The most high-profile cases include figures such as Marc Bartra (formerly of Borussia Dortmund and Trabzonspor), Marc Roca (formerly of Bayern Munich and Leeds United), and Alex Moreno (currently at Aston Villa). A notable moment was the clash between Roca and Moreno at Vila Park during the 2022/2023 Premier League season.
These elite careers are complemented by more modest realities. Josep Corbi played for the humble Haverhill Rovers in the ninth English division during the 2011/2012 season. More recently, in the current 2025/2026 season, goalkeeper Carlos Pagès signed for ASD Praia Tortora in the Italian fifth division.
The best-known and most high-profile cases are combined with other more modest, but equally adventurous and intense realities.
Other players who have sought fortune abroad include Oscar García, who played in a preliminary round of the Europa League with UE Sant Julià in Andorra in the 2021/2022 campaign, and Ivan Piñol, who played for Lahti in Finland in 2006.
The case of former FC Vilafranca player, Josep Díez, is particularly striking. After spells in Iceland (at clubs Afturelding and Fjardabyggdar), he traded the cold for the heat by accepting an offer from Atlético Pantoja in the Dominican Republic, with whom he was crowned champion of the Caribbean Club Championship (CFU) in 2018.
