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Following a disappointing end to the 20th century and a poor start to the new millennium, Barcelona turned a corner in the next few years and went on to cement their legacy as arguably the best team in history.
A total of 34 major trophies have been won in the 21st century, while the Blaugrana also became the first side to win six trophies in a calendar year as well as the first to win two continental trebles.
A lot of their success has been down to the successful implementation of the 'tiki-taka' style of play, with La Masia playing a key role in the development of these players who went on to achieve global renown.
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In terms of coaches, the iconic Pep Guardiola led the way for success in this century and others like Frank Rijkaard, Luis Enrique, Ernesto Valverde, and the late Tito Vilanova also enjoyed varying degrees of prosperity.
Barcelona's pedigree and historical standings mean that the club has always attracted the best players throughout history and nowhere was this more evident than in the 21st century, with some of the players who represented the club with distinction having genuine claims to be considered among the best of all-time.
Hundreds of players have represented Barcelona in this century and predictably, not all of them enjoyed the same level of adulation, with some passing as fleeting memories, while others cemented their stake in the club's annals and starred as protagonists in the successes enjoyed in this period.
Given the immense capabilities and contributions of some of these players, finding or indeed classifying the best ten is no thankless task but here, we look at the top 10 players to have represented Barcelona in the 21st century, with parameters such as longevity, impact, and success put into consideration.
Honourable mentions: Neymar, Victor Valdez, David Villa
Also Read: El Clásico – How Real Madrid v Barcelona defines the beautiful game
#10 Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez brought his brilliant but highly-troubled spell in England to an end when he was signed by Barcelona in the summer of 2014. The transfer represented a major gamble by the Catalans, given his chequered history and he was unable to represent the club until October due to his lengthy ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
It was initially not smooth-sailing for the former Ajax man and Suarez looked out of his depth at first but things slowly fell into place and he ended his first season at the club with 25 goals in all competitions, helping the club to their second treble.
Alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, Suarez formed one of the best-attacking triumvirates in history, with their partnership fondly referred to as 'MSN' and together, the trio tore defences apart for fun and guided Barcelona to several major trophies.
So far, Suarez has made 270 appearances for the Blaugrana, winning 13 major trophies, while his haul of 191 goals is fourth on the club's all-time list, behind Lazlo Kubala (194), Cesar Rodriguez (232) and Lionel Messi (626 and counting).
Also Read: 3 players who need to leave Barcelona to kick-start their career
#9 Dani Alves
Dani Alves kickstarted the Pep Guardiola era when he was made the first signing of the 2008/2009 season, arriving from Sevilla for the sum of £31m in July 2008.
He had an immediate impact, seamlessly easing into the complex tactical demands Guardiola makes of his full-backs, while his explosive runs forward and pristine deliveries were a crucial part of Barcelona's attacking arsenal.
The Brazilian developed an on-field and almost telepathic relationship with Lionel Messi and for many years, he held the record as the player with the most assists for the Argentine until he was recently overtaken by Luis Suarez.
In total, he made 391 appearances for Barcelona in eight seasons, scoring 21 goals and creating an unbelievable 100 assists, while he also won 23 major trophies including two continental trebles.
He left Barcelona for Juventus in 2016 and added to his impressive medal haul with a further spell at PSG.
Despite turning 36 last May, he returned home to Sao Paolo after he captained Brazil to Copa America success on home soil last summer.
With over 40 major honours won at both club and international level, Alves is currently the most decorated footballer in football history.
#8 Samuel Eto'o
Having failed to make the grade at Real Madrid, Samuel Eto'o went on to achieve prominence at Real Mallorca, where he helped the club to the 2003 Copa del Rey trophy and became the club's leading domestic league scorer.
His performance with Mallorca caught the attention of Barcelona and a transfer was agreed for the sum of €24m in the summer of 2004.
In his first season at Camp Nou, the former Cameroonian international scored 25 goals from 37 matches to help Barcelona to her first LaLiga title in six years and also played a starring role as the club retained the title a season later in addition to their second Champions League.
Eto'o narrowly lost out to Diego Forlan by a goal in the race for the Spanish Golden Boot in his first season but he was not to be denied in his second campaign, as his 26 goals were enough to see him win the Pichichi award.
After initial success, the next two seasons were spent in the shadows of Real Madrid but the arrival of Guardiola helped Barcelona climb back to the top and Eto'o functioned as the spearhead of the attack, scoring 36 goals in all competitions to help the Catalans to their first treble.
