Since the establishment of the club FC Barcelone, the club have introduced great players to the world of football. Even though nowadays Barcelona is among the richest clubs in the world, the were once in financial trouble which means that they could not afford big players.
But after that challenging period, Barcelona gradually began to buy big players as the economic crisis started touching to its end.
The Club Barcelona was founded in the year 1988 and since then, they have won numerous trophies including 26 la Liga titles, 30 Copa del Rey trophies, 5 UEFA Champions League as well as 3 FIFA Club World cup trophies.
Now the question is among all of these great Barcelona players that have graced the clubs, who is the greatest Bacelona player of all times ?. So stick on to your reading of this article and discover with us the Greatest Barcelona Players ever.
Table of Contents
Who is Barcelona greatest player of all time?
Messi is probably Barcelona's greatest player ever. The 35 trophies he won for Barca make him the club record holder of the player with the most trophies among the previous and current Barcelona players.
Greatest Barcelona Players in the History of the Club
Here, we about to make a review of the all time greatest Barcelona players who work hard through out their careers at the club in order to achieve great honors.
1. Lionel Messi (seven-time Ballon d'Or winner)
The Argetine player Lionel Messi was born on the 24th of June 1987 and has played 17 seasons with the Barcelona senior squad actually playing as a forward player.
Even those are not football or Barcelona fans, you must have surely come accros the name of Lionel Messi some where. Lionel Messi joined the Spanish giants about 17 years ago and since then he has kept on with the same consistency that he showed on the first day as he keeps on scoring goals for the club.
Lionel also stands as Barcelona's top scorer of all time with a tally of 636 goals and is also El Clasico's all time top scorer with 26 goals.
As Collective titles, the 34 years old Lionel Messi has won 10 la Liga titles, 6 Copa del Rey titles, 8 Supercopa de Espana titles, 4 UEFA Champions League, 3 UEFA Super Cup titles as well as 3 FIFA Club World cup titles.
Lionel Messi is one of the few players in the world that have set many records in the world of football and also breaking some. Below, you will see the individual achievements of Lionel Messi so far with Barcelona;
- 6 times FIFA Ballon d'Or
- 1 time FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
- 1 time Best FIFA Men's Player
- 6 times European Golden shoe
- 7 times Pichichi trophy
- 6 times la Liga best player
2. Xavi Hernandez (current Barcelona manager)
Xavi was born on the 25 January 1980 in Spain and he played 17 seasons with the Blaugrana's before going on retirement though now a football manager. Xavi is the next Barcelona player on our list of the Greatest Barcelona players of all times, he played as a midfielder during his career at Barcelona and he is often referred to as the King of passing in the world due to the great vision that he has from the middle part of the pitch.
At the age of 11, he joined the la Masia youth team and got matured on the pitch, then around 1988 he started representing the Barcelona senior national team and during his spell with the club he scored 85 goals.
Xavi's passing ability along side Messi, Iniesta and Busquet by then formed the tiki-taka that is a style of play. He is one of the best Barcelona players ever and during his spell with the Spanish giants, he won 8 la Liga titles, 3 Copa del Rey titles, 6 Super Copa de Espana, 4 Champions League titles, 2 UEFA Super Cup and also 2 FIFA Club World Cups.
Xavi also some individual achievements to his name such as;
- 2 times la Liga top assist provider
- FIFA Ballon d'Or 3rd place thrice
- 1 time UEFA Champions League top assist provider
- 1 UEFA Club midfielder of the year
- 3 times la Liga midfielder of the year
3. Andres Iniesta (2010 Ballon d'Or runner-up)
Andrés Iniesta, a Spanish midfielder, is celebrated for his elegance, control, and technical skills. He played for Barcelona from 2002 to 2018 and was an integral part of the team's success during that period.
