When Rockstar Games finally releases Grand Theft Auto VI on Thursday, 19th November 2026, it will mark an incredible 13 years since Grand Theft Auto V was launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on September 17th 2013. To put it into perspective for Culers, Lamine Yamal & Pau Cubarsi were only 6 years old during the launch.
On the exact day GTA 5 was released, Gerardo “Tata” Martino was managing the Camp Nou. Neymar had been signed and was only 21. Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in a 4-0 Champions League rout over Ajax.
Now that preloads are available for Vice City, here is where the Barcelona squad from GTA 5 release week are now.
Still beating father time
Surprisingly, there are 5 players from the 2013/14 team still playing professionally:
- Lionel Messi (26 to 39): Lionel Messi scored a Champions League hat-trick against Ajax the day after GTA 5 was released. Thirteen years later, he is still running around playing football, ironically in Vice City. Messi has just won back-to-back MLS Golden Boots as captain of Inter Miami and finished in the top 5 of the Ballon d’Or in 2026 for the record time after captaining Argentina to the World Cup Final 2026.
- Neymar (21 to 34): Neymar had only been in Europe for a month and scored an assist for Gerard Pique against Ajax in September 2013. The Brazilian has taken a full circle journey after a treble winning season with Barça, world record transfer to PSG and time in Saudi Arabia. He is currently playing for his boyhood club Santos FC.
- Marc Bartra (22 to 35): Bartra came on for Pique in the Ajax game on September 2013. Now he is leading Real Betis as a veteran centre-back and scored a late goal in the 89th minute to win 2-0 against Elche.
- Sergi Roberto (21 to 34): Roberto was a squad player looking to make an impact in the impossible midfield of Barcelona. He went on to become captain of the club and moved to Como before finally joining LA Galaxy where he is now a regular starter.
- Alexis Sanchez (24 to 37): Alexis started on the wing against Ajax. Now 37 years old, he is playing for CF Montreal in North America.
From the pitch to the dugout
A few players have come out of the 2013 squad and became managers:
- Cesc Fabregas (26 to 39): Cesc has had one of the best 2026 seasons of anyone from the squad. He has become the manager of Como 1907 and led them to a top 4 finish in Serie A last season and earned them a spot in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history. They have recently thrashed Lens 9-0.
- Javier Mascherano (29 to 42): Masche ran the youth teams for Argentina before taking over the Inter Miami side in 2025 with Messi. He led them to their first ever MLS Cup last December. He stepped down in April 2026 for personal reasons.
- Xavi Hernandez (33 to 46): Xavi came back to save Barcelona as manager. He won La Liga 2022/23 and gave Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí their debut. However, he passed the torch to Hansi Flick in 2024.
- Víctor Valdes (31 to 44): Barcelona legend has returned to the sidelines in 2025 after a 4 year absence. He is currently managing Real Avila in the Spanish 4th division.
- Tata Martino (50 to 63): The man who managed Barcelona during the GTA 5 week has joined Messi at Inter Miami and won the Supporters’ Shield. He has now returned to Atlanta United.
Recently retired legends and off-pitch moguls
The rest of the main squad from early 2010s have retired and set up business empires:
- Sergio Busquets & Jordi Alba (38 & 37): Both have had a fairytale ending to their careers just 11 months ago. Both officially retired together in December 2025 after winning the MLS Cup with Messi.
- Pedro Rodriguez (39): One of the greatest big game wingers in club history, he surprisingly played in the top 5 leagues of Europe until May 2026. He retired at Lazio aged 38 with a winning goal against Pisa on the last day of the 2025/26 Serie A season.
- Andres Iniesta & Carles Puyol (42 & 48): Puyol retired at the end of 2013/14 season. Iniesta continued playing in Japan & UAE but finally retired in October 2024 to focus on his sports management company ‘Never Say Never’ (NSN) & coaching badges.
- Gerard Pique (39): Piqué retired halfway through the 2022/23 season. He has been causing havoc in the sports entertainment industry over the last 4 years as the founder and president of Kings League (worldwide) and owns FC Andorra.
13 years ago, Barcelona fans were downloading GTA 5 while Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta were tearing Europe apart. Next week a brand new generation of Culers will play GTA 6 after seeing Lamine Yamal, Pedri and Raphinha carry the torch to the top of La Liga.
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