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Barcelona are one of the most storied clubs in the history of the game. With 92 trophies across competitions, the Blaugrana are the most successful club in Europe's top five leagues.
They have won 31 Copa Del Rey, 26 La Liga and five UEFA Champions League titles, to name a few. While Barcelona have won the first competition more than any other club, only Real Madrid (34) have won more La Liga titles than the Barcelona.
Only Real Madrid, AC Milan, Liverpool and Bayern Munich have won more titles in the Champions League than the Catalans.
Considering Barcelona's rich history and pedigree, many top players, especially midfielders, have played for the club over the years. On that note, here's a look at the ten best midfielders in Barcelona's history:
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#10 Johan Neeskens
Johan Neekens is one of the finest midfielders in Barcelona's history. The three-time European champion with Ajax played at the Camp Nou at around the same time as his illustrious compatriot Johan Cruyff (more on him later).
The midfielder played over 200 games for the club, scoring over 50 goals. Many of these strikes were headers or penalty kicks. Nesskens was particularly renowned for his physicality in midfield, endearing him to the club and faithful.
Although a league title eluded him in his five years at Barcelona, Neeskens won the Copa Del Rey and the European Cup Winners' Cup in successive years.
#9 Phillip Cocu
Phillip Cocu is another famous Dutch midfielder who turned up for Barcelona. The 51-year-old played nearly 300 games for the Blaugrana, scoring 38 goals. Twelve of those strikes came in his first season with the club in 1998-99, helping them win the La Liga title.
The PSV Eindhoven legend was not a prolific scorer, but had a penchant for providing the occasional strike from the center of the park.
By the time Cocu departed Camp Nou in 2004, he had set records for most La Liga games (205) and overall appearances (297) by a foreign player for Barcelona. Both records were later taken over by a certain Lionel Messi.
#8 Luis Enrique (former Barcelona player and manager)
Luis Enrique is one of only a handful of players to win La Liga titles with both Real Madrid and Barcelona.
With the Blaugrana, the former midfielder added two more league trophies to his 1994-95 La Liga triumph. During a successful eight-season stay at the Camp Nou, Enrique made over 300 appearances across competitions, scoring over 100 goals.
The 51-year-old could play across a plethora of positions in the attacking and middle third. But it was in right midfield, where he was arguably at his most comfortable.
Years later, Enrique would return to Barcelona and won them their historic second continental treble (2014-15). They won their first in 2008-09 under Pep Guardiola (more on him later).
That further endeared him to the club faithful. Enrique is currently the manager of the Spanish men's national team.
#7 Michael Laudrup
Michael Laudrup is one of the most decorated and skilful midfielders to have graced Barcelona's history.
The elegant Dane was an integral part of Johan Cruyff's Dream Team in the early 1990s that won four consecutive La Liga titles and the European Cup.
With nearly 300 appearances and 100 goals for the club, Laudrup was an artist with the ball at his feet. He was renowned for his passing prowess and wouldn't have looked out of place in his Pep Guardiola's excellent Barcelona team of the late 2000s and early 2010s.
The Euro' 92 winner was also a mean striker of the ball, scoring many memorable goals from distance.
#6 Pep Guardiola (former Barcelona player and manager)
Former Barcelona player Pep Guardiola is perhaps better known for his exploits on the touchline.
Regarded as one of the finest tacticians in the game's history, Guardiola has won three league titles in three different top-five leagues. He first rose to prominence as a manager after guiding a brilliant Barcelona team to their first continental treble in the 2008-09 season.
However, Guardiola was also a fine midfielder back in the day. Like Laudrup, the Manchester City manager was an integral part of Johan Cruyff's Dream Team, the team to beat in Spain and Europe for half a decade.
In 12 glorious seasons with the Blaugrana, the midfielder, an elegant passer, played nearly 400 games. Although Guardiola scored only 11 times, he was the club captain in the last few years of the Dream Team.
