Who Are The Top 10 Barcelona Players of All Time?
A look at 10 of the best Barcelona players to have donned the famous blaugrana shirt.
Messi is the club's record goalscorer and the 2009, 2010, 2011and 2012 World Player of the Year just gets better. Any debate about the best player ever usually revolves around Pele and Maradona, but Messi is now being mentioned in the same breath as these two greats. The Argentinean is a supreme dribbler, passer and finisher, with the ability to affect a game without scoring. A regular provider of assists, Messi’s rat like cunning leaves defenders dumbfounded. More »
A total of 274 goals in 345 appearances between 1950 and 1961 speaks for itself. The only European player to be capped by three different national sides (Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Spain), the forward was excellent at turning players and a strong dribbler. The way he dispatched the ball with power and precision past opposing goalkeepers made him feared across the land and ensured he regularly got into double figures in the goal charts. Winner of four Spanish titles and two Fairs Cups.
Now into his 30s, Xavi has been Barcelona’s midfield metronome for many years. An expert distributor of the ball, Xavi is capable of being both economic or expansive in possession, regularly dictating a game's rhythm. He has become invaluable for Barcelona as the years have gone on, and although not a prolific scorer from midfield (he has only got into double figures once in his career), his runs into the box and ability to take free-kicks are invaluable for club and country.More »
For a while, Ronaldinho was the best player in the world. Those devastating bursts of acceleration that took him past multiple defenders were taken for granted at Camp Nou after the club beat Manchester United to his signature in 2003. Also an expert free-kick taker, Ronnie won two Spanish League titles and a Champions League during his time at the club. A penchant for partying has been a recurring theme during his career, and like fellow countryman Rivaldo, the cules (fans) were pleased to see the back of him in 2008, with Messi coming to the fore.
The bow-legged Brazilian may have been the subject of jeers from certain sections of the club’s demanding support base in his latter days, but that was merely because he was no longer producing the inventive performances that characterized his stay at Camp Nou. Rivaldo possessed a wicked left foot and his curling free-kicks were a thing of beauty. A repertoire of outlandish tricks made him a box office draw in La Liga from the mid-nineties to the early noughties (he also enjoyed a spell at Deportivo La Coruna. Eight-six goals in 159 Barca games was an impressive haul for a playmaker. Scorer of arguably the best hat-trick ever against Valencia in June 2001 to secure Champions League qualification.
Like Messi and Xavi, Iniesta came through the club’s La Masia youth system. His understanding with the latter borders on the telepathic at times. Iniesta is scoring more goals as his career progresses, but his game is all about linking up with team-mates, those passing triangles he and Xavi produce being a trademark of Josep Guardiola’s Barcelona tenure. Iniesta is also very modest, never creating problems for the coaches he works under. His winner for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final against Holland means he is loved by fans across the country, even those of city neighbors Espanyol.More »
Real Madrid’s chief tormentor in his seven seasons at the club, the moody Bulgarian may have divided opinion away from Catalonia, but his two stints at Barca garnered no fewer than eight major trophies. An ability to produce the unexpected, mainly from the left of midfield, was his defining characteristic combined with a goals ratio (85 goals in 175 appearances) that surpassed expectation. He claimed in 2010 that Real Madrid ‘make me sick’ – a comment that no doubt cemented his place in the hearts of the fans.
‘Pep’ played the game with a delicious simplicity. Rarely taking more than two touches of the ball, he would dictate play in a similar fashion to how Xavi does nowadays. Guardiola was Jonan Cruyff’s eyes and ears on the pitch and a key figure in the side that dominated Spanish soccer in the early 90s (winning four Liga titles in a row) and won the 1992 European Cup against Sampdoria at Wembley. Guardiola would also go on to become a successful coach at Barcelona. Elegant, humble and a workaholic.More »
The Dutch legend was one of the main protagonists in the challenge to Real Madrid’s dominance after joining the club in 1974 for a world record US$1 million. After his arrival at the club, Barca enjoyed a greater share of the game’s major honors. Cruyff's assertion that he chose Barca over Real because he could not play for a team associated with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, won him instant admiration in Catalonia. His ability to dictate play set him apart from the rest, and 16 goals in 26 league appearances helped Barca to the title in his debut season.More »
One of the players most similar in style to Cruyff, the Dane was a major player in Barca’s ‘Dream Team’. Cruyff handed Laudrup a free role after signing the player from Juventus in 1989 and was paid back with a flurry of assists for the likes of Stoichkov. His outstanding technique, dribbling ability and range of passing ensured that he was also a huge hit at bitter rivals Real Madrid, who he joined in 1994. Laudrup’s trademark move was to look one way and pass the other.
