It's been over five years since former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu boarded a flight to the Netherlands to close the signing of Ajax Amsterdam midfielder Frenkie de Jong.
De Jong, now 26, was one of Europe's most in-demand midfielders. He had fielded phone calls from Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel and Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, leaving Barça afraid they would miss out on the prodigious Dutch international. In the end, Bartomeu's trip helped finalise a transfer worth an initial €75 million that was officially announced on Jan.