Where are they now? The first 7 players Luis Enrique sold at Barcelona
Luis Enrique joined Barcelona in the summer of 2014 but what happened to the first seven players who he decided to sell? We’ve taken a closer look.
The Spanish manager enjoyed a successful three-year stint at Camp Nou as he won nine trophies including two league titles and the Champions League.
We’ve gone back to the start of his tenure at Barcelona and have found the first seven stars that he sold and where those players are today.
Cesc Fabregas
Fabregas was the first Barcelona player let go by Enrique as the Spanish coach looked to put his own spin on the starting XI.
Despite former Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu wanting to keep him, Fabregas had already decided to leave as he wanted to play regular first-team football elsewhere.
While the switch to Chelsea was initially met with some controversy because of his links to Arsenal, it proved to be a roaring success as he won the Premier League and League Cup during his first season back in England.
Now aged 37, Fabregas has pursued a coaching career and is currently the head coach of Como who sit 18th in Serie A.
Jonathan dos Santos
The Mexican midfielder made 28 senior appearances for Barcelona but was sold to Villarreal shortly after Enrique arrived in 2014.
Dos Santos had his moments in La Liga, but spent his peak years playing in the United States for LA Galaxy between 2017 and 2021.
Upon his contract at LA Galaxy expiring, the Mexican international returned to his native country to join Club America where he still plays to this day.
READ NEXT: Where are they now? The 8 Barcelona players Pep Guardiola sold after making just one appearance
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Brazilian to play for Barcelona since 1990?
Isaac Cuenca
Despite still being under contract with Barcelona until 2015, the club reached an agreement with Cuenca to cancel his contract a year early.
Upon his release, the winger joined Deportivo La Coruna but only lasted one year at the Riazor Stadium before he was on the move once again.
Throughout his career, Cuenca rarely stuck around in one place for long and he eventually called it quits on his playing career in 2021 following a knee injury he sustained while playing in Japan.
These days the 33-year-old works as the technical director at the Aitana Bonmati campus, training girls and boys aged five to 16.
Alexis Sanchez
With Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar available at Enrique’s disposal, Sanchez found himself comfortably behind those guys in the pecking order.
Following three years with the club, the Chilean departed in 2014 and joined Arsenal in a deal worth just shy of £32million.
Sanchez went on to spend his peak years playing at the Emirates and he still speaks about his regret of leaving to join Manchester United to this day.
The 35-year-old returned to Udinese over the summer on a free transfer but is yet to make his second debut for the club, having missed the first half of the season with a calf injury.
Oier Olazabal
The Spanish goalkeeper racked up over 120 appearances for Barcelona B, but only made two senior appearances for the club before he was sold to Granada in 2014.
Like at Barcelona, Olazabal has predominately been used as a back-up goalkeeper throughout his career. Now aged 35, he currently plays for FC Andorra in the Spanish third tier.
Keirrison
Undoubtedly, one of the worst signings that Barcelona have ever made. The striker was signed from Palmeiras in 2009 in a deal worth around £13million, despite the fact that Pep Guardiola didn’t want him whatsoever.
“The club has decided to sign him,” Guardiola told reporters. “In principle, he’ll go out on loan. I won’t be counting on him for this season.”
In the end, Keirrison didn’t make a single appearance for the club and his contract was terminated shortly after Enrique’s arrival.
The 36-year-old has since pursued some business interests and he hasn’t ruled out returning to football, having most recently played for Londrina in Brazil.
READ: What happened to Keirrison, the Barca wonderkid Pep never wanted?
Bojan
His move from Barcelona to Stoke City raised eyebrows at the time, but by all accounts, Bojan absolutely loved his time playing at the bet365 Stadium.
“Stoke, for me, it is my second home,” he said during an interview with Sky Sports in 2022. “It is the place where I enjoyed my football the most.”
“My favourite moment was when they sang my name for the first time, the whole stadium. What is this? They sung my name because they respected me, they loved me, not because my name was Bojan.
“There was a special connection from the day that I arrived.”
Following stints in the United States and Japan, the 34-year-old retired last year and now works as a football coordinator at Barcelona, where he monitors young players at La Masia.