Rating the greatest Barcelona 'number 10s' of all time

ronaldinho and messi

Barcelona have had a number of top players play for their club over the years, with the number 10 jersey having some of the best players of the world play for them. Since 1980, Barcelona have had two World Cup winners and five separate Ballon d'Or winners play for them.

The names that have donned the number 10 jersey are absolutely staggering: Diego Maradona, Romario, Rivaldo, Riquelme, Ronaldino and Messi, phew!

Without much ado, let us rank the legendary Barcelona number 10’s:

#6 Juan Roman Riquelme

riquelme barcelona

Juan Roman Riquelme is one of the greatest enigmas of all time. Considered to be one of the most talented players of all time, Riquelme wore the number 10 jersey for Barcelona in 2002 and it is fair to say he did not live up to his full potential at Camp Nou.

Bought for a fee of €11 million from Boca Juniors, Riquelme was supposed to provide flair and creativity to the Barcelona side. However, the glimpses of Riquelme’s talent were few and far in between.

Barcelona manager Louis Van Gaal described him as a “political signing” and often treated him with indifference deploying him on the wings. Riquelme struggled to gain the confidence of Van Gaal in the season and after the arrival of Ronaldinho in 2003, he was sent out on loan to Villarrreal.

Riquelme promised much, but due to a lack of faith in his abilities by the manager, the Argentine could never play up to his full potential for Barcelona in the number 10 jersey.

#5 Diego Maradona

maradona barcelona

Considered to be one of the greatest players of all time, Diego Maradona moved to Barcelona in 1982 for a then world record transfer fee of £5 million. Maradona provided some absolute moments of magic most notably in a match against Real Madrid where he became the first Barcelona player to receive a standing ovation from the Real Madrid fans.

Maradona was at the peak of his powers in 1982, but, the Barcelona team failed to truly dominate in Maradona’s era at Barcelona. However, Maradona did help Barcelona win Copa Del Rey in 1983 and he always seemed to step up in big matches for the Catalans.

One of the greatest players of all time, Maradona did provide some notable moments in the number 10 jersey for Barcelona, but he failed to inspire Barcelona to the La Liga title.

#4 Romario

romario barcelona

Barcelona have had some amazing South American legends play for them and one of the best to ever play for Barcelona is the Brazilian wizard Romario. The Brazil legend joined Barcelona in 1993 and was an intimate part of the late Johan Cruyff’s dream team.

Playing alongside the likes of Hristo Stoichkov, Pep Guardiola and Michael Laudrup, Romario lit up the Spanish league and helped Barcelona claim the La Liga title by scoring 30 goals in just 33 appearances.

One of Romario’s best performances came in the El Clasico against Real Madrid where he scored a stunning hat-trick to help Barcelona thrash their long time rivals 5-0. After two very successful seasons with Barcelona, Romario moved to Flamengo, but not before sealing his status as a Barcelona legend.

#3 Rivaldo

rivaldo barcelona

Rivaldo enthralled fans all over the world with his quick feet, dribbling skills, and spectacular goals. Winner of the FIFA World player of the year award in 1999, Rivaldo was at his very best when he played for Barcelona.

The Brazilian forward spent an amazing five years at Barcelona where he gave the Blaugrana faithful number of moments to remember scoring some absolutely stunning goals. Rivaldo won 2 La Ligas and a Copa Del Rey in his spell at Barcelona.

Easily the standout player of that particular Barcelona squad, Rivaldo enthralled fans all across Spain with his stunning skills and goals and he is easily one of the greatest players ever to pull on the Barcelona jersey,

#2 Ronaldinho

ronaldinho barcelona

The first step towards Barcelona’s dominance of modern football was achieved with the signing of Ronaldinho. One of the most skilled players ever to play the game, Ronaldinho’s signing in 2003 ushered in a new era of dominance for Barcelona.

A first league title in six years was a direct result of the Brazilian’s artistry. Who can forget the way he destroyed Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2005 where even the Madridistas stood up to applaud – a gesture that is only reserved for the very best opponents. ( Maradona. Ronaldinho and Iniesta)

The smiling Brazilian also helped Barcelona to their first Champions League title in 14 years when they got the better of Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League final. A man who always played with a smile on his lips, Ronaldinho truly revolutionized football in Barcelona.

#1 Lionel Messi

lionel messi barcelona

The greatest number 10 Barcelona have had and will probably ever have, Lionel Messi is a footballer who defines an era. One of the two standout footballers of this generation along with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi has won a staggering 28 trophies with Barcelona.

The only footballer ever to win the Ballon d’Or five times, Lionel Messi is an absolute phenomenon. The diminutive Argentine has been Barcelona’s main man since 2008 and has put in some spell bounding performances in the Champions League and La Liga.

Although Pep Guardiola played him as a false 9, Messi under the stewardship of Luis Enrique now plays on the right wing. Positions do not seem to matter for the Argentine maestro as he seems to dominate the game no matter where he plays on the pitch.

Lionel Messi is the greatest number 10 in Barcelona’s history.

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Edited by Staff Editor