The best XI in Barcelona
Like many of the best teams in the world, it is almost impossible to have just one team as the best XI. Barcelona has arguably had the largest superstar rotation ever played for the club. You have a who’s who in football for the club. I could easily choose 3 teams for this great club, but I have settled for 2 teams.
Goalie
Like most attackers, they didn’t have the best goalkeepers to keep the goal, so I opted for Andoni Zubizaretta. He is the Spanish player with the most appearances with 126 caps and was a very good goalkeeper.
Right side
I have opted for Albert Ferrer, who was part of the first “dream team”. He was a very good defender, as well as excellent up front.
Left side
I have opted for another member of the so-called dream team, Sergi Barjuan. It was very identical in play to Ferrer, since both were fast, very good with the ball and could defend very competently.
Central defenders
I have bet on Miguel Nadal and Carlos Puyol. Both excellent players and although Nadal was known as “the beast”, he was very good with the ball. Puyol always gives everything in every game I’ve seen him play.
Midfield
I have opted for a 4-man midfield made up of 4 all-time greats of the game: Michael Laudrup, Johan Cruyff, Luiz Suarez and Laslo Kubala. Michael Laudrup was a wizard with the ball and perhaps did not achieve the worldwide fame that his talents deserved, in part due to the fact that he was Danish. Cruyff is a living legend and his reputation precedes him. Suárez is arguably the greatest talent of all time to come out of Spain, while Kubala was voted Barcelona’s best player.
Forward
I have chosen Diego Maradona and Romario. I have read too many times that Maradona was not successful at Barcelona, but that is comparing him to himself and not to the standards of any other player. I have seen games in which he was involved in Barcelona and it was impressive at times. Romario was a born scorer.
Team 2
Goalie
I have opted for Francisco Platko, the Hungarian, who, I have to admit, I have never seen him play, but it is said that he is very good and I did not have so many options.
Defenders
This time I have opted for 3 defenders and they are José Ramón Alesanco, who was captain of the club for a long period of time and was a very good defender and leader, Ronald Koeman, okay, he was not a very good defender in terms of real defense . and maybe he’d just bite a turtle in a 100-meter sprint, but he could pass the ball like no other and had a shot to die for. He also scored one of the most memorable goals in club history, when he scored the winning goal at Wembley, against Sampdoria, for Barcelona to win their first European Cup. The third defender is Migueli, who played for Barcelona from 1973 to 1989.
Midfield
I have opted for a 5-man midfield that includes another series of wonderful footballers. The first is Luis Figo, who I felt played his best football for Barcelona and he was absolutely great. While his teammate, Rivaldo, was getting all the applause, Figo. I felt like I was the best player. The second midfielder was one of the pillars of Cruyff’s dream team and that was Pep Guardiola, who was one of the best playmakers I’ve seen. Injuries ruined what should have been a superlative race a bit. Ronaldinho is my third midfielder, as he is truly majestic and surely, even at this stage in his career, he is already an all-time great. Next is his Brazilian compatriot, Rivaldo, who will always be fondly remembered at the Nou Camp for scoring, perhaps, the biggest hat-trick in history, against Valencia, which allowed Barcelona to qualify for the Champions League, in the last day of that particular. 2000/2001 season. Last but not least, I have chosen the volatile but brilliant Bulgarian attacking midfielder / forward, Hristo Stoichkov. Stoichkov had an apparently love-hate relationship with Romario, equally brilliant and equally volatile. One minute they hug to prepare the other for another brilliant goal and the next minute they shoot because one feels the other missed the ball.
Strikers
I have opted for the absolutely brilliant Brazilians Ronaldo and Sandor Koscis.
I know I said that I would only choose 2 teams, but too many players that I like have not been chosen because too many greats played for Barcelona, so I managed to put in a third team.
Goalie
For the goalkeeper, I have opted for Antoni Ramalletts, who played for Barcelona in the 1940s and 1960s and won the best goalkeeper award for 5 consecutive seasons in the 1950s.
Defenders
I opted for Abelardo Fernández, a very capable defender who always gave his best, Juan Asensi who was also a very good defender for both Barcelona and Spain and Eric Gensana.
Midfield
I have opted for Bernd Schuster, the current coach, who was a brilliant midfielder and should have won many more chances with the Federal Republic of Germany, if it weren’t for his bad relationship with the West German Federation. Luis Enrique, one of my favorite players with his style of action and many goals to boot. For a midfielder, he scored a fair amount of goals. Allan Simonsen, the brilliant Dane, who was the European footballer of the year in 1977. Johan Neeskens, the current assistant coach, who was a wonderful midfielder.
Strikers
I have opted for a 3-pronged attack and they are Paulino Alcantara who, although I have never seen him play, scored 357 goals in 357 games, now that is impressive. Josep Samiter, who scored 326 goals for Barcelona, and Hans Krankl beat Samuel Etoo and Patrick Kluivert.
Some of the players I have not mentioned include the current crop of players like Rafa Márquez, Thuram, Xavi, Deco, Messi, Zambrotta and great and good pasts like Hagi, Prosinescki, Laurent Blanc, Gica Popescu, Carles Rexach, Jari Littmanen , both De Boers, Cocu, Laarsson, Mark Hughes, Lineker, Beguiristain, Goikoietxea, Edgar Davids, Riqueleme and Sorin among others.