FC Barcelona - Top 5 Greatest Football Players in History

Barcelona produced the greatest players in FC Barcelona history and has created legends, debatably the most prestigious team in Spain. Know more in detail.

The stylish football  platoon in the world is FC Barcelona. They're famed for creating excellent players with mind-blowing skills.

Look at some of the top players in FC Barcelona history at Camp Nou. This list includes a variety of players due to their different on-field chops. Barcelona is a well-known platoon that has produced a ton of largely excellent players.

Due to its lengthy history, Barcelona is really the most prestigious province in Spain. Over the years, it has nurtured the top players in FC Barcelona's history. Despite their advanced age or departure from the football field, these Barcelona greats remain deified moment.  


What are the greatest players in FC Barcelona history?


5 legendary FC Barcelona players? Over the years, Barcelona has had a large number of well-known and well-liked players. In addition, the term "Barcelona" has come to be associated with numerous former FC Barcelona players.

Leading examples include athletes like Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho, and Johann Cryuff. Kubala, an older player, is another example.


Lionel Messi – 2003 to 2021



lionel messi world cup 2022

Appearances - 778

Goals - 672

Assists – 301

Argentine specialist Lionel Messi is one of the most decorated players in football history, not just in the history of Barcelona but also globally. As the club's highest scorer, he has won the Balon d'Or more than five times. The defining quality of La Masia and the perfect embodiment of legends like Maradona and Pele The Wizard Lionel Messi is now one of the best players in the game, along with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Over the course of his 17 seasons at Barcelona, Messi played in over 778 matches in a variety of leagues and divisions. He totaled 301 assists in addition to his amazing 672 goals. Messi made solo dribbling runs in the goal's direction because of his speed and technical prowess, especially during counterattacks. The midway line or right side of the field would be his usual starting location.

He is known for his creative team plays, especially alongside former FC Barcelona midfielders Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, but he is also a multifaceted, dedicated team member. He is usually compared to a magician or conjurer who creates opportunities and goals where there don't seem to be any.

Messi executes penalties and free throws with precision. With 58 goals from direct free kicks as of August 2021, Messi ranks 11th all-time among active players. He also takes pleasure in scoring from the field.

Football is the most-watched sport in the world, and Leo Messi is without a doubt a legend. But as Samuel Eto'o noted, Messi wasn't practicing football; instead, he was working alone on something else.

 

Ronaldinho – 2003 to 2008



FIFA World Player of the Year awards

Appearances - 207

Goals - 95

Assists – 80

For most of his time at the Nou Camp, there wasn't a single player in football who was more exciting (which, ironically, turned out to be his prime). The Brazilian forward wowed everyone who gazed at his amazing talent with his outstanding dribbling, alluring deceit, and powerful finishing.

In five seasons with the Blaugranas, Ronaldinho scored 95 goals and handed out 80 assists. In addition, he received numerous honors, including two FIFA World Player of the Year awards (in 2004 and 2005), one Ballon d'Or, two La Liga titles, and one European Cup, solidifying his place in Barcelona history as a living icon.

Throughout his career, Ronaldinho regularly played as a winger, even though he usually occupied the position of an attacking midfielder as the traditional number 10. Because of his ability to score and set goals, he could play on either the wing or in a free central position.

He has the speed, acceleration, athleticism, balance, ball control, and dribbling ability to outrun players when making individual runs. He also frequently employed a number of feints and moves, including stepovers and nutmegs, to get the better of opponents in one-on-one encounters.

 

Xavi – 1992 to 2015



Xavi Spanish professional football manager

Appearances - 767

Goals - 85

Assists – 185

Unquestionably, the midfielder with the disyllabic nickname who has come to represent the class is among the best in the world. Therefore, even if you only started following football last week and tuned in for Barça's most recent game versus Real Madrid, it would be impossible to say that you weren't happy with the midfield magician's performance.

The captain of the Camp Nou team and a talented passer, Xavi mostly depends on his ability as a deep-lying playmaker to spot and exploit openings.

Every day, I'm looking everywhere. He would appear for a teammate to receive and then move the ball when he discovered space, as his coach Pep Guardiola put it: "I get the ball, I give the ball, I get the ball, I give the ball."

His technical skill, small stature, calm demeanor, low center of gravity, and slender physique more than made up for his lack of speed or bulk. However, his poise, a calm and relaxed demeanor, and his vision were his lethal tools.

Xavi's skill at influencing games earned him the nickname "The Puppet Master." Due to his creativity, vast range of passing, and unique skills, many in the sport think of him as one of the greatest midfielders and playmakers in history.

He was also a part of the legendary Barcelona team, which had players on the team that won the 2010 World Cup for Spain and is frequently regarded as the best team to ever play the game.

 

Johan Cruyff – 1973 to 1978



johan cruyff age 68

Appearances - 173

Goal - 59

Assists – 5

The international from the Netherlands will go down in Catalan history as the man who started it all for Barcelona. When Cruyff joined the team from Ajax in 1973, he informed the media that he chose Barça over Real Madrid because he could not play for a team associated with Francisco Franco. Numerous controversies erupted as a result in the Spanish capital.

But the Flying Dutchman spoke most of the time on the pitch. He scored 59 goals in 173 club games. He won the Ballon d'Or after guiding Barcelona to their first La Liga title since 1960 in his debut season. He received the prestigious award once more the following year.

It was commonly known that Cruyff had extraordinary technical ability, speed, and acceleration. His biggest quality, nonetheless, was his vision. As one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, Cruyff is a proponent of Rinus Michels' Total Football philosophy.

The majority of Cruyff's followers will argue that he built his lasting impact at the Nou Camp by sitting on the bench. He created the playstyle known as "tiki-taka" when he took over as manager of Barça in 1988. Since then, the team has been frustrating and outplaying opponents by passing the ball quickly, moving slowly, and maintaining ball control. For this, they can thank an ex-chain smoker from Amsterdam!

 

Carles Puyol – 1996 to 2014





Appearances - 595

Goals - 20

Assists - 16

 

During one of its happiest times, the team was headed by a man who looks more like a golden retriever than a football player. Carles Puyol personified a dedication to perseverance, zeal, and hard work. The unique Catalan center back has been the undisputed leader of one of Europe's most formidable backlines ever since being given the armband in 2004. He has thus won two European Cups and four La Liga titles.

Puyol is one of history's most able leaders and fierce defenders. He was predominantly a right-back, especially in the beginning of his career, but he was a versatile player who could also play on either flank.

Puyol was known for his commanding presence in the air despite his tiny size, his ability to read the game, and his incredible devotion and toughness as a defender, especially when competing for the ball. He was also known for being a "no-nonsense" player. He was also, in the words of Barcelona's top doctor, "the strongest, who has the quickest reactions, and who has the greatest explosive strength."

Simon Talbot of The Guardian dubbed Puyol "Barcelona's very own Captain Caveman" in 2006. Talbot claimed Puyol hurled himself about the field, launched passionately into kamikaze tackles, and played football with his heart on his sleeve and hair in his eyes like a hyperactive, crazed child.

Although Puyol lacked the best technical abilities, he had something that statistics could not measure: heart. He contributed significantly to Barcelona's leadership during its most prosperous period and bled blue and claret. Puyol is in fact regarded as one of the finest defenders in the history of the game.

Also Read: Ronaldo vs Messi who is the best?