Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, has these things. He is capable of turning a management failure into a great success to boast about. It happened with David Beckham in 2003 and it was repeated with Ousmane Dembélé two years ago.
David Beckham's "Ghost Transfer" in 2003
Joan Laporta was fighting for the presidency of Barça in 2003. He was the underdog but, at the end of the elections, he pulled a trump card called David Beckham.
He claimed that he would sign Beckham if he won the elections, despite knowing that the player was already a Real Madrid player. Florentino Pérez had taken him away.
He didn't care, however. He continued with his bluffs. He won the elections thanks to David Beckham's "transfer".
Once in power, he apologized to the voters and activated Sandro Rosell's plan B: Ronaldinho. It worked out well because the Brazilian was the good one. He changed Barça's losing streak and Laporta boasted about his transfer.
The Drama of Dembélé's Departure
Something similar is happening with Ousmane Dembélé. Two summers ago, the French player unilaterally decided to leave Barça. PSG paid his 50 million release clause and he said farewell.
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It seemed like a catastrophe then. Barça was weakening its squad with a player who, according to Xavi Hernández, was the best in the world in his position.
He's gone. PSG needed him to make up for the announced departure of Kylian Mbappé. Luis Enrique said the 44 goals that the current Real Madrid player had scored in his last season in Paris should be highlighted.
A year and a half later, reality confirms that Barça was right to get rid of Dembélé. PSG made a bad deal by buying him.
Dembélé Cleared the Way for Lamine Yamal
Dembélé's departure not only left 50 million euros in the club coffers. It also opened the door to a Lamine Yamal, who, with the Frenchman in the team, would still be in the Barça youth team.
Dembélé, however, left and Lamine Yamal took his place, surpassing his performance in goals and assists by far. Dembélé bears a large part of the responsibility for Lamine Yamal's premature revolution.
At Barça, no one remembers him and in Paris they are furious. He was sent off yesterday in the dramatic clash in Munich against Bayern.
PSG lost again and is more out of the Champions League than in before reaching the knockout stage.
Four points from 15 games is not what is expected from Europe's richest team. Much of PSG's poor performance has to do with Dembélé. He hasn't been able to step up to replace Mbappé.
It's a Good Thing you Left, Dembélé!
Dembélé is anything but a leader. In the current edition of the Champions League he's played 4 games, with 0 goals and 1 assist. Very poor for a striker.
He's also already clashed with Luis Enrique, with whom he's had discipline issues. The Asturian coach left him out of the trip to London to face Arsenal in the Champions League.
"Dembélé has failed in his duties as a player to the rest of the team. This applies to all the players in the squad," said Luis Enrique at the time.
Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal is stringing together wins and exciting Barcelona fans.
It's a good thing you left, Dembélé!