Iniesta's ability to glide past opponents, distribute the ball with precision, and score important goals made him a pivotal figure in Barcelona's successes, including multiple La Liga titles and UEFA Champions League triumphs. His memorable goal in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final that secured Spain's victory demonstrated his extraordinary talent on the grandest stage.
Here comes another midfield Guru, Andres Iniesta born on the 11th May 1984 and he represented Barcelona senior squad for 16 seasons playing in the position of a central midefielder.
Andres Iniesta surely could not be left out of this our list of the Best Barcelona players of all time, due to the numerous achievements and performances that he showed at the club during his playing days with Barcelona.
Andres Iniesta joined the Barcelona senior team in the year 2002 and worked hard to establish himself as one of the greatest ever Barcelona players. The legend serve Barcelona more than any other club since he joined the la Masis youth system when he was 12. Andres Iniesta was a player that even the opponent fans loved and he became the third Barcelona player after Diego Maradona in 1983, and Ronaldinho in 2005, who was cheered by Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Andres Iniesta during his spell with the club, he won 9 la Liga titles, 6 Copa del Rey titles, 7 Supercopa de Espama titles, 4 UEFA Champions League titles, 3 UEFA Super Cup titles as well as 3 FIFA World Cup titles.
As individual achievements, he counts 2 which are; La Liga Best Spanish player and la Liga Best midfielder.
In the year 2018, he left the club in tears to continue his career in Japan with Vissel Kobe.
4. Johan Cruyff (three-time Ballon d'Or winner)
Johan Cruyff was born on the 25th April 1947 and during his spell with Barcelona, he played as a midfielder and a forward, representing the club for 5 seasons.
The Dutch legend joined Barcelona in the year 1973 and Barcelona won the la Liga title with Johan Cruyff for the first time again since 1960 and in the same year, he was named as European footballer of the year.
The Late Johan Cruyff won one la Liga title and one Copa del Rey during his 5 years stint with Barcelona but coming to individual honors, he counts more individual honors as compared to his collective titles with the club.
Johan Cruyff's individual awards include;
- 2 times Ballon d'Or winner
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball
- European footballer of the season once
5. Carles Puyol
Carles Puyol was born on 13th April 1978 and played for 15 seasons with the Barcelona senior team playing as a defender. Carles Puyol is one of the 2 Barcelona defenders to feature on our list of the greatest Barcelona players ever.
Carles Puyol was a fearless defender and he stood as wall against the great strikers that tried to pave their way into his defence. During his spell at Barcelona, he played 593 times for Barcelona and won many trophies. with the club.
He captained the Barcelona squad for a decade and he was a very inspiring captain to his team mates.
Carles Puyol during his spell at Barcelona, he won; 6 la Liga titles, 2 Copa del Rey titles, 4 Supercopa de Espana titles, 3 Champions League titles, 1 UEFA Super Cup and 1 FIFA Club World Cup title.
The Barcelona legend announced his retirement in the year 2015, which means he played at Barcelona for 15 years.
6. Ronaldinho (2005 Ballon d'Or winner)
Ronaldinho, the Brazilian playmaker, captured the hearts of Barcelona fans with his exceptional skill, creativity, and infectious smile. During his time at Barcelona from 2003 to 2008, Ronaldinho showcased his dazzling ball control, audacious tricks, and ability to score extraordinary goals.
He played a pivotal role in Barcelona's resurgence, helping the team win domestic and international titles, including two La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League. Ronaldinho's charisma and influence made him a fan favorite and an unforgettable figure in Barcelona's history.
7. Dani Alves
Dani Alves was born on 6th May 1983 in Juazeiro Brazil and he played as a right back during his career at Barcelona and is surely among the Best Barcelona defenders of all time.
Just like Pique, Messi and Andres Iniesta, Dani Alves was part of the great Barcelona side that enjoyed a glorious career under the management of Pep Guardiola.
Also Dani Alves is one of the Best right - Backs of the modern generation. The Brazilian international joined Barcelona from Sevilla in the year 2008 for a fee of £32 million.
