5 players who you did not know played for Barcelona
It's hardly surprising that a host of legendary players have donned the Blaugrana colours to represent Barcelona, one of the historic clubs in the world. From Johan Cruyff to Ronaldinho and Messi, the Catalan club have had a player on their books win the Ballon d'Or 12 times, with Lionel Messi accounting for half(!) of those.
It's interesting to note that there are other illustrious names who have played for the club but not known as much because of their exploits at a different club or at the international level.
An example that comes to mind is that of Mauro Icardi. On loan at PSG and captain of Inter until last season, Icardi represented the Barça U19s before moving to Sampdoria, after which he made the leap to Inter.
He plundered goals consistently for an under-par Inter side, scoring 124 goals and providing 28 assists in 219 games. Due to his problematic wife/agent and limited ability outside the box, Antonio Conte and Beppe Marrotta decided it was best to cut him loose.
On the other hand, Barça were forced into making an emergency forward signing of Martin Braithwaite from CD Leganés on account of injuries and poor squad planning. It's funny how things work out.
Let's take a look at some of the names who have represented the senior team but gone under the radar.
#5 Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker is well-known for his goal-scoring record for the England national team. He also represented Tottenham, Everton and Leicester City in the Premier League. Still active on social media, he tweets regularly in support of those teams.
He moved to Barça from Everton for €3.20 million in July 1986 and scored a respectable 48 goals in 128 appearances. He immortalised himself in the hearts of the fans in the best way possible; by scoring a hat-trick against arch-rivals Real Madrid in a 3-2 victory. He played for the club until July 1989 before his move to Spurs.
He is remembered fondly by the fans and it's no surprise that he is one of Messi's biggest fans.