Where are they now? The 8 Barcelona players Pep Guardiola sold after making just one appearance
Pep Guardiola can be pretty ruthless when it comes to the transfer market and once he’s made his mind up on a player, it’s difficult to sway his opinion.
During his time at Barcelona, Guardiola sold eight players who only made a single appearance under him.
We’ve checked up on those stars who have been sold by the great man and have checked out what they are each up to these days.
Ruben Mino
One appearance in the Spanish Super Cup was as good as it got for Mina and the goalkeeper was shuffled off to Mallorca at the end of Guardiola’s reign.
He’s enjoyed a nomadic career since, playing for nine different clubs in three different countries, and has now returned to Catalonia to play for Cornella.
Oier Olazabal
Oier had already done enough to be handed a senior first-team debut, featuring in a 2-2 Copa del Rey draw with Alcoyano, by the time Guardiola took charge at Camp Nou in 2008.
He made another senior start, this time in a late-season La Liga victory over Real Mallorca, but it was his last under Guardiola.
Oier stayed at Barcelona as third or fourth choice for the first team and a regular in the B team until 2014. But with opportunities limited, he moved on, spending time as the backup option at Granada and Real Sociedad.
Two seasons at Levante brought more opportunities but after falling out of favour again, he moved back to Barcelona with Espanyol in 2019.
He now plays for FC Andorra.
Sergi Gomez
In August 2010, Gomez was given his Barcelona debut in the Spanish Super Cup defeat to Sevilla at the age of 18. He would return to the club’s youth team and never play for Guardiola again.
But the defender has enjoyed a successful career in La Liga, playing over 300 games for Celta Vigo, Sevilla and his current club Espanyol.
Gomez is the captain of Barcelona’s city rivals and his education at La Masia has proven to be invaluable.
Gai Assulin
Assulin was a prodigious talent and one of the many wunderkinds saddled with the unfortunate ‘new Messi’ tag. He scored 10 goals for Barca B that season and was even handed a senior cap by Israel aged 16.
In 2018, Assulin was asked about his season under Guardiola by Sky Sports. He said: “It was definitely the best time of my career. It was not just the goals, I really enjoyed playing under such a great person.
“He was very close to all of the players. I think that is one of the reasons why we gave everything for him. Everyone enjoyed the style of play. He gave us a lot of freedom.”
Unfortunately for Assulin, his career never really kicked on from there. He moved to Manchester City without having made a first-team appearance for Barca and ended up making his senior professional debut in the Championship while on loan at Brighton.
From there, Assulin became a journeyman, turning out mostly in the Spanish second tier, with spells in Israel, Kazakhstan alongside Andrey Arshavin and Romania before seemingly ending his career at the age of 30 playing for Crema in Italy’s Serie D.
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Albert Jorquera
Jorquera played one match under Guardiola, the 3-2 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2008, as most of the first-team were rested for an upcoming El Clasico.
Unlike most of the other entries in this list, Jorquera was already in his 30s when Guardiola took the helm at Camp Nou and retired in 2010 after a solitary season with Girona.
He has spent much of the last decade as an assistant manager and is currently working for CF Badalona.
QUIZ: Can you name Pep Guardiola’s 30 most-used players throughout his career?
Marti Riverola
Riverola made his first and only official appearance for Barcelona in 2011, coming off the bench in a regulation Champions League win over BATE Borisov.
He moved to Bologna at the end of the 2011-12 season, spending three years at the club before embarking on a series of short stays across the continent like an eager backpacker.
Now aged 33, Riverola is currently playing in midfield for Andorran club Inter d’Escaldes.
Jonathan Soriano
Despite being prolific at youth level, Soriano’s only Barcelona appearance came in the dying embers of a thumping Copa del Rey win over Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa in 2009.
The striker underlined his prowess by scoring 120 goals for Red Bull Salzburg, before spending a lucrative season in China with Beijing Guoan.
After further spells in Saudi Arabia and Spain, Soriano announced his retirement in 2021 at the age of 36.
Alberto Botia
Botia made his one and only Barcelona appearance against Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga in 2009, coming on as a late substitute for Gerard Pique in a 2-2 draw.
He made another 139 La Liga appearances with Sporting Gijon, Sevilla and Elche before joining Olympiacos in 2014.
The 35-year-old spent four years in Greece, winning three league titles, then moved to Al-Wehda in Saudi Arabia, before returning to Greece with A.E. Kifisia.