Ranking the 5 greatest Spanish players in Barcelona history
In 2012, Barcelona etched their names on the pages of footballing history when the 26-time Spanish champions fielded a squad solely consisting of La Masia graduates, against fellow La Liga side, Levante. This meant that 10 of the Blaugrana players on the pitch, excluding Lionel Messi, hailed exclusively from a Spanish heritage.
Even though the said arrangement only lasted for a brief period of the match, with Adriano's substitution in place of Jordi Alba breaking formation, the feat itself is considered to be a perfect ode to Johan Cruyff's paradigms.
FC Barcelona and their everlasting Spanish connection
The Catalan club's love affair with Spain has been well documented. Established inside the Spanish footballing construct in 1899, Barcelona have always promoted regional talent ever since the inception of their fabled academy. La Masia has been credited with developing stalwarts like Sergio Busquets, Victor Valdes, and Pedro among other notable legends.
Spain's historic 2010 World Cup triumph, the first in the nation's history, came during Vicente del Bosque's reign at the helm. However, the squad deployed by the Real Madrid legend majorly consisted of players contracted to Barcelona.
A total of seven players from the team that defeated the Netherlands to lift the coveted world championship title were plying their trades at the Camp Nou. This has led many pundits to believe that the Spanish era of dominance between 2008-2012 was based on the ideologies employed by Barcelona at that time.
Keeping this obvious connection in mind, let's take a look at 5 players of Spanish ancestry, who had the most impact on Barcelona:
#5 Josep Guardiola
The current Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has been a Barcelona trooper through and through. Coming through the ranks of La Masia, the former Spanish international spent almost the entirety of his senior career at Camp Nou.
Guardiola spent a total of 17 years with Barcelona, with six of them coming in the youth teams. After signing a professional contract in 1990, the creative midfielder went on to play a whopping 384 times for the club, even captaining his boyhood club for a span of four years. He was an instrumental cog in Johan Cruyff's famed 'Dream Team', winning the club's first-ever European Cup in his debut campaign as a regular.
Best known for his managerial talent in the modern days of football, the 50-year-old Spanish mastermind inherited Cruyff's 'Total Football' ideals and improvised them to create his own set of tactics. Guardiola has had great success while implementing his 'Positional Play' strategy, winning acclaimed silverware wherever he went.
The Barcelona squad assembled by the expert tactician in 2008 is regarded as one of the best teams ever to grace a football field. He became the first manager in club football to conquer all six titles available in a single calendar year, winning the fabled 'sextuple' in 2009 with the Spanish giants.
#4 Carles Puyol
A lion masquerading as a football player, Carles Puyol was truly a generational talent. Having played the sport for over two decades, Puyol is a paragon for budding professionals, an ideal role model to base one's motivations around. The 100-time capped Spanish stalwart is also the longest-serving captain in Barcelona's history, donning the prestigious armband for 10 years.
Nicknamed 'El Tiburon' for his ferocious style of play, Puyol was the quintessential one-club man. The Catalan defender never played a single minute of football for a club not named Barcelona. Puyol captained his side through multiple chapters of the club's illustrious history, witnessing the lowest of lows as well as reaping deserved rewards during Barcelona's time at the pinnacle of the beautiful game.
After 15 years of service, Puyol had registered close to 600 appearances for his childhood club. Having not won a single title before the age of 27, the resilient superstar retired at the ripe old page of 36, with 24 titles in his trophy cabinet.
Also read: Ranking the best graduates from Barcelona's La Masia in the last decade