Where are they now? The 6 signings Barcelona made the same summer Lamine Yamal was born

Lamine Yamal was born in the summer of 2007 and we’ve checked out where the Barcelona signings from that transfer window are today.

It’s safe to say that Yamal has taken the world by storm since his breakthrough last year and we wouldn’t be surprised if he watched some of these Barcelona stars while growing up.

Here are the six signings Barcelona made in the summer of 2007 and where those players are today.

Thierry Henry

After enjoying eight years at Arsenal, Henry made the switch to Barcelona in the summer of 2007. His stint in Spain was short but sweet as he managed to win seven trophies during his three-year stint with the club.

These days he works as the France U21 manager, tasked with developing the upcoming French stars.

You can also find him on punditry duty CBS Sports where he’s plenty of fun to watch.

Yaya Toure

Barcelona snapped up the Ivory Coast international that same summer, although he didn’t hit his peak until he joined Manchester City a few years later.

To be fair to Toure, he was still excellent in a Barcelona shirt and he played a key role in the club winning the Champions League in 2009.

After hanging up his boots in 2019, Toure has since pursued a coaching career and he’s now the assistant manager of Saudi Arabia.

Eric Abidal

The Frenchman arrived from Lyon in the summer of 2007 and he proved to be a useful player during his six-year stint with the club.

In 2011 he was diagnosed with a tumour in his liver but he managed to recover from surgery in time to play the entire 90 minutes in the Champions League final against Manchester United that year.

The versatile French star eventually hung up his boots in 2014 and he’s been fairly active in the football scene since that point.

He returned to Barcelona in the summer of 2018 to work as the club’s director of football, although he was sacked a few years later following Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich.

READ NEXT: Where are they now? The last 6 signings Pep Guardiola made as Barcelona boss

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Gabriel Milito

Barcelona paid just shy of £14million to sign the Argentine defender from Real Zaragoza in 2007.

He made a total of 75 appearances for the club across four seasons, but Milito’s time at Camp Nou was interrupted by injuries.

After sustaining an ACL injury in May 2008, he missed the entire 2008–09 season which ultimately ended in a treble for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Now aged 43, Milito works as a football manager and is currently in charge of Brazilian side Atletico Mineiro.

Giovani dos Santos

The same summer that Yamal was born, Dos Santos was promoted to the senior team after impressing for Barcelona B.

He only spent one season in the senior squad at Barcelona before Tottenham snapped him up. Dos Santos played for a total of nine clubs throughout his career, with his longest stint being with LA Galaxy.

After being without a club for around two years, the 34-year-old made the decision to retire from professional football last year.

“I remember watching Giovani Dos Santos when he was playing for Mexico in an Under-16s tournament. He looked just like Ronaldinho, but a younger version,” Ledley King told talkSPORT.

“I didn’t say, ‘Go and buy him’, but I just thought to myself that he was going to be a star. He ended up joining, but it didn’t quite work out for him. He was a big talent.”

TRY A QUIZ: Planet Football’s Ultimate Barcelona Quiz: 30 questions to test your knowledge of La Blaugrana

Pedro

Like Dos Santos, Pedro was also promoted from Barcelona B the same summer that Yamal was born.

Sometimes overlooked because of the superstars he played alongside, Pedro in during his peak was a force to be reckoned with.

Unlike everyone else on this list, he is still playing professional football to this day at the ripe old age of 37 for Lazio.