The club FC Barcelona is undoubtedly one of the greatest football clubs of all time and this club is often referred to as "mes que un club" and this means " more than a club".
The Spanish club was founded in the year 1899, facing many challenges and have hosted a great number of legendary football players since then so it is not quite an easy task to select only 1 player at every spot in order to form the Best Barcelona eleven of all time.
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.
Since so many legends have represented the club Barcelona, it is somehow beyond the bounds of possibility to be able to choose the best Barcelona 11 of all time. In this post, you will discover the best possible lineup to be referred to as the Barcelona best 11 of all time.
Table of Contents
Best Barcelona 11 of All Time
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1. Victor Valdes- Goalkeeper
Victor Valdes Arribas is another goalkeeper who left his name unforgettable at Barcelona and it is not surprising that he makes it into the list of the greatest goalkeepers in Barcelona history. Victor Valdes born on the 14 of January 1982 in Spain and then started his youth career in 1992 and then he played with Barcelona C and Barcelona B before he signed a contract with the Senior Barcelona team in the year 2002 and he spend most of his career in Barcelona.
ictor Valdes won the La Liga title six times as well as the UEFA Champions League and coming to individual titles, he won the Zamora trophy a record five times.
He is considered a a generally high quality goalkeeper and he is known for his good reflexes, positioning, shot stopping capacities and also his way of handling the ball. Victor Valdes was also known to be a clever goalkeeper who had the capacity to make decisive saves and also to read the game and better anticipate an upcoming shot or to intercept a long pass.
Victor Valdes was the teams first choice goalkeeper in the golden years of the club for 12 years even though he was not a goalkeeper to rely on in every vital situation. The goalkeeper had great reflexes and was also good on one to one situations.
However, even though Victor Valdes is the first choice goalkeeper on this All time Barcelona 11 man squad, the actual goalkeeper of Barcelona, Marc Andre Ter Stegen is highly likely to be regarded as the best goalkeeper in the history of Barcelona in the near future due to the fact that he is fantastic with the ball at his feet and has been performing amazingly in the club's achievements in the last couple of years.
2. Dani Alves- Right Back
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.
3. Jordi Alba-Left Back
Jordi Alba Ramos was born on the 21st March 1989 in Spain and he actually plays in the position of a Left Back and has featured as one of the best left backs in the world in the recent years due to and amazing career with Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
Jordi Alba was a little unlucky for not being part of the Spain's team that won the EURO 2008 and the World Cup 2010, he was Del Bosque's first choice in the 2012 EURO Cup that Spain still emerged as Champions for the second time in a row.
Jordi Alba is often known as one of the most offensive left backs in the game of modern football due to his quick runs that he usually makes any time there is a counter attack upfront. So far with the Spanish giants, he has helped them win 5 LA LIGA titles, 1 Champions League title and 4 Copa del Reys since he joined the club.
Jordi Alba is the first choice for the club in that position of a left back and so far he has scored 18 goals and provided 73 assists, in the current Barcelona team, only Lionel Messi has given more assists that Jordi Alba.
Jordi Alba has all what he takes both on and off the pitch in order to fit in as the ideal left back for this article on Barcelona all time best eleven.
4. Carles Puyol-Defender
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.
He was often referred to as the "El Capitano" and he spend all of his professional career in Barcelona and achieved everything that can be achieved witha football club and so for this reason, he is undoubtedly one of the most important players in the Club's History and the Best Barcelona defender ever.
5. Ronald Koeman -Defender
Ronald Koeman was born on 21st March 1963 in Zaandam , Netherlands and he played in the position of Defender and a midfielder during his career at Barcelona.
Ronald Koeman who is now the current manager of Barcelona is one of the best Barcelona defenders of all time and this due to his stunning performances and also his great scoring skills especially freekicks. To Justify, we can look back in the year 1992 in a European Championship final at Wembley stadium against Sampdoria where is free kick goal won Barcelona's first European Cup.
