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Brazil is widely regarded as the home of football talents due to the fact that the nation has produced many footballing geniuses in the past. Meanwhile, Barcelona, as one of the biggest clubs in Europe, has also been blessed with several world-class players who represented the club in fantastic fashion.
If you look into the club's history, you will discover that plenty of their biggest stars emanated from Brazil.
There is a powerful link between Barca and Brazilian players which I call the 'Brazi-lona link'. In fact, many Brazilian superstars favour a move to the Catalan capital at some point in their careers.
This is because the club serves as the home of success for these players in Europe with almost all the Brazilians that played for the Spanish giants having successful spells, winning trophies and several individual awards.
Therefore, let us quickly take a look at the top 5 Brazilians who have played for the Catalan club:
#5. Neymar Jr
Many people may criticise the Brazilian after he departed Camp Nou and headed for PSG, but he is truly one of the Brazilian legends that played for the Catalan giants.
He had already made a name for himself at Santos, where he was widely recognised as a big prospect, before heading to Barcelona in 2013. Neymar is one of the most skilful players on the planet.
At Barcelona, he made history, forming part of a formidable attacking trio with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, popularly known as 'MSN', scoring goals and breaking records. He was extremely influential with his dribbling skills and ability to create chances for his teammates to score.
Besides, the arrival of Neymar made Barcelona a pro-attacking team and the MSN trio became the best attack in the world. Neymar was a big threat to defenders, tearing defences apart with his magical skills.
He was frequently fouled, thereby winning more free kicks and penalty kicks than any other player in the league. During his stay, Barcelona became very effective, using the counter-attacking system, with Neymar starting several of the attacking moves.
The Brazilian always stepped up when the team needed him. He helped the club make history by inspiring an historic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain when he scored 2 goals and assisted 1 in his side's 6-1 routing of the French club in the UEFA Champions League last season.
He is also one of the few players who has scored for Barca in the Champions League final, by bagging the last goal against Juventus to claim the trophy in 2015.
He won 10 trophies with the club, scoring 105 goals during his 4-year stay.
#4. Rivaldo Borba Ferreira
The master of free kicks himself, Rivaldo was highly reputed for his strength at set-pieces. He was acquired as a potential replacement for the departing Ronaldo in 1997. He was a tall and highly gifted attacking midfielder, who was consistently a nightmare to opposing defenders.
Despite the fact that Rivaldo played in an unsettled Barcelona side then, his individual impact was undeniable. He was a real threat to defenders, shooting from any angle near the the opposition box.
His bending free kicks and overhead kicks made a lot of noise across Europe. His impact was so significant, that Roy Keane, the then Manchester United captain, advised the English club to sign the Brazilian magician.
His most memorable match in the Blaugrana shirt was the last match against Valencia CF in the 2000/2001 season where the attacker ran riot, scoring an incredible hat-trick to win the match 3-2, to seal Champions League qualification for Barca.
His last goal in that match was a brilliant overhead bicycle kick at the edge of the box in the 90th minute, highly regarded as the best goal in his career.
He scored an impressive 130 goals for the Blaugrana during his 5-year stay at the club between 1997 and 2002, guiding the club to many titles including La Liga and Copa Del Rey. He also won several individual awards. In 1999, the Brazilian was honoured with both, the FIFA World Player Of The Year award and the Ballon d'Or.
#3. Dani Alves
After an impressive spell at Sevilla in which he won 2 UEFA Europa League, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Copa Del Rey and 1 Supercopa De Espana with the Spanish team scoring 4 goals and assisting 3 as well as being one of the best defenders of the club in 43 matches, Barcelona came knocking. He was transferred to the Camp Nou for £23 million in 2008.
At Barca, Dani Alves quickly established himself in the team and was one of the pioneers of the Barcelona Golden age. He helped the team to claim the treble on two different occasions namely the 2008/2009 and 2014/2015 campaigns.
He remained an influential figure throughout his stay at the club, with his super efforts to contribute heavily to both attack and defence. This is why he was preferred by Pep Guardiola and remained a regular player for the whole of his Barca career.
He often linked up with club legend, Lionel Messi, providing several assists for the Argentine. A solid rock at the back, he also created clear-cut chances up front. His energy was incredible as he was usually seen tirelessly moving to and fro the right flank.
So much was his importance to the team that after he left, Barca really missed him as they struggled to fill the void left behind. Dani Alves, like his Brazilian predecessors, also tasted success at the Catalan club winning an incredible 23 trophies with the club, scoring 21 goals and assisting 74 in 391 matches.
#2. Ronaldo Nazario Luis De Lima
Considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, Ronaldo was signed by Barcelona from PSV in a then world-record transfer fee worth $19.5 million. During his one-year stint at the Spanish club, Ronaldo created some memories that will last forever at Camp Nou. He scored an impressive 47 goals in 49 games during the 1996/1997 football season.
At a tender age, the Brazilian was constantly threatening defenders. His brilliance was so great that he drew comparisons with football legend, Pele. He was scoring almost at will and his most memorable goal came against SD Compostela in October 1996, when he scored an amazing solo goal.
Picking the ball from his own half, he dribbled past four opponents before slotting the ball into the corner of the net. His manager then, Bobby Robson, could not believe what he saw as he stood up and clasped his head in disbelief. Such is the greatness of the striker that Quinton Fortune described him as a mythical figure.
During his term with the club, he helped Barca claim the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the Copa Del Rey and the Supercopa De Espana trophies. Individually, in 1996, he became the youngest player to win the FIFA World Best Player award at just the age of 20.
Also, he claimed La Liga's top scorer award in 1997, when he scored 34 goals in 37 games in the league, and also won the European Golden Boot for scoring the most goals in Europe that season.
He later left the club for Inter Milan, but his efforts at the club will always be remembered.
#1. Ronaldinho Gaucho
Ronaldinho is arguably the most skilful player the planet has ever produced. His electrifying dribbling and brilliant entertaining football will be missed for a long time to come.
When the Brazilian was bought by Barcelona from Paris Saint Germain after they failed to capture David Beckham in 2003, little did Barca president, Joan Laporta know how important the magician would become.
At Barca, Ronaldinho helped in transforming the crisis in the team, helping Barca to become competitive again. He led the team to the second position during his first season at the club, after they had initially slumped to the 12th position midway through the season.
Ronaldinho subsequently won the league title with Barcelona in his second season at the club, and also helped the team to UEFA Champions League triumph in 2006, as well as other trophies.
During his time, he was the favourite player under Barca coach, Frank Rijkaard who was quoted saying:
"He transmits a lot of joy and pleasure playing the game, and he has individual skills that are of such a high level that everybody in the world adores him."
His talent was exceptional. There were several magical moments in his Barca career. His first La Liga goal was a superb effort against Sevilla. He collected the ball from his own goalkeeper in his own half, dribbled past 2 opponents before firing the ball into the net from 30 yards out.
He was applauded by Real Madrid fans at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on November 19th in 2005, after he scored 2 goals to help Barca to a 3-0 win in El Classico. Towards his final years at the club, he developed an outstanding relationship with Lionel Messi, guiding the development of the player before leaving for AC Milan.
However, before he left, he won many individual awards for his brilliant performances including the Ballon d'Or, FIFA World Player Of The Year, European Player Of The Year and much more personal glories. He is highly regarded as the most influential Brazilian in Barca history.
