5 greatest Barcelona strikers of the modern era

Luis Suarez, a modern day legend of the game
Luis Suarez, a modern day legend of the game

#3 David Villa (Barcelona 2010-2013)

David Villa
David Villa

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's stint at Barcelona is widely tagged underwhelming as he failed to justify the hype owing to a number of reasons. Pep Guardiola realized that the situation needed to be negotiated and he decided to bring in David Villa from Valencia.

David Villa was already on his way to becoming one of the deadliest Spanish strikers of the modern era and he was the perfect fit for a dominant Barcelona side. Villa ended up leading the line for the finest Barcelona team to have been assembled in the 21st century.

David Villa's influence was so strong that it's said that it is his absence that cost Barcelona the 2011/12 Champions League and the La Liga titles and that it is his return from injury that helped them reclaim the La liga title next season.

David Villa was a ruthless attacker and his versatility and selflessness made him a one-of-a-kind option on the field. By the time Villa left for Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2013, he had scored 48 goals for the Blaugrana from 119 games.

#2 Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona 2004-2009)

Samuel Eto'o celebrates after scoring for Barcelona against Arsenal in a Champions League final
Samuel Eto'o celebrates after scoring for Barcelona against Arsenal in a Champions League final

Another top striker that Pep Guardiola just could not get along with, the way Samuel Eto'o was sold from Barcelona did absolutely no justice to his service. It was extremely anti-climactic because Eto'o scored 36 goals in Pep's first season as the Barcelona manager where they won the treble.

Eto'o was one of the finest strikers of his generation packing lethal pace, incredible trickery and instinctive finishing ability. The Cameroonian was nearly unstoppable in his day and he was the shining light of Frank Rijkaard's Barcelona side which suffered greatly in his absence due to injury.

Eto'o was also a man for the big occasions and scored in both UEFA Champions League finals that he played in and won the most prestigious European title both times.

Before Lionel Messi took over at Barcelona, it could be said that Samuel Eto'o was perhaps their main man. Eto'o scored a whopping 130 goals from a total of 199 games for the Cules before moving to Inter Milan in July 2009.

#1 Luis Suarez (Barcelona 2014-2020)

El Pistolero
El Pistolero

Yet another great player who was not given the sending off that he deserves, it will be heartbreaking for Barcelona fans to see him line up for the Rojiblancos from this season onwards. Luis Suarez is arguably the greatest striker of his generation and is easily the greatest Barcelona striker of the modern era.

Unstoppable on his day, Luis Suarez alongside Neymar and Lionel Messi formed the deadliest attacking trio of the 21st century, blasting in goals for fun and leaving defenders writhing with PTSD. The Uruguayan was so prolific that he scored a whopping 59 goals in the 2015/16 season.

He won the UEFA Champions League with Barcelona in the 2014-15 season and has also won four La Liga titles at the club. Suarez is the third-highest goalscorer of all time for Barcelona.

Suarez, at his peak, was hard to keep up with and his incredible movement and understanding of the game made him a striker par none. Luis Suarez has scored 198 goals for Barcelona across six seasons and replacing him will be one of the most difficult tasks that this relatively incompetent Barcelona board will have to do.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith