FC Barcelona Terminate Brazilian Flop’s Contract

FC Barcelona have terminated misfit Brazilian Gustavo Maia’s contract by mutual consent, as confirmed by the club.

“FC Barcelona has reached an agreement with Gustavo Maia for the player’s dismissal. The Brazilian, who had a contract until June 30, 2025, puts an end to three seasons as a blaugrana [player],” began a statement published on the club’s official Spanish language website early Monday morning.

“The player will continue his career at Brazilian side Vila Nova FC. The Club publicly expresses its gratitude to Gustavo Maia, and wishes him luck and success in the future,” added the Catalans.

Maia was signed from Sao Paulo FC in 2020, with his transfer one of the many head-scratching deals made on the watch of former Barca president Josep Bartomeu, who – according to ex-CEO Ferran Reverter who served under Bartomeu’s successor Joan Laporta – left the club “technically bankrupt”.

Bartomeu routinely overpaid when buying players, and there were eyebrows raised at the time when it was revealed that an agreement had been struck to shell out €4.5 million ($5 million) for Maia.

This came after Bartomeu decided to greenlight a €7 million ($7.5 million) plus €3 million ($3.3 million) in add-ons purchase of Maia’s fellow compatriot unheard of Matheus Fernandes too, who similarly proved to be a flop and left in June 2021 without a single first team appearance to his name.

To add insult to injury, Barca were also ordered to pay Fernandes, picked up by Palmeiras and now on loan at Red Bull Bragantino, some €8.5 million ($9.4 million) in damages for unfair dismissal according to El Espanol.

It must be noted however that similar fees to what Barca paid for Maia were handed over to buy Ronald Araujo and Pedri. The defender and midfielder have since risen to become two of the best players in the world in their positions, and Bartomeu must take some credit for this.

If Maia boasted similar potential, however, he would have blossomed with Barca Atletic ahead of making the leap to the senior squad overseen by Ronald Koeman and later modern day manager Xavi Hernandez.

Instead, though, the 22-year-old mustered just 283 minutes over eight appearances for the reserve outfit before being shipped back across the Atlantic to Brazil where he began a loan spell at Internacional.

After a season-and-a-half in Porto Alegre, Maia switched to Valencia’s reserves who did not exercise an option to purchase him after a temporary assignment at the Mestalla wound down this summer.

With a contract that ran until 2025, Maia was set to become a burden for cash-strapped Barca who struggled to find a club for the winger.

As it turns out, however, Maia has honorably agreed to step aside in order to try and get his career back on track at Vila Nova.

Given his young age, Maia still has time to turn things round in Brazil’s second division known as the Serie B, and work his way back up the football ladder.

Under Laporta, Barca have bought with more wisdom when it comes to young Brazilians, and have already secured the highly-rated Vitor Roque from Athletico Paranense who is able to play as either a striker or a wideman.

Roque was landed by agreeing a transfer worth an initial €30 million ($33.2 million) and a further €31 million ($34.3 million) in variables if a series of targets are met.