Barcelona connections

Aston Villa lock horns with Barcelona on Matchday Four of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, looking to maintain their 100% start to the league phase.

Unai Emery’s men travel to Camp Nou knowing a win would place them on 12 points after four outings, following wins over Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe and Viking.

And a number of notable names have represented both the Villans and Barcelona giants over the years.

Here, we take a look at six of them…

Adama Traoré

Born in Catalonia, Traoré came through the academy at Barça, representing the club’s ‘B’ side before making his first team debut in 2013.

After making just one La Liga appearance, the powerful winger joined Villa in the summer of 2015, signing for Middlesbrough a year later after 12 appearances in claret and blue.

His form in the North East earned a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers where he became a fan favourite over the course of five seasons, with 17 appearances on loan back at Barcelona during the 2021/22 campaign sandwiched in between.

Pepe Reina

Another product of Barcelona’s academy, former Spain international goalkeeper Reina rose through the ranks in Catalonia, making his first team debut in 2002.

A further 48 appearances followed before successful spells at both Villarreal and Liverpool.

Reina moved on to Italy, representing Napoli and AC Milan, joining Villa on loan from the latter in January 2020 as he appeared 12 times and helped Dean Smith’s side secure their Premier League safety.

Philippe Coutinho

A tricky attacking midfielder, Coutinho made his name as a youngster at Inter Milan, earning a move to Liverpool where he excelled over the course of five years.

The Brazilian moved to Barcelona for a fee of over £100m, scooping a host of trophies including two La Liga titles.

He joined the Villans on loan in January 2022, netting four goals in his first eight games before making his move permanent at the end of that season, sealing a permanent return to boyhood club Vasco da Gama in the summer of 2025.

Lucas Digne

A Europa League winner in claret and blue, Frenchman Digne began his career with Lille before enjoying spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Roma, moving to Barça in the summer of 2016.

The left-back enjoyed two seasons in Catalonia where he won the 2017/18 La Liga, before moving to Everton in 2018.

Digne swapped Merseyside for Birmingham in January 2022, establishing himself as a fan favourite over four and a half seasons in claret and blue, before returning to PSG over the summer having played his part in a historic 2026/27 campaign.

Clément Lenglet

Another Frenchman, Lenglet started his career at Nancy before spending a year and a half at Sevilla, then moving to Barcelona in the summer of 2018.

After a loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur, the centre-back moved to the Villans for the 2023/24 season, making 25 appearances in all competitions as Unai Emery’s men secured Champions League qualification.

A loan spell at Atlético Madrid came the following campaign, before Lenglet made his move to the Spanish capital permanent in the summer of 2025.

Marcus Rashford

An England international with 78 caps, Rashford spent his entire career with Manchester United up to signing on loan for Villa in January 2025.

The dynamic forward netted four goals in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign, helping the Villans reach the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League and secure Europa League qualification for the following season.

A loan spell at Barça would then come in the summer of 2025, where he scored 14 goals in 49 appearances over the course of the campaign, helping Hansi Flick’s side secure the La Liga title with a win over Real Madrid.