The "Fantastic Four" that already failed at the Camp Nou

In August 2007, Joan Laport, then president of FC Barcelona, opted for the hiring of Thierry Henry to underpin an offensive plot that already included Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Leo Messi.

Frank Rijkaard had to make room for a new star, within a team that already had a delicate balance that was starting to collapse. However, the press took little time to coin the term 'Fantastic Four' to refer to the FC Barcelona offensive.

Nothing was further from the truth. The amount of quality within a squad meant that Barcelona fans only ever got to see Henry, Ronaldinho, Eto'o, and Messi together in training, but never in an official match.

Johan Cruyff, who was very close to Joan Laporta, had even warned him in July: "They are four players for three positions, it will be difficult to maintain balance, although, with the Africa Cup of Nations, injuries and cards will always make some disappear."

An opinion shared by Thierry Henry himself, who famously stated: "If anyone wants to see the 'Fantastic Four', go to the cinema"; a statement that, as the years went on, proved to be charged with meaning and accuracy. 

Ouf of the 58 games Barcelona disputed that season, the "Fantastic Four" were only available for four of them: the first La Liga game week, against Atletico in the Vicente Calderon, and in the round of sixteen of the Champions League against Celtic. 

Frank Rijkaard never played Henry, Ronaldinho, Eto'o, and Messi on the turf and that season ended with FC Barcelona making way for Real Madrid, champion with 18 points ahead of Barcelona, and eliminated in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. 

The following year, Joan Laporta brought in Pep Guardiola, who got rid of Ronaldinho and, nine months later, had conquered the first treble in the history of Barcelona.

12 summers later, Josep María Bartomeu works to bring the second installment of the 'Fantastic Four' to the Camp Nou. However, while the Barça leader prepares the super production, the fans will be drawing conclusions on past failures.