'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAX/2gAIAQEAAAAAJS//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAECEAAAAC//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAB//xAAiEAABBAEDBQEAAAAAAAAAAAADAQIEBQYAETESEyEjUXL/2gAIAQEAAT8AuaqHjdLBtcdLJikfUG7z3eXymetUQnzl3GoVtlkmGA4srnoMo2vb1CFvsqfnX//EABcRAQADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIAEzH/2gAIAQIBAT8AsQyf/8QAGhEAAgIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIAAwQSQf/aAAgBAwEBPwDPtdKxqez/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3 Xavi (Barcelona)
Barcelona midfield maestro Xavi is one of the greatest footballers of all time. It's hard to find a player who is so technically proficient and tactically intelligent at the same time.
Trending
Xavi's passing range was second to none and it was nearly impossible to shake him off the ball. He could navigate tight spaces with the ball glued to his feet and send an entire raft of defenders the wrong way with a drop of his shoulder.
A one-club player all his life, Xavi made 767 appearances for Barcelona. He set the record for most appearances for a single club but Lionel Messi has broken it since.
In the 17 years he spent at the Camp Nou, Xavi won eight La Liga titles, three Copa Del Reys, and four Champions League trophies.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
Arguably the greatest Galactico signing of Florentino Perez, Cristiano Ronaldo propelled Real Madrid to the status of serial Champions League winners. The Portuguese legend was so influential that he made the extraordinary seem normal over the course of the nine years he spent at Real Madrid.
It was an absolute treat to watch Ronaldo and Messi, two of the greatest footballers of all time, go neck to neck while representing arch-rivals. While Messi's Barcelona got the better of Real Madrid more often than not in La Liga, the Blancos dominated the Champions League.
Ronaldo won the Champions League four times with Real Madrid. He was also the top scorer in the competition in all four of those editions. Ronaldo scored a whopping 450 goals and provided 132 assists in 438 matches. He won four Ballon d'Or awards during his time with Real Madrid.
He won two La Liga titles, four Champions League titles, two Copa Del Reys and two Supercopa de Espanas, three FIFA Club World Cups and two UEFA Super Cups with Real Madrid.
#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Barcelona are in a bad place. They have now announced that Lionel Messi is going to leave the club. The Argentine has spent 17 years at the club and is inarguably the greatest footballer to have played for the Catalans.
Messi has won the Ballon d'Or a record six times in his career. He has been their most important player over the past decade and a half. Messi has been a driving force behind Barcelona's growth in popularity on a global scale and the club won't be the same without him.
Detailing his individual accolades is a near impossible task. Messi has won 10 La Liga titles, four Champions League titles, seven Copa Del Reys and seven Supercopa de Espanas. He has also won three FIFA Club World Cups and three UEFA Super Cups with Barcelona.
Messi is the most prolific goalscorer that La Liga has ever seen and has won the La Liga Golden Boot (Pichichi Trophy) a whopping eight times. He holds the record for most goals scored in a calendar year with 91 in 2012. 79 of those goals came for Barcelona.
No player has ever been able to match Messi's heroics at Barcelona. He is undoubtedly the player who has had the most impact in La Liga.
