3 stars you might have forgotten who played for Barcelona

Barcelona are one of the world's best clubs in football history and continue to establish their world-class credentials across all fronts today. Winning titles is one of the club's ever-present habits and they are, in many ways, synonymous to winning.

Last season Barça secured the league and cup double, almost going the whole La Liga campaign unbeaten while doing so. In history, they have won Spain's top tier on 25 occasions while the Copa del Rey has been won a record 30 times.

They have a huge fan following and perhaps half of it in recent years is due to Lionel Messi's presence at the club. He is widely considered as one of the all-time greatest players and has been part of their set-up for nearly 17 years now - having joined them as a freshly-faced teenager from Argentina.

Other legendary players including Johan Cruyff, Ronaldinho and Andres Iniesta have also represented the club in previous generations - the list goes on.

Within the current senior side, there are a few superstar names too other than Messi. Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic, Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez and Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho - not to mention summer acquisition Arturo Vidal, from Bayern Munich. Given the level of squad quality across all positions, it's no wonder they have won so many titles in recent seasons.

However, there are quite a few stars that you might have forgotten also used to play at the Camp Nou in previous years. So without further ado, here's a look at three stars who you might have forgotten used to don the historic Barcelona colours in years gone by.

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#3 Yaya Touré

Touré spent three years in Spain prior to his £24m Manchester City move

The Ivorian midfielder was a Barcelona player for three seasons - having joined from Monaco for €10m in 2007. His most notable contribution for them was the fact he adequately fulfilled the role of centre-back due to various injuries and suspensions to first-choice defenders ahead of the 2009 Champions League Final, where they ran out 3-1 winners over Manchester United.

However, he is most certainly a midfielder and was able to show his versatility by stepping into a more defensive role when his teammates needed him most. In 118 total appearances for Barcelona, he scored six and created eight assists.

Those statistics are not impressive, not least as he received more yellow cards (25) than his goal contributions combined, but you have to understand that he was predominantly being deployed as a defensive-minded midfielder - the Sergio Busquets role before the Spaniard was preferred over him.

He joined City for £24m during the summer of 2010, helped break numerous records and proved a pivotal part of their side at a time when the Citizens needed someone of world-class ability to carry responsibility and lead by example. Leaving as a legendary figure following the conclusion of last season, he is now 35 and is currently without a club but still harbours the desire to continue playing Premier League football.

#2 Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez in Champions League action against Celtic

Just like Touré before him, the Chilean superstar represented Barcelona for three seasons. Considering how he has flourished in the Premier League since, it's easy to forget he was once in Spain's top-flight too - having previously impressed with Serie A side Udinese before ignoring interest from elsewhere in Europe to become the club's first Chile international.

He played for Barcelona in 141 matches across all competitions, scoring 47 and assisting a further 36 goals. Impressive numbers for a player who much was not expected from in the early going, though he settled and managed to continue developing in the presence of top attacking player as teammates.

Playing in the same team as Lionel Messi has its flaws though, Alexis felt unhappy that he was forever in the Argentine's shadow and wanted a new challenge elsewhere - so Arsenal were the benefactors and he cemented his position as one of the world's best players with excellent goalscoring displays in north London. Having joined Manchester United in January, his form has divided opinion since then, but he remains one of the club's most talented stars.

#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic felt like he was second best at Barca

The Swedish star was technically a Barcelona player for two seasons, though one of those was spent out on-loan at Serie A side AC Milan. He played for them in the 2009/10 campaign and was sublime for them, netting 22 goals and assisting 13 more.

However, he expressed his desire to leave having been made to play in a 4-5-1 formation where he was not seen as Pep Guardiola's first-choice centre forward.

So, he initially left them on a temporary deal - though relations between himself and the Spaniard only worsened with time, effectively sealing his fate as he suggested the club's favouritism towards Messi meant other stars had to accept second best.

He has since played for clubs including Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain and Sanchez's current employers Manchester United. Now just two months shy of 37-years-old, he is in the twilight of his professional career and plays in the MLS for LA Galaxy.