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Luis Suarez celebrates.

7 former Barcelona players we can’t believe are currently free agents

Ben Stewart •

Barcelona are one of the biggest clubs in the world and you’d be surprised by how many of their former players are currently without a club.

Players can end up on the free agents market for several reasons whether it’s down to a bad injury or simply just waiting for the right opportunity to come along.

We’ve taken a closer look at Barcelona and have found seven of their former players who are currently on the free agents market heading into January.

Luis Suarez

Alright, we all know that Suarez is Inter Miami-bound, but the Uruguayan forward is technically a free agent right now upon his contract with Gremio expiring.

The 36-year-old originally joined the Brazilian side on a two-year contract in December last year, but the club agreed to mutually terminate his deal a year early so he can sign for his next club on a free transfer.

Despite no longer being at the peak of his powers, Suarez still knows how to find the back of the net with ease. In total, he scored 29 goals for Gremio in 2023 and we can’t wait to see him linking up with Lionel Messi once again shortly.

Luis Suarez celebrates scoring for Gremio.

READ: 10 elite forwards Luis Suarez has outscored in 2023 while playing in Brazil for Gremio

Aleix Vidal

Barcelona paid around £15million to bring Vidal to Camp Nou in 2015 and he often had to settle for a squad role during his time with the club. In total, the right-back made 51 appearances for the club and managed to get his hands on six trophies.

Since leaving Barcelona, he has played much more football as he’s enjoyed stints with Sevilla, Alaves and most recently Espanyol.  The 34-year-old has been without a club since being let go in the summer, but he’s seemingly in no rush to get back into the game.

Vidal has instead been focusing on his ventures off the pitch as earlier this year he revealed on Instagram that his restaurant was recognised by the Michelin Guide for 2023.

Douglas

During his five-year stay at Barcelona, Douglas only managed eight appearances and he often found himself behind a fellow Brazilian right-back in the pecking order.

The 33-year-old most recently played for Besiktas, but has been without a club since being let go last year. It remains to be seen if he will get back in the game or if he decides to quit his footballing career altogether.

Jordi Gomez

Most known for his spells with Wigan Athletic and Sunderland, Gomez started his career at Barcelona. Although the Premier League cult hero only made one appearance for the Spanish club before forging a career for himself elsewhere.

Now 38 years old, Gomez still has some magic left in his boots although he is without a club as things stand. He most recently played for Omonia 29M in the Cypriot Second Division and currently seems to be weighing up his next options.

Jean Marie Dongou

The Cameroon forward played over 100 games for Barcelona B, but he only managed to make three appearances for the senior team. He managed to score on his debut too, although his career didn’t manage to take off after some early flashes of quality.

Dongou has spent the majority of his career in the Spanish lower league along with some short stints in Greece and Japan. Aged 28, he is currently on the lookout for his next club.

Xavi Torres

Like Dongou, Torres made plenty of appearances for the B team, but didn’t manage to make the step up. After being let go by Barcelona in 2009 he has bounced around several sides since.

In total, the Spanish midfielder has played for 12 clubs throughout his career which has taken him all over the globe from Kuwait to Australia. He most recently played for CD Lugo in the Spanish third tier and at 37 is now without a club.

Ruben Martinez

To be fair, we were surprised to find out Martinez is still going. The now 39-year-old goalkeeper made his debut for Barcelona back in 2004 when he was forced to step in for Victor Valdes who had been shown a red card.

Like Valdes, Martinez also came through La Masia, although his career hasn’t quite been as trophy-filled. The goalkeeper has been without a club since being let go by AEK Larnaca last year and he is seemingly yet to hang up his gloves just yet.

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