Gündogan, Vitor Roque, Joao Félix... The 1x1 of former Barça players in 2024/25

With the definitive closure of the 2024/25 season for FC Barcelona, it's time to look beyond the present. Among the many angles from which the campaign can be analyzed, one of the most interesting is the performance of those players who left the Blaugrana entity during the transfer windows, whether in summer or winter, and who got to see minutes in the previous season under the direction of Xavi Hernández.

Players like Sergi Roberto, Marcos Alonso, João Cancelo, İlkay Gündoğan, Oriol Romeu, Vitor Roque, João Félix and Marc Guiu are part of this group. On the other hand, there were also departures of players such as Chadi Riad, Sergiño Dest, Julián Araujo, Mika Faye, Clément Lenglet, Álex Valle and Estanis Pedrola. However, as none of them officially saw minutes with the first team in 2023/24, they will not be taken into account in this analysis.

SERGI ROBERTO - COMO 1907

The Catalan midfielder, after 14 seasons as a player for FC Barcelona, took on a new challenge by joining Cesc Fàbregas' Como 1907 as a free agent. However, the Reus native did not have a particularly brilliant 2024/25 season with the 'Larianos', playing in just 13 matches in which he only added one assist. The pivot suffered several injuries that diminished his margin of action, which made him miss a total of 22 matches.

İLKAY GÜNDOĞAN - MANCHESTER CITY

The German midfielder left the Blaugrana team in a surprising move, probably motivated not only by sporting reasons, but also economic ones, given the high impact of 'Gündo's' salary on the club's salary scale. However, this departure was not too traumatic for the midfielder, who returned to a familiar environment: Manchester City.

Fortunately for him, Guardiola kept him in the same high regard as in the past, making him a key piece of the 'citizens' starting eleven. The German played 50 matches, in which he added three goals and seven assists. However, on a collective level, the season was not so positive, being the first time in a long time that the Mancunian team finished the season without a title, pending what may happen in the Club World Cup.

MARCOS ALONSO - CELTA DE VIGO

The Madrid full-back was another of the discards of FC Barcelona for the 2024/25 season. He left for free after not being renewed by the Blaugrana and landed at Claudio Giráldez's Celta de Vigo, where he once again felt like a professional player. However, in a different demarcation, since, far from acting as a left back, he was seen more as a defender, accumulating 33 duels faced, in which he managed to score a total of four goals.

MARC GUIU - CHELSEA

The youth player left the team from the Condal City after not accepting the contract renewal offer and choosing to leave for Chelsea, a team that paid his derisory release clause of six million euros. As a 'Blue', he had a minor role, participating in just 14 matches and adding six goals.

As happened to Sergi Roberto, his season was marked by an injury that left him out of action in 19 duels. He also missed several matches as he was not called up. He finished the season with a UEFA Conference League in his record.

VITOR ROQUE - PALMEIRAS

Vitor Roque had a 2024/25 season marked by many movements. First, Barça managed to get rid of him by loaning him to Real Betis, a team with which he developed half a season, playing 33 matches, in which he scored seven goals and gave two assists.

But, in a turn of events, the Catalan team decided to get rid of him definitively, sending him to Palmeiras in the winter market, in a transfer closed for 25 M€. With the Verdão, he has starred in 18 matches and has scored three goals so far this season.

ORIOL ROMEU - GIRONA

The Catalan midfielder had the opportunity to join Michel's Girona, where in the past he had already shown that he could be a protagonist. In this 2024/25 season he had ups and downs, since, although he accumulated 31 matches played, he failed to score goals or distribute assists. He failed to establish himself as a starter, between physical setbacks and technical decisions. He must return to Barcelona this summer.

JOAO CANCELO - AL HILAL

The Portuguese full-back took a turn in his career by ending his time at Manchester City, leaving for one of the greats of Saudi Arabian football: Al-Hilal. There he established himself as a right back, playing 34 matches in which he added two goals and 11 assists. He suffered a couple of injuries that left him out of action in up to 12 matches.

JOAO FÉLIX - CHELSEA/AC MILAN

Finally, João Félix was one of those names whose season was more irregular. He started the season as a player for Chelsea, a team in which he failed to establish himself as a starting striker, adding 20 matches, seven goals and two assists.

However, due to the surplus of strikers, the Portuguese had to change his scenery in winter, joining AC Milan, where he played 21 matches, scored three goals and gave one assist. He will return to the 'Blue' team, as the 'rossoneri' will not renew his loan.