He epitomized Cruyff's total football style during his playing days, and improvised it to devastating effect later as Barcelona's manager.
#5 Sergio Busquets
Sergio Busquets is the only active player on this list. With over 650 appearances during an illustrious career spanning almost a decade and a half, Busquets (652) is Barcelona's fourth-most capped player.
Widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, the 33-year-old's powers may be on the wane after years at the top. However, during his prime, Busquets was a key player in a brilliant Barcelona team that won two continental trebles in six years and eight La Liga titles.
Often the one who does the 'dirty' work for the team without any fuss, Busquets remains a key player for Barcelona. He has assumed the captain's armband after the departure of club legend Lionel Messi this summer.
#4 Johan Cruyff (former Barcelona player and manager)
Johan Cruyff is widely regarded as one of the most skilful players, particularly from Europe, to have graced the sport.
The late Ajax legend enjoyed success at the club on both sides of the touchline. After arriving at Barcelona as a multiple European Cup and Eredivisie winner, in the early 70s, Cruyff ended the Blaugrana's 14-year-long league drought.
Renowned for bringing legendary coach Rinus Michel's revolutionary "total football" philosophy to life, Cruyff epitomized the concept as a player. He later implemented that as a tactician at Barcelona as well, laying a roadmap for future Blaugrana managers.
The midfielder wasn't a prolific goalscorer, but he scored a few memorable goals that endeared him to the Blaugrana faithful. In only five seasons at the club, Cruyff racked up nearly 250 appearances, scoring 86 goals.
A decade after leaving Barcelona, Cruyff returned in 1988 to manage Barcelona in one of the most prosperous eras in their history. The Blaugrana won a plethora of titles under their former player in the early 90s, including four La Liga titles and one European Champions Cup.
#3 Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho was the first Barcelona superstar of the 20th century. Arriving from PSG in the summer of 2003, the smiling Brazilian transformed the fortunes of the club, both on and off the field.
Although he stayed only five years at the club, the 2005 Ballon d'Or winner won two La Liga titles and a Champions League with the club. The first league title (2005) was incidentally Barcelona's first in six years. In over 200 appearances, Ronaldinho scored 94 goals and provided 76 assists.
Having won the FIFA World Cup in 2002 with Brazil, Ronaldinho is the only player to win the World Cup, Champions League and the prestigious Ballon d'Or award.
A magician in midfield, Ronaldinho could make the ball talk, endearing the Barcelona faithful with his mastery and silken skills on the ball. The midfielder earned a rare standing ovation from Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid for a sumptuous brace at the Santiago Bernabeu.
#2 Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta is one of the best midfielders in not just Barcelona's but also the game's history.
The diminutive playmaker was a pocket-sized dynamo in midfield. Operating in a slightly advanced area of midfield, Iniesta often made late runs into the opposition box and wreak havoc. Although he wasn't a prolific scorer, he is a bonafide Barcelona legend and assist-creator.
He also scored a few memorable goals for Barcelona. Their 2008-09 continental treble wouldn't have come to fruition if not for Iniesta's late strike in the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Six years later, he would win another continental treble with the Blaugrana.
The 37-year-old, one of the best La Masia graduates ever, never saw red in almost 700 official games for Barcelona.
#1 Xavi Hernandez (former Barcelona player and present manager)
Xavi Hernandez, better known only by his first name, is the player who was the engine room of a brilliant Barcelona midfield.
Operating in a deep-lying playmaking role, the midfield metronome orchestrated plays like few else. Xavi could pierce the tightest of opposition gaps with defence-splitting passes.
With 767 competitive appearances in nearly two decades at Barcelona, Xavi is Barcelona's second-most capped player.
The diminutive playmaker was a key player in the Blaugrana midfield that won a plethora of league titles (eight) and two continental trebles.
Now the manager of the club, Xavi has his task cut out to return the club to its halcyon days. However, no matter how he fares on the other side of the touchline, Xavi is already assured of his place in Blaugrana folklore.
