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In 2012, Barcelona etched their names on the pages of footballing history when the 26-time Spanish champions fielded a squad solely consisting of La Masia graduates, against fellow La Liga side, Levante. This meant that 10 of the Blaugrana players on the pitch, excluding Lionel Messi, hailed exclusively from a Spanish heritage.
Even though the said arrangement only lasted for a brief period of the match, with Adriano's substitution in place of Jordi Alba breaking formation, the feat itself is considered to be a perfect ode to Johan Cruyff's paradigms.
FC Barcelona and their everlasting Spanish connection
The Catalan club's love affair with Spain has been well documented. Established inside the Spanish footballing construct in 1899, Barcelona have always promoted regional talent ever since the inception of their fabled academy. La Masia has been credited with developing stalwarts like Sergio Busquets, Victor Valdes, and Pedro among other notable legends.
Spain's historic 2010 World Cup triumph, the first in the nation's history, came during Vicente del Bosque's reign at the helm. However, the squad deployed by the Real Madrid legend majorly consisted of players contracted to Barcelona.
A total of seven players from the team that defeated the Netherlands to lift the coveted world championship title were plying their trades at the Camp Nou. This has led many pundits to believe that the Spanish era of dominance between 2008-2012 was based on the ideologies employed by Barcelona at that time.
Keeping this obvious connection in mind, let's take a look at 5 players of Spanish ancestry, who had the most impact on Barcelona:
#5 Josep Guardiola
The current Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has been a Barcelona trooper through and through. Coming through the ranks of La Masia, the former Spanish international spent almost the entirety of his senior career at Camp Nou.
Guardiola spent a total of 17 years with Barcelona, with six of them coming in the youth teams. After signing a professional contract in 1990, the creative midfielder went on to play a whopping 384 times for the club, even captaining his boyhood club for a span of four years. He was an instrumental cog in Johan Cruyff's famed 'Dream Team', winning the club's first-ever European Cup in his debut campaign as a regular.
Best known for his managerial talent in the modern days of football, the 50-year-old Spanish mastermind inherited Cruyff's 'Total Football' ideals and improvised them to create his own set of tactics. Guardiola has had great success while implementing his 'Positional Play' strategy, winning acclaimed silverware wherever he went.
The Barcelona squad assembled by the expert tactician in 2008 is regarded as one of the best teams ever to grace a football field. He became the first manager in club football to conquer all six titles available in a single calendar year, winning the fabled 'sextuple' in 2009 with the Spanish giants.
#4 Carles Puyol
A lion masquerading as a football player, Carles Puyol was truly a generational talent. Having played the sport for over two decades, Puyol is a paragon for budding professionals, an ideal role model to base one's motivations around. The 100-time capped Spanish stalwart is also the longest-serving captain in Barcelona's history, donning the prestigious armband for 10 years.
Nicknamed 'El Tiburon' for his ferocious style of play, Puyol was the quintessential one-club man. The Catalan defender never played a single minute of football for a club not named Barcelona. Puyol captained his side through multiple chapters of the club's illustrious history, witnessing the lowest of lows as well as reaping deserved rewards during Barcelona's time at the pinnacle of the beautiful game.
After 15 years of service, Puyol had registered close to 600 appearances for his childhood club. Having not won a single title before the age of 27, the resilient superstar retired at the ripe old page of 36, with 24 titles in his trophy cabinet.
Also read: Ranking the best graduates from Barcelona's La Masia in the last decade
#3 César Rodríguez
The only Spanish footballer of the pre-Cruyff era to feature on the list, César Rodríguez's time at Barcelona often goes under the radar. The fact that César remained the Catalan club's all-time top scorer for more than 50 years until a certain Lionel Messi retained every single record for himself, speaks monumentally of the Spaniard's impact at Les Corts (the predecessor to Camp Nou).
During his 14 years of service, the mercurial forward managed to score 232 official goals for the Spanish giants. Initially signed up in 1939, César had to relocate to Granada due to military service. After returning to Barcelona, two years after this loan spell, the Catalan became the guiding force behind his boyhood club's success. Alongside all-time Barca greats such as Eduardo Manchon and the enigmatic Laszlo Kubala, César ushered his side to a five-trophy streak in the 1951-52 season.
He finally left Barcelona for good in 1955, accumulating a total of 13 titles along the way. After brief stints at Cultural Leonesa, Perpignan, and Elche, César hung up his boots, aged 40, leaving behind his legacy as one of the best players in the Spanish side's history.
#2 Andres Iniesta
Andres Iniesta is a living testament to the fact that prevalent statistics do not make a football player. Having only scored 57 goals throughout his Barcelona career despite playing in a much more advanced role, the Spanish legend's abilities and impact on the game far transcends these feeble numbers.
After graduating from La Masia in 2002, Iniesta embarked on a 16-year journey with the club he joined aged just 12. His inventiveness and work ethic, in addition to his obvious technical abilities, distinguish the 131-capped Spanish international from the rest of the bunch. Iniesta famously finished second in the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or rankings, rounding off an all-La Masia top 3 with Lionel Messi on top and Xavi in third.
Following Xavi's departure in 2015, Iniesta inherited the captain's armband from his best friend, captaining Barcelona for a further three years. Despite signing a lifetime contract with the Spanish giants, Iniesta left the club for Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2018, where he is still putting in some dazzling performances at the age of 37.
#1 Xavi
Iniesta's partner in crime, Xavier Hernandez or Xavi, finishes in the top spot with close margins. Not a single soul would argue if anyone were to switch Xavi's position on this list with Iniesta. However, the current Al Sadd manager's status as one of the best midfielders ever to lace a pair of boots, renders any dispute invalid.
Another member of the one-club legends' society, Xavi spent 24 years with the club, with 17 of them contracted to the senior side. The Spanish veteran was an essential factor behind Barcelona's continental as well as domestic supremacy in the early 2010s, establishing a formidable midfield trio with the aforementioned Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.
The deep-lying playmaker was responsible for orchestrating some of the most beautiful build-up plays the sport has ever seen. Finding and exploiting spaces to make things easier for his teammates, Xavi succeeded Puyol as the captain of Barcelona for a solitary season. Not just one of the best Spanish players to don the famous Blaugrana jersey, Xavi's illustrious and trophy-laden career easily qualifies him as an all-time great of the beautiful game.
Also read: Top 5 attackers in La Liga (August 2021)
