5 Barcelona stars who were also national team icons
FC Barcelona have regularly attracted, and produced through their own La Masia academy, some of the best footballers in world football.
The Camp Nou is one of the most intimidating and iconic stadiums around – just ask Paris Saint-Germain after they came a cropper there in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League, and Barca players love to flaunt their brilliance on its hallowed football turf.
Some great international players have pulled on the famous Blaugrana shirt in the past, but which of them stand out, and why?
Join us in finding out!
#5 Hristo Stoichkov
A winner of 14 major honours with Barcelona, Hristo Stoichkov is held in the highest regard as a veritable club legend. Arriving from CSKA Sofia in 1990, Stoichkov settled in quickly, claiming a La Liga title before getting his hands on a European Cup, European Super Cup and so much more.
Alongside the likes of Brazilian star Romario and Denmark’s Michael Laudrup, Stoichkov became an integral part of Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ as they dominated Spanish football.
For Bulgaria, he scored almost 40 goals in 84 appearances and although he didn’t win a title with them, he did prove instrumental to their best-ever finish at a major finals.
Bulgaria completed a marvellous fourth-place triumph at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, having reached the semi-final stage, and Stoichkov finished joint-top scorer that year with six goals to cap a memorable individual display.