Euro Cup and World Cup, tournaments that rely on signings

If it is a definite toss to sign for a lifetime Barça, Nico Williams It will certainly be a successful signing for the Barça club today. However, the economic reality imposes inevitable deadlines to which FC Barcelona is subject by 2024, deadlines that really pass through the filter of LaLiga and the realization of a financial ‘fair game’ that will determine what margins the Barça can transfer in the market. Speaking only of football, it is clear that Nico Williams, The Athletic left winger is one of the great sensations of Euro 2024. In the tradition of signing Barça, the main competitions in the national team are always considered and, in some cases, they decide whether or not it is appropriate to close an operation. MD analyzes how the arrival of some of the footballers for Barça happened, taking into account their performance in the World Cups, Euro Cups and even the Olympic Games.

Johan Neeslens

He signed in the middle of the 1974 World Cup

Johan Neeskens signed for Barça in the middle of the World Cup in Germany, in 1974. It was, specifically, on the afternoon of June 20 of that year, three days before the midfielder of the sensational Dutch team, who ended up being runner- up, scored against him with two goals against Bulgaria at the end of the first period, Josep Lluís Vilaseca and Armand Carabén closed the deal with Jaap van Praag, president of Ajax, in Hiltrup. Neeskens won three European Cups with the Amsterdam club under the leadership of Johan Cruyff, whose arrival at the Camp Nou at the end of 1973 and the presence on the bench of Rinus Michels undoubtedly helped make a move official in the middle of the World Cup. . Neeskens signed his contract as a culé in the presence of Cruyff. Barça paid 47 million pesetas to get him from Ajax.

2

Hansi Krankl

The 1978 World Cup brought Cruyff’s replacement

Johan Cruyff left Barça at the end of the 1977-78 season, after playing five years as a Barça player. Leaving one of the best football players in history was not an easy task for Barça, which had its first president in the figure of Josep Lluís Núñez. The Austrian international was outstanding at Rapid Vienna, winning the Golden Boot, but as a good finisher, he was not seen as a star of Johan’s impact. Kevin Keegan, European champion at Liverpool, stepped in to fill that gap. Meanwhile, Valencia, led by Ramos Costa, wanted to integrate Mario Kempes, who would become the top scorer and champion of the 1978 World Cup with Argentina, into its team with Krankl, who it almost signed. In the end, Che’s dream was shattered by the emergence of Barça, who must have noticed Krankl’s potential by seeing him score goals for Austria in the World Cup as notably helping his team beat the Spain by Laszi Kubala. The signing for Barça was closed on June 28, three days after Kempes led the Albiceleste to victory in the World Cup final against the Netherlands. Valencia signed German midfielder Rainer Bonhof and Barça signed Krankl for 69 million pesetas. Although his debut season was spectacularly productive, conquering the Pichichi after scoring 29 goals and winning the Cup Winners’ Cup, his stay at Barcelona was sooner rather than later and he returned Krankl in his country.

3

Bernd Schuster

Its appearance in the 1980 Euro Cup, a springboard

President Josep Lluís Núñez wanted to give a new impetus to Barça 1980-81 and hired Ladislao Kubala as coach. In the summer, the arrival of Diego Maradona failed to advance, which finally materialized for 1982, and an attempt was made to sign the great sensation of the Euro Cup, the powerful 20-year-old German midfielder that Bernd Schuster, who is one of the keys for Germany to become champions. A bad start by Barça sparked a new offensive by a player named Silver Ball behind his compatriot Karl Heinz Rummenigge. A jealous environment of veterans with emerging youth led to his sudden marginalization in the Colonia squad and a negotiation for his sale to Barça for 175 million pesetas. Schuster was the best arranger of his time. He played for Barça until 1988, where he formed a foreign partnership with Diego Maradona. In 1988 he ended up signing for Real Madrid and then for Atlético.

4

Gary Lineker

1986 World Cup Gunners

Exactly, the confrontation between Bernd Schuster and the English coach Terry Venables caused a change in the foreign roster of FC Barcelona for the 1986-87 season. The Barça club closed the signing of English international forward Gary Lineker on June 30, a day after Diego Maradona’s Argentina, already in Naples, were proclaimed world champions in a tournament in which Lineker finished as top scorer with 6 goals. Barça paid Everton around 600 million pesetas. Lineker spent just three seasons at Barça, scoring 42 goals in 103 games, but he left a fond memory for his charisma during Real Madrid’s Quinta del Buitre title reign.

5

Aloisio Pires

The Seoul Games brought the center back

The 1988 Seoul Olympic Games were the great international performances of two Brazilian gold-winning stars, scorers Romario da Souza and Bebeto. The former ended up signing for PSV Eindhoven in the summer and did not arrive at the Camp Nou until 1993. After the post-Olympic summer market at the end of the 80s, Johan Cruyff only made it to the Barça bench, bringing of a semi-unknown center back from the Seoul tournament who responded by the name of Aloisio Pìres. The defender cost 155 million pesetas, which Porto Alegre deliberately pocketed, although he did the best part of his career starting in 1990 in Porto, where he was a legend.

6

Gica Hagi

United States brought him 1994 from Brescia

Romanian George Hagi, the ‘Maradona of the Carpathians’. He was one of Real Madrid’s great signings in the early 90s, but his ‘new Puskas’ star soon faded and he ended up at mediocre Italian side Brescia in 1992. Led the Romanian team who had left a favorable impression at the 1994 World Cup, with great goals from the Romanian star, Johan Cruyff saw in the 29-year-old virtuoso striker a suitable replacement to cover the departure of Michael Laudrup, who ended his contract that summer to sign for Real Madrid. Eight days after Romario’s Brazil won the World Cup, Barça bought Hagi from Brescia for 400 million pesetas. He was at the Camp Nou until 1996, with a cautious move despite some notable goals.

7

Alfonso Perez

Euro 2000 and double that

Alfonso Pérez is another one of those players for whom a good performance in a national team tournament opened the door to Barça. In the summer of 2000, the Barça club would experience one of its most traumatic periods, the escape of its captain Luis Figo to Real Madrid. 22 days after the end of Euro 2000, where Alfonso scored, above all, two miraculous goals in the last minute that saved Spain from elimination against Yugoslavia, Figo was presented as a merengue The coup was too successful by signing a young Real Madrid player like Alfonso, who at the time was succeeding in his goals for Betis. With Llorenç Serra Ferrer as Barça coach and Alfonso’s endorser due to their common past at Betis, in mid-August 2000, Gaspart presented Alfonso as a “lifelong culé” after paying 20 million euros to the green and white club. His mark on Barça will not be felt.