Barcelona continued the frustrating run of league title drought, finishing just fourth in La Liga, despite having bought Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit for a total of £54m in transfer fees in the summer of 2000. Barcelona also controversially sold Luís Figo to arch-rivals Real Madrid in July 2000 and thus creating several furious fan reactions, accusing Luís Figo of being a traitor. New coach Lorenzo Serra Ferrer was not finding consistent form with the team and was being put under increasing pressure, and when Barcelona looked to be missing out on Champions League qualification, he was sacked in late April 2001. Barcelona dramatically sealed Champions League 3rd qualifying spot in the season finale, thanks to a Rivaldo hat-trick which included a bicycle kick goal against Valencia.
Squad
Correct as of 3 October 2009.