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Midfielders- Rafael Marquez, Deco and Xavi
Rafael Marquez
Rafael Marquez is a Mexican football legend in all rightness. The central defender played in a defensive midfielder role for Barcelona had great control over the ball, was excellent in counter attacks and was sublime in passing. Marquez joined Barcelona in 2003 from Monaco after a highly successful stint there and became a first-team regular. He was also the first Mexican to play for Barcelona. After an eventful journey with Barca where he won many awards and the hearts of fans, he was released by Barcelona in 2010. He signed for New York Red Bulls but didn't have a great time in the MLS League.
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He then moved to Mexican Club Leon and enabled them to win 2 consecutive league titles. Then he had a short stint with Hellas Verona in the Serie A before returning to his first club, Atlas and retired in 2018 after playing 3 periods. He was highly successful in international football and captained Mexico in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In doing so, he became the first player to play as a captain in five World Cups. He scored 26 goals in his long club career where he featured in 615 matches. In international matches, he scored 19 goals in 147 matches. Post retirement, he was appointed the Sporting President of the Atlas Football Club.
Deco
Deco is one of the best midfielders in Barcelona or even in the whole world. He was a clever tactician, was brilliant with his passing and was a great playmaker. He played as an attacking midfielder later in his career. In Messi's debut match, Deco scored the only goal and was replaced by Messi himself in the 82nd minute and when he patted Messi on the back, little did he know that Messi would outclass him.
Deco is nevertheless a legend in his own rights. He played for clubs like Alverca and Salgueiros before he joined Porto where he played under Jose Mourinho and became a favourite of both the fans and the manager. He won the UEFA Champions League title with them, UEFA Best Midfielder of the year and the Club Award for Best Player.
The Brazil-born Portuguese signed for Barca in 2004 and played 4 seasons for the Catalans. He scored 22 goals in 161 matches and won the Champions League with Barca too. He then moved on to Chelsea and after a tough first season, Deco slowly began to settle in. But age was always going to be a factor and in 2010, he moved on to Brazilian club Fluminense and scored 6 goals for them in 79 appearances after scoring 6 in 57 appearances for Chelsea. He was originally a Brazilian but acquired Portuguese citizenship and played in 75 international matches for Portugal scoring 5 goals. He announced his retirement in 2013 and hasn't been seen much.
Xavi
Xavi is one of the most loved Barcelona players and was instrumental in the team's success for more than a decade. Xavi was a La Masia graduate and made it to the first-team in 1998 and he slowly started to become more important for the side. Xavi was the vice-captain for Barcelona during Messi's debut and was one of the players who helped groom him. Xavi was always a great passer and had excellent vision. He was important in implementing Barcelona's Tiki-Taka style of play and along with Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, made Barca's midfield the strongest in the entire world. He almost always topped the assist charts in the league.
After a career marked with many awards, Xavi announced that he was going to leave Barcelona in 2015 for Al Sadd, a Qatari club. Xavi won 8 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League Titles. He scored 85 goals in 767 appearances for Barca and recorded far more assists. He's still active and playing for Al Sadd, where he has scored 21 goals in 100 matches. Xavi was also a key player for the Spanish International team and won the Silver medal in 2000 Olympics, Best Player in Euro 2008 and the World Cup in 2010. He announced retirement from international football in 2014 and it was a tearful moment for many fans and players alike. He has scored 13 goals in 133 international appearances.
