This summer, Barcelona's chickens came home to roost. 

Lionel Messi's emotional goodbye to the Catalan giants was the culmination of a period of financial mismanagement, putting the club under over €1bn's worth of debt and forcing other big stars to take pay cuts in order to register their new signings. 

While nowhere near as dramatic, Emerson Royal's brief stint as a Barca player has been slated by the Brazilian following his quick-fire move to Tottenham Hotspur after less than a month at the Camp Nou and Antoine Griezmann's return to Atletico Madrid at a huge loss are more examples of the chaos to have engulfed the club. 

How on earth, then, did one of the biggest clubs in world football get to this point? 

Well, GIVEMESPORT have looked at Barcelona's biggest transfer clangers. 

Not strengthening after 2015 treble 

One day, the footballing world will look back on the famed trident of Luis Suarez, Messi and Neymar with a tinge of regret.

Prolific as they were, to have only lifted one Champions League title as a trio is a major disappointment, especially when the number of trophies Real Madrid's 'BBC' lifted in comparison. 

Indeed, after winning the treble in 2015, Barcelona simply did not strengthen. Only Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal arrived on the back of the win in Berlin, allowing the rest of Europe to start to catch up. 

Shopping beneath their stature 

Rather than make some well-thought-out stellar signings to really build for a future without Xavi and Andreas Iniesta, Barcelona embarked on a strange transfer spree between 2016 and 2018. 

Tottenham Hotspur flop Paulinho (who, admittedly did impress) moved to the club after playing in China along with the likes of Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes, Lucas Digne (all sold to mid-table Everton), Paco Alcacer, Jasper Cillessen and Denis Suarez. 

Gradually, the calibre of player on the club's books was starting to decline. 

The post-Neymar rush 

The smartest thing to do when Paris Saint-Germain shocked the world and paid Neymar's release clause in 2017 would have been nothing. Years earlier, the club had been in a similar situation when Inter Milan did the same for Ronaldo, leading to a rushed and ill-advised spree to replace him. 

Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele were both signed in some of the biggest transfers football has ever seen, forced into a team reeling after Neymar's departure. Costing well over €100m apiece, neither has worked out. 

Straying from their DNA 

If there's one thing that makes Barcelona special, it was their steadfast refusal to stray from the ideals of Johan Cruyff. Their two greatest teams of all-time were drenched in the Dutchman's influence. 

So, to stray from that and start signing players like Kevin Prince Boateng and Arturo Vidal sent a message. Barcelona were changing and not for the better. 

The Luis Suarez debacle 

The worst decision in the club's recent history. 

Outside of Messi, no one has scored more goals for Barcelona than Luis Suarez. Granted, the striker was starting to decline when he left in 2020, but to have been ousted out (much to Messi's chagrin) in ruthless fashion and then effectively paid to join Atletico Madrid was not a good look. 

The fact he won the league in the Spanish capital a few months later after a 20-goal season was even worse.