Barcelona FC is characterized as one of the teams with more foreign players; however, the number of English players who have played for the club is only two.
Marcus McGuane is the second English player to play for Barcelona, being Gary Lineker the first. The player came to Barcelona from Arsenal, where he played in the youth ranks, with high hopes for his professional career.
It could be said that FC Barcelona is a club with a great deal of cultural diversity, thanks to the number of players from different countries. Many languages are spoken in the locker room before and after games, although Spanish is the primary language.
However, foreign players make a great effort to incorporate the local language. Although they communicate with their Spanish teammates daily, many decide to improve their language skills by taking classes at language schools for foreigners, such as Expanish. In this way, they master Spanish as a second language, allowing them to function more professionally during their time at the club.
The club usually encourages players to attend a spanish course Barcelona, so they can communicate fluently with their teammates. Communication inside a soccer team is essential; players must talk about strategies and plays during a game, and there is no time for misunderstanding.
Anyway, returning to the English-speaking players who have played in Barcelona, let’s see the soccer career of these characters a little more closely.
Gary Lineker and his passage through Barcelona
Born in England in 1960, the best part of his career occurred during the 80s, and he was one of the best strikers worldwide.
He began to stand out at Leicester City, a city club where he was born and debuted, at age 19, in the Second Division. Due to the large number of goals Gary scored during the two seasons he played in the Premier (51 goals in total), some of the greatest European clubs began to pay attention.
Thus Lineker passed through Everton and Liverpool until he reached Barcelona FC. He participated in the World Cup in 1986 and was recognized as one of the year’s best players after receiving the Silver Ball Award.
Gary began his career in Barcelona in 1986; there won the Copa del Rey in 1988 and the European Cup in 1989. During his first seasons (from 86 to 88), he scored 36 goals. Then his mark began to decrease because the coach of the moment had aligned him as extreme left.
After his time in Barcelona, he returned to England in 1989, where he played two seasons at Tottenham Hotspur and won the FA Cup in 1991. Then, he accepted a multimillion-dollar offer by Nagoya Gampus Eight, where he finished his career.
Once retired from the sport, he focused on being a soccer commentator for the BBC. He was part of a program that made reports to great technicians and players from the past World Cups called “The golden boots of Gary Lineker.”
Barcelona receives Marcus McGuane
Born in Greenwich in 1999, the English player of only 23 years began to take his first steps at Arsenal FC. He was captain of the U-18 and then went to the U-23 in 2017.
It was during the Europa League that Marcus debuted in Arsenal´s Premier team.
The player stood out importantly, and in 2018, he was summoned by Barcelona FC, where he signed a contract for five seasons. However, by September 2019, the club gave McGuane to Telstar, where he played until June 2020. Once the release was canceled, he went to Nottingham Forest to stay until August 2022. He is currently loaning Season at Oxford United.
While his passage through Barcelona was concise, the player is still very young, and who knows what the future may bring.
Other foreign players who made history in Barcelona
As mentioned, many foreigners have passed (and continue to give) by Barcelona FC. Some of them have left a significant mark making history in the club. Let’s see which were the best foreign players of all time over the years in Barcelona FC.
Lionel Messi
The soccer player born in Argentina is one of the greatest exponents of the club’s success in the last times. From an early age (only 13 years), the player became part of the Barcelona family, thanks to the fact that former player Carles Rexach discovered him.
Winner of three Golden Balls Awards and possessor of an infinite amount of personal records and sports titles, he is considered the best player in the world by the vast majority.
It is believed that during his stay at the club, he formed the best team Barcelona had in history, which marked an era in world soccer.
Johan Cruyff
Born in Holland, he joined Barcelona in 1973 to play for five seasons. Winner of two Golden Balls, he is considered one of the best soccer players of the twentieth century, along with Maradona, Alfredo Di Stefano, and Pelé.
The player took Barcelona out of the evil streak, which during the last fourteen years, had not managed to win a title.
Ronaldinho
The Brazilian player arrived in Barcelona in 2003 to become one of his greatest exponents. Thanks to his fast game full of magic, he returned the smile to the club scoring many goals (95) during the five seasons he played there.
During his stay in the club, he won 2 Spanish Super Cups and 2 League Championships, and, in 2006, a Champions League (the only one of his career).
Ladislao Kubala
The Hungarian became a legend of Barcelona and soccer in general. He was the one who scored the record of playing 256 official matches for Barcelona, which Messi later overcame. Not only that, but he also owns the record of scoring more goals in a single game (7 goals).
He played 12 years in the club and is still considered, to this day, the best player who went through Barcelona.
