Barcelona surprised many by completing many high-profile acquisitions throughout the offseason despite facing a challenging financial condition.
There were many questions and criticisms raised about the club's strategies for bolstering its team, which mostly involved forgoing future revenue to bring in new players right away.
However, even the most worried Barcelona supporters can't hide their confidence regarding the team's potential as the season gets underway the next weekend.
The preseason, which concluded Sunday with a 6-0 thrashing of Mexican club Pumas at the Joan Gamper tournament at the Camp Nou, was a promising one for the new recruits.
In front of more than 83,000 spectators, Robert Lewandowski, the team's star acquisition, scored his first goal for the Catalan club and forged a strong connection with teenage playmaker Pedri González. They also witnessed the debuts of new defender Jules Koundé, new forward Raphinha, and returning forward Ousmane Dembélé, all of whom performed admirably.
Barcelona drew 2-2 with Juventus during the preseason, and also triumphed over Inter Miami, the New York Red Bulls, and rival Real Madrid.
The club would comply with the Spanish league's fair play rules to register all new recruits in time for the season, club president Joan Laporta announced before Sunday's game.
He allayed worries that some players might have to be benched until the team could generate more income by stating, "We will be able to register all players."
Barcelona recently sold a 25 percent stake in its production center for 100 million euros ($101.8 million) and a 25 percent stake in its Spanish league television rights for the following 25 years for almost 670 million euros ($682.1 million). It held its debut game at the Camp Nou on Sunday after being rebranded as a result of a sponsorship and naming rights agreement with Spotify.
In soccer, there is no waiting period and no off-season, Laporta told Spanish media. "We took the necessary steps to restore Barcelona's reputation,"
After a trophyless campaign in which Lionel Messi was absent for the first time in over two decades, the club went shopping and rapidly rose to the top spender in Europe during the summer.
Nearly 50 million euros ($50.9 million) was spent on Lewandowski's transfer from Bayern Munich, while nearly 60 million euros ($61.1 million) went to Leeds United for Raphinha and nearly 50 million euros ($50.9 million) went to Sevilla for Koundé.
Along with signing teenage midfielder Franck Kessié and center back Andreas Christensen, Barcelona also extended the contract of Dembélé, who had already demonstrated during the preseason that he will play a key role in Xavi Hernández's assault.
Talented youth Ansu Fati, Dutch international Memphis Depay, Danish international Martin Braithwaite, and Spanish international Ferran Torres are all part of the team's offense. Gavi Páez and Pedri, who scored both of his goals against Pumas on assists from Lewandowski, are still present in the midfield.
The sports newspaper Marca ran with the headline, "This Barça is dangerous," on Monday.
On top of a photo of Lewandowski, the Sport newspaper's front-page headline read, "Spectacular."
When the team makes its league debut on Saturday against Rayo Vallecano, the Camp Nou is anticipated to be packed once more. A strong showing would support Laporta's argument that the club's high spending will ultimately be justified.
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