The brandishing of European glory is something that FC Barcelona is all too familiar with. Having won 5 UEFA Champions League titles alongside several other UEFA-endorsed titles throughout their history, it makes sense that pedigree meets pedigree when players arrive who themselves have had success in the competition and look to continue that trend at Barcelona.
With the recent signing of German superstar Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City on a free transfer, Barcelona have managed to acquire a player that has just recently not just managed to win the UEFA Champions League with Manchester City in the competition’s most recent iteration, but has also managed to win the continental treble, an exclusive feat that Barcelona themselves have managed to accomplish twice; having completed it in 2009 and 2015.
Moreover, as has been pointed out by Angel Perez of Mundo Deportivo, it has been almost 15 years since Barcelona last managed to acquire the services of a player that had last managed to win a Champions League title the previous season before joining the Catalan club.
That player is held in a very high regard among fans of La Blaugrana even today, with his contributions over the years having helped the club establish themselves on both a domestic level and on the European stage, as well as having aided his country with notable international acclaim in various tournaments.
The player being referred to is none other than Barcelona legend and former central defender Gerard Pique. The Spaniard’s contributions to the club remain engraved in the minds of Cules around the world, and his future as a potential president of the club is an idea that some also look quite favorably towards.
Having arrived in 2008 from English Premier League side Manchester United after just having won the UEFA Champions League in the 2007/2008 footballing season, the Spaniard would go on to win the title back to back as he would aid Barcelona in winning it during the 2008/2009 season, where the club would eventually overcome his former side from Manchester in Rome.
Now, a similar story begins to unfold. Having won the 2023 iteration of the Champions League, Ilkay Gundogan embarks on his journey to Barcelona from Manchester, much alike what Gerard Pique once did, and will be looking to aid Barcelona in overcoming their hurdles in the prestigious European competition for which they qualified by winning La Liga Santander last season.
