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Barcelona are the kind of club every player looks to play for. Their rich history and pedigree have meant several legends of the game have graced the fabled Blaugrana colours of the club.
In more recent years, Barcelona have preferred having more attacking players in their squad, a trend that has continued with the signing of Dutch striker Memphis Depay this summer.
Lionel Messi has been at the vanguard of Barcelona's attacking play for more than a decade now, with the Argentine forming devastating partnerships with other attackers at the club over the years. That has helped the club win silverware galore, including two continental trebles.
On that note, here's a look at the top five scorers for Barcelona in the last ten years:
Note: Goals scored from the start of the 2011/12 season to the end of the 2020/21 campaign have been considered.
#5 Alexis Sanchez - 47 goals
It seems like aeons ago that Alexis Sanchez was a Barcelona player. The Chilean was a young upstart when he arrived at Camp Nou from Udinese in 2011, and was eclipsed by a host of superstars around him.
Yet, he managed to make a mark for himself, scoring 47 goals and making 37 assists in 147 games across three seasons, winning six titles.
Sanchez came as a promising young player but left as a bonafide star of the game, with Arsenal shelling out £31.7 million for his services in 2014.
Unfortunately, the star has lost much of this momentum in recent years, but recently became a league winner once again with Inter Milan in Serie A.
#4 Pedro - 54 goals
Pedro is among the few Barcelona legends who weren't valued enough at the club. He was unstoppable during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, but the arrival of other attacking stars severely hampered his chances.
Yet, he's the fourth-highest scorer for the Blaugrana in the last decade, with 54 goals. He also chipped in with a decent 34 assists too.
The formation of Barcelona's famed MSN (Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar) troika spelt the end of Pedro's Barcelona career, as he was reduced to just a bit-part role.
But he still managed to make a few telling contributions before departing for Chelsea. Pedro assisted Neymar in the 2015 Champions League final before netting the winner in that year's UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla, his last goal for the club.
#3 Neymar - 105 goals
There was plenty of doubt over how Messi and Neymar could play together at Barcelona. But the South American duo gelled brilliantly during the Brazilian's first year at the club and elevated their games following the arrival of Luis Suarez in 2014.
Although he was a regular name on the scoresheet, Neymar was more of a creator for Messi and Suarez, putting things on a plate for the duo to feed on.
Despite playing for only four years at the Camp Nou, the winger departed for PSG in 2017, having tallied 105 goals and 76 assists in 186 games, winning eight trophies, including a continental treble.
#2 Luis Suarez - 198 goals
Luis Suarez has to be the best Barcelona signing of the last decade. The Uruguayan, costing £65 million from Liverpool in 2014, took to the club's system like a fish to water.
Over the next six years, he would hit peak form and consistently delivered for the Blaugrana. Suarez played a key role in their historic 2015 continental treble before lifting nine more trophies.
He tallied a total of 198 goals from 283 games, which is no mean feat. In fact, Suarez is third on the all-time list of goalscorers for Barcelona.
Despite all his accomplishments on the field, El Pistolero was deemed surplus to Barcelona's requirements last year and jettisoned to rivals Atletico Madrid. Suarez proved Barcelona were wrong to do so, scoring over 20 goals to win the La Liga title with the Rojiblancos.
#1 Lionel Messi - 492 goals
Could it possibly be anyone else? Lionel Messi firmly established himself as the one of the best players of all time, thanks to his imperious goalscoring exploits in the last decade, netting 492 times since the 2011-12 season.
That has resulted in not only a plethora of individual honours, but fetched numerous trophies for Barcelona too, including a continental treble in 2015.
While many would say that campaign was Lionel Messi's best of the last decade, the Argentine had registered arguably the greatest campaign by a player in history when he scored an astonishing 73 times in all competitions in 2011-12.
Although given his age, the Argentine superstar is unlikely to post such ridiculous numbers again, he remains a quality player, and is likely to be re-signed by Barcelona before the start of the 2021-22 season.