Dani Alves actually stands as the most titled player in the history of football with 42 official trophies and still on the count since he is still an active player even though not at Barcelona.
In the year 2009, Dani Alves won a treble with Barcelona in his first season with the Blaugrana and a total of 6 trophies in Calendar year and this still stands as an unbeaten record. After winning this gloriuos year at the club,he still went on to help the club win 2 more Champions League titles in the year 2011 and 2015, 5 more la Liga titles, 2 more Spanish Super Cups and 2 more FIFA Club World Cups.
Dani Alves during his stint at Barcelona had great harmony with Lionel Messi and assisted the him times numerous times. Dani Alves has played a total of 391 games with Barcelona and has provided 101 assists and scored 21 goals.
To some football experts, Dani Alves is not only one of the best Barcelona defenders of all time but also the best right back of all times in the history of the game following the fact that he is the most decorated player of all times as well as his astonishing performances on the pitch.
8. Gerard Pique
He was born on 2nd February 1987 and he has representes Barcelona for 14 seasons now playing as a Defender.
Gerard Pique Left La Masia youth team in the year 2004 to joined the English club Manchester United where he played for 4 years before coming back to Back to Barcelona in the year 2008. Pique is one of the few players that have won 2 consecutive Champions League titles with 2 different clubs.
The Defender has so far with the Blaugrana, he has won 8 la Liga titles, 6 Copa del Rey titles, 6 Supercopa de Espana titles, 3 UEFA Champions League titles, 3 UEFA Super Cup titlesand 3 FIFA Club World Cup.
Gerard Pique still actively plays for the Barcelona team even though not still in great form as comoared to his early years at the club but he stands chances of winning more trophies.
9. Luis Suarez (Barcelona's third-most prolific scorer)
Another player who had great success with Barcelona was Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan joined Neymar and Lionel Messi to form one of the most potent attacking trios in the annals of the game (more on Messi later).
The Atletico Madrid striker is one of Barcelona's all-time leading scorers with around 200 goals in six seasons at the club.
Suarez had a 25-goal season in the treble-winning 2014–15 season for the Blaugrana, but he really took off in 2015–16, scoring over 60 goals in all competitions. Suarez became just the third player to record 40 goals in a La Liga season during that particular season.
Barcelona deemed him surplus to requirements after a trophyless 2019-20 campaign. But Suarez proved them wrong, scoring 21 times to help Atletico Madrid win their first La Liga title in seven years.
10. Ronald Koeman (former Barcelona manager)
Similar to Stoichkov, Ronald Koeman was a vital member of Barcelona's dream squad in the early 1990s.
One of the best goal-scoring defenders in the history of the sport is the former Barcelona manager. Koeman, a set-piece expert with a knack for long-range goals, used to serve as a "sweeper."
His 86 goals for the team would be the envy of many forwards. A year before the European Cup was renamed the Champions League, one of Koeman's goals gave Barcelona the victory in the 1991–92 season's championship game.
Between 1991 and 1994, Koeman scored an incredible 44 goals as Barcelona won four straight La Liga championships. This featured Barcelona's spectacular 16-goal season in 1991–1992, which coincided with the club's European Cup victory.
Final Thoughts On the Greatest Barcelona Players of All Time
These players have left an indelible mark on Barcelona's history with their extraordinary skill, vision, and contributions to the club's successes. Their achievements and impact have thrilled fans across the globe and make them true legends of the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Barcelona greatest player of all time?
Barcelona Greatest player of all time is Lionel Messi.
Who is the king of Barcelona football?
Lionel Messi, the Argentine super star is widely known as the King of Barcelona Football due to his several achievements during his years at the club.
Who is Barcelona club legend?
Messi is probably Barcelona's greatest player ever. The 35 trophies he won for Barca make him the club record holder of the player with the most trophies among the previous and current Barcelona players.