He departed Camp Nou in the summer of 2009, ending his Barcelona spell with 130 goals from 199 matches and he came back to haunt his former side with Inter Milan just a season later but despite helping to eliminate the Blaugrana from the Champions League, it takes nothing away from his legendary contribution to the club.
#7 Sergio Busquets
Guardiola took a major punt when he discarded Yaya Toure and installed an untested Sergio Busquets as his preferred choice in defensive midfield and there were more than a few who expressed disdain, preferring the more established Ivory Coast international.
However, the Catalan manager had coached Busquets at junior level and seemingly saw his requirements in the youngster and a few years later, his decision has been justified, with the Spaniard going on to cement his legacy as one of the greatest holding midfielders in history.
Although he lacks the flair and skillset of some of his more attack-minded teammates, the importance of Busquets to the success of Barcelona should not be underrated and keen observers are usually in awe of how effortlessly he makes the most difficult of tasks look routine.
The 31-year-old is one of the most decorated players of his generation and has enjoyed immense success with both Spain and Barcelona and although not particularly renowned for his goalscoring prowess (he has scored just 15 goals in the colours of Barcelona), the fact that he has been a mainstay amidst a pool of extremely talented midfielders is indicative of his ability.
#6 Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique is a member of the famed La Masia 'Class of 87' that saw him line up alongside future greats Lionel Messi and Cesc Fabregas.
Like the latter, he departed Barcelona for the Premier League, signing with English giants Manchester United in 2004 but found it difficult to dislodge the preferred partnership of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, although he did win some major trophies at Old Trafford.
A return to the Nou Camp in Guardiola's first season in charge of the senior team kickstarted Pique's legend and since then, he has gone on to cement his legacy as one of the best defenders of his generation.
The 32-year-old is highly decorated and has won everything at both club and international level, while his firebrand approach and unwavering commitment to the Catalan cause has installed him as a heavy fan-favourite in Barcelona.
Pique has so far made 527 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions, winning 28 major trophies, while he also won the World Cup and Euro with Spain and is well known for his business interests off the field.
#5 Carles Puyol
Carles Puyol was a bonafide one-club man, joining the Barcelona academy in 1995 and rose through the ranks until he made his bow for the senior team in 1999.
This was close to not happening, as just a year earlier, Barcelona had accepted an offer from Malaga for Puyol's transfer but despite being behind Frank de Boer and Michael Reiziger in the pecking order for the right-back spot, the youngster elected not to make the move.
The reason for this was that his friend and teammate Xavi had just made his senior debut and Puyol chose to bide his time and in hindsight, this proved to be an excellent decision for all parties involved.
From the moment he put on the first-team colours, Puyol's leadership and commitment were never in question and he won many fans for his tenacity and rugged defending, while his never-say-die attitude ensured that he always wore his heart on his sleeve.
The former Spain international started as a right-back but was converted to a central defender later on in his career, partnering Gerard Pique at the heart of defence for most of Barcelona's glorious era.
He was chosen as team captain in 2004 and in this capacity, he skippered the Blaugrana to their finest hour, lifting all six trophies contested in 2009, while he was also successful with Spain at the international level.
Despite not being the tallest of players (he stood at just 5 ft 10'), Puyol made up for this with his physicality and is constantly regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation. Injuries saw him play a diminished role towards the end of his career before announcing his retirement in 2014.
Puyol made a total of 593 appearances in all competitions for his boyhood club, winning 21 major trophies (all as captain), while also starring in exactly a century of matches for Spain.
#4 Andres Iniesta
Having shown his talents from a young age, Andres Iniesta was courted by several top clubs in Spain, with the final two choices being Real Madrid and Barcelona.
His parents ultimately chose the latter, with their offer of boarding facilities swinging the pendulum in the club's favour in 1996 and thus begun the young boy's 22-year association with the Blaugrana.
He spent five developmental years in La Masia and progressed through the junior sides until he made his senior debut in 2001 but initially struggled to establish himself in the first team, with players like Xavi, Luis Enrique, and Philip Cocu holding sway in midfield. However, his class shone through and he soon became a cornerstone for Barcelona as they rewrote the history books.
Alongside Xavi and Busquets, Iniesta formed arguably the greatest midfield combination in history and the trio were mainstays of the sides that conquered at both club and international level.
He functioned as the link between midfield and attack, with his creativity and ability to open up spaces with just a swivel of his waist playing a major role in establishing Barcelona's dominance.
