Greatest Barcelona players of all-time: Part1
F.C Barcelona and Spain both are enjoying one of the most successful period in their respective histories. The current era has seen both teams win every major trophy in Europe and in the world that are there to be won. The midfield maestros Xavi and Andres
Iniesta have been vital for both Barcelona and Spain for this dominant and great period. Sir Alex Ferguson, coach of Manchester United recently heaped praise on the duo and said, “I don’t think that Xavi and Iniesta have ever given the ball away in their lives.”
The diminutive midfielders have formed one of the best central midfield partnerships known to the game and have been the main contributors of Barcelona and Spain’s free flowing football also known as “tiki taka” football.
But Barcelona always had a history of producing the finest midfielders so let’s see where Xavi and Iniesta are placed in the top 10 Barcelona midfielders of all time.
Johan Cruyff (1973-1978)
The out-spoken Dutch ambassador of total football is one of the most important people in the history of Barcelona. There were other players in his time who won more trophies and awards than Johan Cruyff but no one has shaped and changed the identity of Barcelona
more than the Dutch man did.
He won the support of his fans when he blatantly proclaimed that he will never play for a club that was associated with Francisco Franco. He even picked up a Catalan name for his son at a time when speaking the Catalan language was prohibited anywhere in
Spain except in Camp Nou
During his stay as a player at Barcelona he was only able to win La Liga and Copa Del Rey just once but at Barcelona he won the European Player of the year award for the second time.
But it was his spell as manager of the Catalonia giants that would shape the history and philosophy of Barcelona forever. He managed the “dream team” that won the club’s first European trophy and went on to win 4 consecutive La Liga titles among other team
and individual honors.
Diego Maradona (1982-1984)
Whenever there’s a debate about the greatest player of all-time the name of Diego Maradona and pele always comes up.
In 1982, the Argentinean genius moved from Boca Juniors to Barcelona F.C for a then-world record fee of £5,000,000. Maradona had always been attracted by controversies and it wasn’t going to take a long time as he left Barcelona for Napoli where he is still
held in the greatest regard by everyone (excluding IRS of course).
Maradona could have led Barcelona F.C to even more glory during his short stint but his time at Barcelona would always be remembered as the time of a player who never really realized his full potential. Barcelona had the greatest player of all-time wearing
the revered shirt but could only win Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana in 1983.
Bernd Schuster (1980-1988)
“Der Blonde Engel” or the Blond Angel, as he was called by Barcelona fans, he German is more loved and adored in Spain than in his native country Germany largely because he left his homeland for the sunny shores of Spain when he was only 20 in a time when
he was largely an unknown quantity in Germany and then he stayed in Spain during his prime.
But still, Bern Schuster is still considered as one of the finest players Germany has ever produced. He might not be as popular as Franz Beckenbauer or Gerd Muller; he is a rare breed of German players who never played a majority of their careers in the
Bundesliga.
Der Blonde Engel won Don Balon award on two occasions for the best foreign player in 1985 and 1991. As a Barcelona player, the German won every single trophy that Barcelona competed in apart from the Champions League.
For some reason, Bernd Schuster left Barcelona for archrivals Real Madrid to tarnish his reputation. He would then go on to repeat the same feat, this time leaving Real Madrid for their bitter rivals Atletico Madrid after 2 years.
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