The four Champions League semi-finalists are now decided, and Barça are among them, returning to the last four after six seasons away. But the other three semi-finalists also feature figures with a Culer past.
Luis Enrique, legend of Paris
The most obvious case is PSG, with a Barça legend like Luis Enrique at the helm. The Asturian, mastermind of the 2015 treble with the MSN trio, already had a brilliant past as a Barça player, spending the last eight seasons of his playing career at the club. But then as a coach, he first led one of the best Barça Atlètic sides in history. After spells with Roma and Celta, he returned to take over the first team in 2014, winning nine trophies in three seasons, including one Champions League, two La Liga titles, and three Copas del Rey.
Dembélé the goal getter
Luis Enrique is also accompanied by several members of his coaching staff with Barça ties, as well as two of his players: Ousmane Dembélé and Arnau Tenas. "The mosquito", after six years at Barça, has truly found his form in Paris, where he usually plays as a centre forward and has already scored 32 goals this season. Tenas, meanwhile, is the third-choice goalkeeper, behind Donnarumma and Safonov..
Arteta, three years at La Masia
From Paris to London, because Luis Enrique isn’t the only manager with a Barça background. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta also has a history with the Catalan club. He arrived at La Masia at 16 to join the U19A team and spent four seasons in Barça’s youth system, becoming an important player for both the youth side and Barça Atlètic, although he never debuted with the first team.
Now, he has led Arsenal to only their third Champions League semi-final after knocking out Real Madrid, setting up a potential repeat of the 2006 final. Like Arnau Tenas, the North London side also have a back-up goalkeeper familiar to Barça fans: Brazilian Neto, who was at the club from 2019 to 2022.
Inter too
Lastly, there’s semi-final opponent Inter Milan, who also have a Barça connection. It’s not as obvious as those of PSG or Arsenal, but it follows the same pattern—a back-up goalkeeper. In this case, it’s Valencian Josep Martínez, who played for Barça’s U19A team in the 2016/17 season. He then moved to Las Palmas, breaking into the first team and impressing enough to earn a move to Leipzig. From Germany, he transferred to Italy with Genoa, where two standout seasons led to a summer move to Inter, where he’s now typically Yann Sommer’s understudy.
Another Inter player worth a mention is forward Marcus Thuram, son of Lilian Thuram, who was at the Barça Escola from 2006 to 2008 while his father played for FC Barcelona.
So, whether it's players or coaches, there are Barça connections in all four Champions League semfinals.