Even though he played as a defender, he had the ability of making long range and accurate passes and his powerful shots too will always be remembered by the club fans.
The Dutch man was a member of the famous " Dream Team" whose manager was the legendary Johan Cruyff. Koeman helped the Blaugrana win 4 consecutive la Liga titles from the year 1991 to the year 1994. Also he is regarded as the most attacking defender of all time due to his ability and accuracy in scoring free kicks, penalties and also making long range passes.
Ronald Koeman actually stands as the top scoring defender in the history of football with 106 goals scored for Barcelona in 350 games.
6. Johan Cruyff- Midfielder
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
7. Xavi Hernandez -Midfielder
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
8. Andres Iniesta- Midfielder
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.
9. Ronaldinho-Attacker
Ronaldinho was born on 21st March 1980 in Brazil and he spend 5 seasons of his career with the Spanish giants Barcelona and went ahead to establish himself as one of the best Barcelona midfielders of all time.
The Brazilian joined Barcelona during a challenging period for the club and Ronaldinho was resposible for the change in Barca due to his great skills and talent that he showcased on the pitch. Ronaldinho along side Barca's other young players such as Xavi,and Iniesta alltogether formed a great trio in the midfield.
The talented Brazilian joined Barcelona in the year 2003 and he made his very first debut against Juventus on the 27th July. Ronaldinho is among the only 3 Barcelona players who have been aplauded at the Santiago Bernabeu by Real Madrid fans.
The legend was aplauded in the 2005 El Classico at the Santiago Bernabeu and also played a vital role in Barclona's 3-0 victory.
Ronaldinho during his 5 years spel with Barcelona, he won 2 la Liga titles, 1 Supercopa de Espana and 1 UEFA Champions League title with Barcelona.
Ronaldinho was often known for his playmaking ability ,smile and joy every time he is on the pitch and he also transmitted a lot of joy every time he played the game. During the 207 appearances that he made for Barcelona, he scored 94 goals.
The legend has many indidividual achievements to his name for the period of time that he spend at Bacelona and these honors include;
- 2 times la Liga Best foreign player
- 2 times FIFA World player of the year
- 1 time Ballon d'Or
- 1 time la Liga top Assists provider
- 1 time UEFA Champions League top assists provider
10. Lionel Messi - Attacker
The Argentine professional player Lionel Andres Messi Cuccittini was born on June 1987 and actually plays as forward in the Barcelone club and also the Argentine national team. Lionel Messi surely the best forward in the world and also the greatest player of all time, the Argentine superstar has won a record of six Ballon d'Or awards and a record of 6 Eropean golden shoes.
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
11. Luis Suarez-Striker
Of full name Luis Alberto Suarez Diaz and born on 24th January 1987, he is a Uruguayan professional footballer who played as a striker for the Spanish club Barcelona before being forced to move out of the club in the year 2020. He is often regarded as one of the top strikers in the World and he actuallyy comes as the second Best Barcelona striker of all time.
Luis Suarez moved to Barcelona from Liverpool in the year 2014 where he agreed a five year contract for a fee of £64.98 millions and this made him one of the most expensive players in the history of the game.
The Uruguayan international has all what is required from a world class striker, Luis Suarez was one of the best strikers ever to score goals for the Blaugrana due to his clinical finishing, fantastic movement with and without the ball, intelligence and dribbling skills.
In his first season at the Spanish club Barcelona, Luis Suarez together with Messi and Neymar formed an attacking trio that was known as the MSN which simply means ( Messi, Suarez, Neymar ) and they helped the club win the continental treble of la Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champion League.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Barcelona best striker ever?
Barcelona's best striker based on stats, achievements and impact on the pitch, is Lionel Messi who is currently the all time top goalscorer for the Spanish club.
Who is Barcelona all time best player?
Barcelona's all time best player is the Argentine super star, Lionel Messi.
Who is the best striker in La Liga history?
Lionel Messi is the all-time top scorer in La Liga history with 474 goals.