Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and more: Barcelona icon David Villa names his top 5 legendary Blaugrana players

Spain legend David Villa has included Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi among his five best Barcelona players. The Argentine superstar is largely considered to be the greatest player in the Catalans' history.

La Pulga rose through the ranks at Camp Nou before breaking into the senior side in 2004 as a 17-year-old. For 17 seasons, Messi lit up world football with the LaLiga champions, before his reign came to an abrupt end in the summer of 2021.

By then, the Argentine had become Barcelona's record goalscorer and assist maker, with 672 goals and 303 assists from 778 games. La Pulga is also the Catalans' most decorated player, with 35 trophies to his name.

Villa shared the pitch with Lionel Messi on 102 occasions, all for the Spanish champions from 2010 to 2013. They won 75 of those games, losing just eight, and contributed 26 goals together.

Speaking recently to Mario Suarez, Villa put the Argentine at the top of his list of five best Barcelona players.

"My five best Barca players? Messi first, then Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Ronaldinho - who changed Spanish football - and Luis Enrique, my idol for his fighting spirit," said Villa.

La Pulga left Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as a free agent in 2021. After two seasons at the Parc des Princes, Messi moved to MLS side Inter Miami as a free agent.

Interestingly, the Argentine has since scored 68 goals from 81 games for the Florida-based club, and is their record goalscorer as well. The player's contract at the Chase Stadium, however, expires at the end of this year, and he is yet to sign a new deal.

How many Ballon d'Or trophies did Lionel Messi win with Barcelona?

Lionel Messi has won eight Ballon d'Or trophies in his career, the most in the history of the award. Six of those were lifted during his time with Barcelona.

La Pulga got his hands on the coveted prize for the first time in 2009 and proceeded to win it a record four consecutive times until 2012. The Argentine won the trophy once again in 2015, while his final win with the Catalans was in 2019.

After moving to PSG, Lionel Messi won the award for the seventh time in his career in 2021. He also got his hands on the Ballon d'Or in 2023 as an Inter Miami player, which remains his final win for now.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written nearly 10000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 21 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit