from Maradona to Messi

We kick off with nr. 10, Ronald Koeman probably the least technical player to wear a Barça shirt. However, his tackling, long range passing, and as evident from this goal, his free-kicks all made a massive contribution to the first “Dream Team”, coached by Johan Cruyff:

10. Ronald Koeman - 1992 against Sampdoria



Next up is “smilin’ Ronnie” - Ronaldinho. Few players have thrilled fans at the Camp Nou like this Brazilian legend. He made the impossible look like play-time. So good that he was even applauded at the Santiago Bernabeu (Real Madrid’s homeground). Here he ie enjoying himself further south, in Seville:

9. Ronaldinho - against FC Sevilla



Messi does not need an introduction. “The flea” as he is affectionally called in Spain is, considered by most, the best player of all time. Whereas Ronaldinho made the impossible seem like playtime, Messi makes it seem almost…mundane. He produces , again and again, spellbinding performances with the most casual ease. Just see what he did to Zaragoza:

8. Messi - against Zaragoza



Michael Laudrup, the great Dane is one of few players who have worn the shirt of both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Here he is in the former tormenting the latter:

7. Michael Laudrup - against Real Madrid



Another Argentinian legend, Maradona who did wonders wearing the “blaugrana” shirt. Modest of size, but not of ego and talent, which is in full display here against Red Star Belgrade:

6. Diego Maradona - against Red Star Belgrade



Probably no single individual has shaped the club more than Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, but arguably more as a coach than as a player. It has been claimed that he was past his best when he arrived at Barcelona. This performance suggests otherwise:

5. Johan Cruyff - 1973 against Athletico Madrid.



Many great Brazilians have worn the Barça shirt, and in more recent years it makes sense to reference the three Rs: Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Rivaldo. The latter dominated matches with elegant ease, but wasn’t opposed to acrobatics when called for.

4. Rivaldo - against Valencia



In third place, we have some more acrobatic magic from one of the Rs, this time Ronaldinho:

3. Ronaldinho - against Villarreal



The third of the Brazilian beginning with R and ending with O, is “the Phenomenon”, Ronaldo. His not so illustrious final years (dogged by injuries and weight issues) might have caused many to forget exactly why he was such a phenomenon. If so, take a look at our nr.2, the combination of speed, power and technique is something never seen before or since on a football pitch:

2. Ronaldo - against Compostela



When Messi decided to emulate his hero, Maradona, he did it by copying that goal against England, almost step by step, but adding some variations of his own to this piece of art for posterity:

1. Messi - 2007 - against Getafe