.
Jordi Masip
Another La Masia graduate, Jordi Masip rose through the youth ranks at Camp Nou and was promoted to the first team in 2014. With the presence of goalkeepers, Claudio Bravo and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Masip was assigned the role of a third-choice shot-stopper. In the following three seasons, the role witnessed no change which led to him leaving the club upon the expiry of his contract.
Spanish club, Real Valladolid was quick to secure the service of Jordi Masip in 2017. At the club, Masip was finally given the game time he desired, leading to him staying at the club for seven years till 2024. The former Barcelona man officially left Real Valladolid in recent months and is on the radar of several teams in Spain as a free agent.