1. Lionel Messi
Messi is the club's record goalscorer and the 2009, 2010, 2011and 2012 World Player of the Year just gets better. Any debate about the best player ever usually revolves around Pele and Maradona, but Messi is now being mentioned in the same breath as these two greats. The Argentinean is a supreme dribbler, passer and finisher, with the ability to affect a game without scoring. A regular provider of assists, Messi’s rat like cunning leaves defenders dumbfounded. More »
2. László Kubala
A total of 274 goals in 345 appearances between 1950 and 1961 speaks for itself. The only European player to be capped by three different national sides (Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Spain), the forward was excellent at turning players and a strong dribbler. The way he dispatched the ball with power and precision past opposing goalkeepers made him feared across the land and ensured he regularly got into double figures in the goal charts. Winner of four Spanish titles and two Fairs Cups.
3. Xavi Hernandez
Now into his 30s, Xavi has been Barcelona’s midfield metronome for many years. An expert distributor of the ball, Xavi is capable of being both economic or expansive in possession, regularly dictating a game's rhythm. He has become invaluable for Barcelona as the years have gone on, and although not a prolific scorer from midfield (he has only got into double figures once in his career), his runs into the box and ability to take free-kicks are invaluable for club and country.More »
4. Ronaldinho
For a while, Ronaldinho was the best player in the world. Those devastating bursts of acceleration that took him past multiple defenders were taken for granted at Camp Nou after the club beat Manchester United to his signature in 2003. Also an expert free-kick taker, Ronnie won two Spanish League titles and a Champions League during his time at the club. A penchant for partying has been a recurring theme during his career, and like fellow countryman Rivaldo, the cules (fans) were pleased to see the back of him in 2008, with Messi coming to the fore.
5. Rivaldo
The bow-legged Brazilian may have been the subject of jeers from certain sections of the club’s demanding support base in his latter days, but that was merely because he was no longer producing the inventive performances that characterized his stay at Camp Nou. Rivaldo possessed a wicked left foot and his curling free-kicks were a thing of beauty. A repertoire of outlandish tricks made him a box office draw in La Liga from the mid-nineties to the early noughties (he also enjoyed a spell at Deportivo La Coruna. Eight-six goals in 159 Barca games was an impressive haul for a playmaker. Scorer of arguably the best hat-trick ever against Valencia in June 2001 to secure Champions League qualification.
6. Andres Iniesta
Like Messi and Xavi, Iniesta came through the club’s La Masia youth system. His understanding with the latter borders on the telepathic at times. Iniesta is scoring more goals as his career progresses, but his game is all about linking up with team-mates, those passing triangles he and Xavi produce being a trademark of Josep Guardiola’s Barcelona tenure. Iniesta is also very modest, never creating problems for the coaches he works under. His winner for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final against Holland means he is loved by fans across the country, even those of city neighbors Espanyol.More »
7. Hristo Stoichkov
Real Madrid’s chief tormentor in his seven seasons at the club, the moody Bulgarian may have divided opinion away from Catalonia, but his two stints at Barca garnered no fewer than eight major trophies. An ability to produce the unexpected, mainly from the left of midfield, was his defining characteristic combined with a goals ratio (85 goals in 175 appearances) that surpassed expectation. He claimed in 2010 that Real Madrid ‘make me sick’ – a comment that no doubt cemented his place in the hearts of the fans.
8. Josep Guardiola
‘Pep’ played the game with a delicious simplicity. Rarely taking more than two touches of the ball, he would dictate play in a similar fashion to how Xavi does nowadays. Guardiola was Jonan Cruyff’s eyes and ears on the pitch and a key figure in the side that dominated Spanish soccer in the early 90s (winning four Liga titles in a row) and won the 1992 European Cup against Sampdoria at Wembley. Guardiola would also go on to become a successful coach at Barcelona. Elegant, humble and a workaholic.More »
9. Johan Cruyff
The Dutch legend was one of the main protagonists in the challenge to Real Madrid’s dominance after joining the club in 1974 for a world record US$1 million. After his arrival at the club, Barca enjoyed a greater share of the game’s major honors. Cruyff's assertion that he chose Barca over Real because he could not play for a team associated with Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, won him instant admiration in Catalonia. His ability to dictate play set him apart from the rest, and 16 goals in 26 league appearances helped Barca to the title in his debut season.More »
10. Michael Laudrup
One of the players most similar in style to Cruyff, the Dane was a major player in Barca’s ‘Dream Team’. Cruyff handed Laudrup a free role after signing the player from Juventus in 1989 and was paid back with a flurry of assists for the likes of Stoichkov. His outstanding technique, dribbling ability and range of passing ensured that he was also a huge hit at bitter rivals Real Madrid, who he joined in 1994. Laudrup’s trademark move was to look one way and pass the other.
Source...