RaĂşl is the greatest La Liga player of all time, according to new research by the Centre for Research on Spanish Football History and Statistics. Fans and analysts started debating the choices, starting at number one and going all the way down to 150, almost soon after the results were announced. Most of the time, people create these lists based only on their own subjective standards and emotional factors. We’ve made a list of my own in the spirit of the exercise. We have had the honor of seeing and enjoying some of the best football players to ever step foot on a field throughout FC Barcelona’s 116-year existence. We have seen true greatness, whether it was on TV, in person at the stadium, or in a crappy YouTube video. We’ve put together a list of the top 10 Barcelona players ever, based only on my own assessment.
Top 10 Barcelona Players of All Time
10. Carles Puyol (1999-2014)
Carles Puyol, who appeared more like a person you would find in the middle of a Metallica mosh pit than on a football field, was the epitome of perseverance and hard work. Puyol, then 17 years old, was not accepted into La Masia until 1995, despite numerous frantic attempts. Puyol, who was formerly a winger but later switched to right back, went on to become one of Barcelona’s best center defenders. Puyol lacked technical skill, but he possessed heart, which is something that statistics cannot quantify. He was essential in leading Barcelona through the most successful period in the club’s history, and he bled blue and claret. He tops our list of the all-time Barcelona players with 21 trophies won.
9. César (1942-1955)
With an innate ability to score goals, CĂ©sar Rodriguez was deft, agile, and superb in the air. After joining Barcelona during a particularly difficult period for the team, the Spaniard scored an amazing 232 goals in 351 games, setting a record that stood until 2012 when a player by the name of Leo Messi smashed it. Alongside players like Basora, Kubala, Moreno, and Manchon, CĂ©sar accumulated 13 trophies during his time with the team, the most of any Spanish club. Among these were five La Liga titles.
8. Pep Guardiola (1990-2001)
Pep Guardiola, who is slender, elegant, and tactically astute, was the cornerstone of Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team”. They won four successive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994, including a double in 1992. The team won its first-ever European Cup at the age of 20. Guardiola, an extension of his coach on the field, placed more emphasis on ball movement, technique, and creativity than on strength and speed. Xavi, AndrĂ©s Iniesta, Cesc FĂ bregas, and other La Maisa legends with comparable traits were greatly influenced by Pep, the club captain from 1997 to 2001. Oh, and he also happened to be the club’s manager, leading Barca to its greatest successful period in club history. They won 14 trophies—from 2008–2012.
7. Rivaldo (1997-2002)
Barcelona was keen to find a player who could duplicate the flair and devastating finishing ability that turned his countryman Ronaldo into a legend in just one season following his spectacular departure in the summer of 1997. Rivaldo entered the game with a fantastic left foot, amazing dribbling skills, and a shot that could hit a cannonball. But it was his dead-ball specialties—exquisitely bending free kicks and deceitful penalty-taking—that truly had the fans going wild.
His best season may have been 1999 when he led the Catalans to La Liga victory and earned the FIFA World Player of the Year Award and Ballon d’Or, but his most famous performance occurred in the season’s final match against Valencia in 2001. When the score was level in the ninetieth minute, Rivaldo scored a hat trick from outside the box. The elite striker not only helped his team win. It also assured Barcelona a position in the Champions League the next year.
6. Johan Cruyff (1973-1978)
A player who, in turn, will always be associated with Barcelona. When the restriction on Spanish clubs acquiring foreign players was repealed in 1973, Cruyff became a desired figure, particularly by the two major clubs in Spain, after he had opted to leave Ajax. After making up his mind, Cruyff told the media that he could not play for a team connected to the despot Francisco Franco in Spain, hence he had selected Barca over Real Madrid. In his first season with the team, the flying Dutchman further solidified his status as a club legend, which he already had on this decision alone. He couldn’t join until the end of October with Barca one off the bottom due to legal concerns.
After becoming free at last, he scored against Granada in his debut game. Barca went on to win the entire season. He won the Ballon d’Or while leading the Catalans to their first La Liga championship since 1960. He repeated as the winner of the coveted award the next season. Even though Cruyff was an excellent player on the field, his biggest influence was on the touchline as the manager of “The Dream Team” and the one who popularized the tiki-taka style of play.
