Here is a quick run down on the trophies Thomas Vermaelen has won since he joined Barcelona in 2014:
- La Liga (twice)
- The Copa del Rey (twice)
- The Champions League
- The Uefa Super Cup
- The Fifa Club World Cup
That’s a superb haul for any player at the top level of the game – but it’s downright incredible when you put it into context for poor old injury prone Vermaelen.
In the two years since he joined the club, he’s won all that, despite making just 11 league appearances for the club.
In his first year he played just once in the entire season, and when you add in cup and European matches, it still only takes his tally to a total of 21 appearances in two years.
He also won a major trophy with Arsenal, picking up the FA Cup in 2014 before he left for Barca. But even that he won without actually playing in the final – he was an unused substitute in the 3-2 win over Steve Bruce’s Hull City at Wembley.
Has a player ever won so much while playing so little?
Of course it’s not his fault – you cannot make allowances for so many injuries – but hopefully bagging so many trophies was some consolation for the Belgian while he was on the treatment table.
But now it looks like his days of hoovering up titles with Barcelona is over. With perfect comic timing for such an-injury prone player, the club tweeted this earlier today:
📌 With the Club's permission, Thomas Vermaelen has travelled to Rome to undergo a medical with AS Roma #FCBLive pic.twitter.com/QGDPAHgMNV
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 7, 2016
“And don’t forget to take your massive white ball with you,” they didn’t add.
Good luck Thomas.
