Building Barcelona’s Perfect La Liga Footballer
By Ross Jackson
Steeped in history, tradition and elegance; Barcelona truly is one of the grandest clubs in European football.
Their glittering trophy cabinet is no small indication of the plethora of talent to have graced Camp Nou over the years. However, while the dominance Barça have enjoyed is very much a team effort, no side reaches the heady heights they have without individual brilliance in their arsenal.
No fewer than 12 Ballon d’Ors have been received by players playing their trade with the Catalonian giants. Over the years the Blaugrana roster has boasted some of the greatest talents to ever play the beautiful game.
And that got us to thinking - imagine extracting the individual brilliance of some of their top performers and combining them to create the ultimate La Liga footballing machine.
Here at 90min we’ve been creating our ultimate club players from the Premier League era, and now it’s the turn of the Spanish giants.
Brain: Sergio Busquets
While Busquets may not be the most obviously gifted player to have pulled on a Barcelona shirt, the simplicity of his game is part of his brilliance.
The modern-day defensive midfielder is depicted as a cardio-freak who runs 30 miles a game and is constantly lunging into last-ditch challenges – Busquets leaves the field after 90 minutes without a grass stain on his shorts or a bead of sweat on his forehead, and that’s because he doesn’t need to do all of the aforementioned graft.
The Spain international’s reading of the game is second to none. His positioning and ability to sense danger before it has even had chance to manifest is unparalleled.
A player who has to make constant lunging challenges may look like the hero, but they’re only having to do it because they’ve been caught out – Busquets’ intelligence means he doesn’t have to do the dirty work as he’s already stopped the danger at the source. Without a doubt one of the most intelligent footballers to have played the game.
Eyes (vision): Andrés Iniesta
Whenever a team enjoys a prolonged period of success, it brings about its own challenges. They suddenly become the metaphorical golden goose of the league; the side that every other team in the league wants to take points off.
Because of this, creativity and vision within a successful team is massive. If the majority of your home games are going to be played against teams setting up with 11 men behind the ball, you need to be able to spot and create chances – Iniesta is the king of creativity.
His ability to see a pass and unlock a defence is unrivalled. Alongside his eternal partner in crime, Xavi Hernández, the little magician’s brilliance laid the foundations for a dynasty at both club level and internationally.
Lungs (workhorse): Dani Alves
One of Pep Guardiola’s first acts as Barcelona boss was to capture the signing of Dani Alves from Sevilla. The newly-appointed Barça manager had a clear vision of how the club would play; with attacking full-backs offering a constant outlet.
On the vast, expansive pitch at Camp Nou, for a team to become synonymous with attacking full-backs, Guardiola would need players with the ability to cover a huge surface area for 90 minutes - and that’s exactly what Alves offered.
The Brazilian’s work-ethic and lung-busting runs became a feature of arguably one of the greatest club teams ever. After eight phenomenal seasons at the Catalan giants he departed the club in 2016 with six La Liga titles and three Champions League triumphs to his name.
Body (strength): Carles Puyol
One of the unsung heroes of Guardiola’s all-conquering side.
For all the fancy flicks and pretty build up play, one of the greatest European club sides ever built had a solid underbody, and Puyol was the foundation of that side.
His partnership with Gerard Piqué delivered years of success for both club and country, and while Piqué offered the footballing ability, Puyol was the organiser and the brute force of the duo.
In a team of maestros, Puyol was a throwback. With his unkempt hair, short-sleeved shirt and disregard for what colour boots he wore, the former Barcelona skipper was a refreshing change and offered football fans a glimpse of what an old-fashioned, strong centre-half looked like.
Left Foot: Lionel Messi
It could only be one man really.
The greatest left foot to ever kick a football, Messi has been the jewel in the Barcelona crown for almost 15 years. His astonishing levels of brilliance rarely seem to drop, and his left foot is his pièce de résistance.
His ability to open up his body and whip the ball into the far corner is almost eery. Knowing what he is going to do is one thing – knowing how to stop him is another.
In the forever ongoing Ronaldo or Messi debate, if there’s one thing the world can agree on, it’s that Lionel Messi’s left foot is not just better than Ronaldo’s, but better than any other player’s on the planet.
Right Foot: Ronaldinho
Despite becoming synonymous with the club, the mesmeric Brazilian spent just five years at Barcelona.
Although his time at the club may have been cut short, he certainly left a lasting impression. In one of his first competitive games in Spain, he showcased exactly what the Barça hierarchy had splashed out on. A mazey run taking on two Sevilla players before rifling a 30-yard right-foot piledriver into the top corner - just a glimpse of what was to come.
In one of the forward’s defining moments at the club, he utterly bamboozled the Chelsea defence by curling the ball with the outside of his foot into the bottom corner. A bewildered Petr Čech could only watch on as the genius’ right boot outfoxed the whole Chelsea defence.
Legs (pace): Marc Overmars
Overmars arrived at Barcelona from Arsenal and spent four years at the club.
Despite a fruitless spell at Camp Nou, the Netherlands international’s unbelievable pace and acceleration cannot be forgotten.
The Dutch roadrunner’s electric speed would become a feature of Barcelona’s play, as they continuously looked to play the ball in behind for the former Gunner to latch onto. While players like Messi may be faster dribblers than him, there’s no doubting that in a pure sprint race, Overmars would be the victor.