5. Ronaldinho (2003-2008)
For all intents and purposes, the most entertaining player in the world while he was at Barcelona. Following a fruitless four years for the club, Joan Laporta made the decision to start a new endeavor. The focal point of which was the mysterious Brazilian. Real Madrid rejected Ronaldinho because his face was “too ugly for their brand”. He nearly instantly disproved them with his performance. He was bold, strong, cunning, and a free-wheeling dramatist. After he arrived, Barcelona won two La Liga titles, a Champions League (2006), and a Ballon d’Or (2005), catapulting them back into the elite.
In a match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Brazilian was so captivating that he made the white squad appear like a group of infants while scoring two spectacular goals that brought the fans to their feet and a standing ovation. Regretfully, his stories about his nightlife became almost as famous as his plays, which cut short the peak of a player who may have gone on to become one of the all-time greats. Even if there will always be speculation about what might have happened during Ronaldinho’s time in Catalunya, his time at La Blaugrana will always cement his place on the list of Top 10 Barcelona players of all time.
4. Andrés Iniesta (2002-2018)
The Fuentealbilla man who always seems to know precisely when to do something on a football field. Observing Iniesta’s work is like watching Picasso paint his canvas, whether he is moving forward or backward. Blessed with a mysterious touch and eagle-like vision, he frequently creates space you never even knew existed. At the height of their abilities, he Xavi, and Busquets established what is perhaps the best midfield in football history. They won four Champions League titles and reserved his best plays for the grandest of occasions.
He entered the game at halftime to help Barcelona defeat Arsenal in Paris in 2006. His spectacular late winner at Stamford Bridge propelled Barcelona to the Rome final in 2009. He was a star in the Wembley final in 2011; and in 2015. He assisted with the first goal in Berlin. Having won 29 trophies throughout his time at the club, he is among Barcelona’s greatest winners ever as his accolades and trophy collection keep expanding. Oh, and he also scored the most important goal in Spanish history to cement his name on the list of the Top 10 Barcelona players of all time.
3. László Kubala (1950-1961)
The man outside Camp Nou holding the bronze monument. Legends are created from stories like the one of László Kubala. He may have perished in the 1949 plane catastrophe that claimed the life of the brilliant Torino side of the 1940s, and he managed to flee totalitarian Hungary disguised as a Russian soldier. He was set to play for them against Benfica in a friendly in Portugal, but he had to withdraw at the last minute due to family matters, which ultimately saved his life. Kubala eventually joined with Barcelona in 1950, but it was well worth the wait as he was not allowed to participate in league games until the following season.
In all competitions, he scored 39 goals, helping Barca win the league double. The number of people who aspired to witness his abilities firsthand increased along with the folklore around him. The 60,000-seat Camp de les Corts was simply too small for football matches these days, so Barcelona started building the 93,000-seat Camp Nou, which is still the biggest stadium in Europe. Despite a career that was somewhat cut short by injury, Kubala won 14 trophies in all and was Barcelona’s first real megastar at a time when they sorely needed one to compete with Alfredo Di Stefano of Real Madrid.
2. Xavi (1998-2015)
25 awards, 767 games, 59,000 minutes, and 17 seasons. Xavi would rank top on this list at nearly any other club, but most clubs aren’t like this. He’ll simply have to make do with being the all-time best Spanish player. At the Barcelona orchestra, Xavi was the conductor, mostly depending on his ability as a playwright to locate and take advantage of space. He was the one pulling all the threads and laying the groundwork so that his teammates could all take home the awards. At the age of eleven, he formed in La Maisa and embodied everything that Barcelona stands for, from its ideals to its playing style. Nobody was smarter than him, even if he was never the fastest or flashiest.
1. Lionel Messi (2004-2021)
Was there ever a doubt, really? Leo Messi, who is regarded by many as the best player in history—let alone the current era—has amazed us from the moment he set foot on the field. The Argentine wizard never stops surprising us, whether it’s with his hat-trick against Real Madrid at the age of 19 or with the closest thing we have ever seen to Maradona’s “goal of the century” against Getafe. Being a tactical genius, Messi can play almost any position on the pitch and excel at it.
He is only 29 years old and has already broken almost all club and La Liga records won five Ballon d’Or titles, scored 461 goals in 539 games, and won 29 titles. Did I also mention that he’s only 29 years old? Messi has enough time and skill surrounding him to become the most decorated club player in football history if he keeps going in the same direction. It’s anyone’s guesses what the future holds for him and the club, but one thing is certain. There may never be a better Barcelona player than Leo Messi. He tops our list of the Top 10 Barcelona players of all time.
For more football-featured articles, click here