Iniesta ended his career at the club when he signed for Vissel Kobe in 2018 and got an electric sendforth in his last match at the Camp Nou, having represented the club a total of 674 times (second highest) and is the second most decorated player in the history of the club with 33 major trophies.
#3 Ronaldinho
Unlike most of the players on this list, Ronaldinho did not spend too much time in Barcelona, with his Blaugrana sojourn lasting just five years from 2003 to 2008.
However, while his spell might not have lasted long, his impact is still felt to this day and with Barcelona's status as the most successful club of the 21st century already established, it is hard to argue that any player apart from Lionel Messi had a bigger impact than Ronaldinho in helping the club attain this enviable position.
Joan Laporte in announcing his candidacy for the Barcelona presidency in 2003 stated that is was his mission to bring David Beckham to Camp Nou but with the former Manchester United man signing for bitter rivals Real Madrid, attention was turned to PSG in France.
A young Ronaldinho had starred for Brazil the year before as they claimed the World Cup and he had been identified as a star on the rise and he took his performance levels to new heights in the colours of the Blaugrana.
Before his arrival, the Catalans had lost their way on the field, were no longer an elite club and struggled to keep pace at the summit of the Spanish league.
The former Brazilian international immediately went about changing this until an injury derailed his first season at Camp Nou.
In his absence, the Blaugrana struggled and were almost relegation candidates but Ronaldinho's return to full fitness coincided with their upturn in fortune and they ultimately finished second in the league.
A season later, they went one better and ended their six-year trophy drought when they won LaLiga, with their star man also playing a key role in their successful retention of the league as well as the Champions League in 2006 with 26 goals in all competitions.
At this point, Ronaldinho was virtually unplayable and was deservedly named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 as well as winning the Ballon d'Or in 2005 which was an indication that he was miles ahead of his peers.
However, he could not stay away from the nightlife and this severely affected his output and he was not quite able to capture the same magic.
Beyond his exploits on the field, the Porto Alegre native also had an impact by serving as the mentor to a fledgling Messi, making the youngster sit beside him in the dressing room and telling anyone who cared to listen that the Argentine would end up better than him.
Ronaldinho was one of those players who even rival fans could not bring themselves to hate, with his ever-smiling face and jovial nature winning him many admirers and to date, he is one of only three Barcelona players to have received a standing ovation at the Santiago Bernabeu in an El Clasico.
#2 Xavi
Like his boyhood friend and teammate Carles Puyol, Xavi seemed destined to end his career with Barcelona but a transfer to Qatari side Al Saad in 2015 put an end to those ambitions.
Despite not having the fairytale ending many predicted, it takes nothing away from the legendary career the former midfielder had at Camp Nou and for almost two decades of his life, he distinguished himself with his performances in midfield for Barcelona.
Before 2008, Xavi was almost a regular midfielder but the arrival of Pep Guardiola in that summer catapulted him to cult-like status and he became the model upon which the Catalan's possession-based style of play was built.
Famously, the former Barcelona captain had said that a young Xavi was going to retire him, while Iniesta would retire both of them and in many ways, this was an indication that Pep saw something special in the two players even before he delved into management.
Xavi possessed pristine distribution, passing ability and technique to find spaces no one else saw and this made him the embodiment of the style of play demanded by Guardiola based on Cruyffian principles.
Following the retirement of Puyol, Xavi was named the permanent captain and he got the fitting sendforth his career deserved when he lifted the Champions League in his final game for the club to complete his second treble.
To date, he is the club's record appearance maker with 767 appearances in all competitions, winning 25 major trophies while he was also an ever-present figure in the Spanish sides that conquered all and sundry between 2008 and 2012.
Upon his retirement, he ventured into coaching and currently manages former side Al Saad, while he also reportedly turned down the Barcelona job recently.
#1 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is unarguably the best Barcelona player of not just the 21st century but of all-time, while a genuine case can also be made to consider him the best to ever grace a field in any club, on any continent and in any era.
He owes his career to Barcelona making a decision to finance the medical bills to treat his growth hormone and the story of how then-director Carlos Rexach drafted his first contract on a paper napkin is one that has been immortalised.
Fans of the club would forever be thankful to the decision-makers who brought a sickly 12-year-old to the club and just four years later, he became the youngest player to make his debut for the first team.
Since then, it has been records upon records being broken by the Argentine maestro and a week would not be enough to list all the milestones attained by the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
He currently leads the way in terms of goals (626) and assists (261) for the club, while his 34 major trophies won in his time at Barcelona are also more than anyone else has managed.
