Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Barcelona's top 10 players of the 21st century - ranked

Pique could not stay away from Barcelona. Raised in a fiercely Catalan family, his grandfather was even a Barca vice-president back in the day. Thus, it was little surprise when Pique regretted his move to Manchester United and returned to his boyhood club in 2008.

It proved to be an excellent decision by both parties. In his very first season back, Pep Guardiola inspired the team to a historic treble. Pique was a vital part of this success, instantly clicking with long-time centre-back partner, Carles Puyol.

His inaugural campaign set the tone for an incredible career. In the 14 years that followed, he was scarcely out of the starting XI, helping his side win a glut of major honours. He tailed off towards the end of his stint as his age began to catch up with him, but his commitment to the cause never wavered - as evidenced by his acceptance of several pay cuts when Barca were in financial strife. It would not be a surprise to see him become club president one day.

A graduate of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy system, Puyol didn't just stand out due to his iconic rock-and-roll hairstyle - he was also one of the best defenders of all time. Starting out as a full-back, it would be in the heart of the backline that Puyol made his name.

After impressing in age-group teams, he broke into the senior starting XI at the turn of the millennium. At the time, Barcelona were far from the all-conquering force they would become in the late 2000s, as they stuttered to a string of underwhelming league finishes.

Puyol's heart never wavered from the Blaugrana, though, and his loyalty was rewarded when Frank Rijkaard and Guardiola helped turned the club's fortunes around. Upon retirement in 2014, he reflected: "I've lived the dream of thousands of children and I'm privileged. I came here as a child and I leave with a family. I want to thank all those at the club who have made the club work every day that I have been here."

Dani Alves had two spells at Barcelona. The first one, between 2008 and 2016, was when he built a reputation as being one of the best attacking full-backs who has ever played the game, following Brazil's fine tradition of producing this sort of player.

Alves pushed so high during games he essentially acted as an auxiliary winger, allowing whoever was playing in front of him, often Lionel Messi, to wreak havoc in more central areas. He would then return to the club in January 2022, accepting the lowest salary possible.

Eto'o caused a stir when he labelled himself the best African footballer of all-time, dismissing Didier Drogba's claim to his title. "None of them can come and say that they were at my level or better," he said back in 2020. "And it's not the fact that I say it, it's a fact, it's something that is there. I wanted to be number one and I have been throughout my career."

As well as being his continent's greatest player, Eto'o also has a strong claim to be among Barcelona's all-time best forwards. A record of 130 goals in just 199 appearances speaks for itself, and Barca certainly missed him when he was shoved towards the exit door to facilitate Zlatan Ibrahimovic's arrival in 2009.

While Ibrahimovic clashed with Guardiola and failed to gel with his new team-mates, Eto'o helped Inter record a historic treble. We're sure the Nerazzurri's infamous Champions League semi-final victory over Barcelona was a particular highlight for Eto'o.

Barcelona were desperate to sign Suarez in 2014 and made him one of the most expensive players of all time when they finally agreed a deal with Liverpool. In typical fashion, he was absent for a portion of his maiden season at Camp Nou after getting suspended for biting Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup.

When that ban was served, he finally made his debut in a Clasico defeat to Real Madrid. But Suarez still made an impact, assisting Neymar's opener inside four minutes. The pair, along with Messi, formed the MSN frontline - one of the most devastating attacking trios the world has ever seen.

Watching these three in full flow was a joy to behold and they were damn effective too, helping Barcelona complete an outstanding treble under Luis Enrique. There was plenty more success to come for the devastating Suarez and, like Eto'o before him, he made Barca regret parting ways when he won La Liga during his first season at Atletico Madrid.

Born in Catalunya, the son of a Barcelona player, Busquets was born to play at Camp Nou. His father, Carles, was only ever a back-up goalkeeper for the Blaugrana. Sergio has accomplished a lot more, with only two players making more appearances for the club to date.

His talent for positional play, one of the key tenets of the Cruyffian football Barcelona like to play, was recognised at an extremely young age. He was a supreme protector of the ball in possession too, making him perfectly suited to the defensive midfield role he would make his own at Barcelona.

Busquets' influence has hardly waned as he's got older. His game was always more reliant on the speed of his mind then the speed of his body, and Xavi pushed hard for him to remain at the club for one more season before his departure was confirmed in May 2023.

No player lit up Camp Nou quite like Ronaldinho in the 21st century. His first Barcelona goal - a moment expertly retold by the award-winning GIANT podcast - typified the chaos, beauty and joy that was to come.

The game kicked off at five minutes past midnight for starters - a compromise with Sevilla who demanded the match was played on Wednesday, which would have meant Ronaldinho would have missed it due to the looming international break. Barca agreed to the request, but managed to get the earliest kick-off time possible.

Ronaldinho's magic kept the 80,000 packed inside the famous old stadium entertained, though, as he beat two players before unleashing an unstoppable effort which clipped the crossbar on the way in.

It was the first of many iconic goals Ronaldinho would treat culers to during his spell at the club - a period that saw them regain their pride and lift a string of trophies.

Another La Masia graduate done good, Iniesta was the supreme technician. Impossible to get the ball off at times, the Barca legend split his time at the club in midfield and wide forward roles.

There are so many iconic moments to choose from Iniesta's career, but few were as memorable as his strike in the Champions League semi-finals against Chelsea. The Blues were left fuming with referee Tom Henning Ovrebo throughout the second leg after he waved away several penalty calls, and Iniesta eventually broke their hearts with a splendid strike from the edge of the box in extra time.

That goal helped secure one of two trebles that he would enjoy at Camp Nou. Perhaps his crowning moment, though, came in 2015, when he received a standing ovation from Real Madrid fans at Santiago Bernabeu after putting in a match-winning display in El Clasico.

Iniesta's long-time partner in crime, Xavi gave Barcelona 17 years of impeccable service between 1998 and 2015. No Barca player has appeared more in European competition than the midfielder, and it seems unlikely that his record will ever be beaten.

He was always a man for the big occasion, evidenced by his outstanding display in the 2011 Champions League final against Manchester United. As he had done so many times before, Xavi completely dominated the midfield that night in London, rightly earning the Man of the Match award, as well as some lofty praise from Sir Alex Ferguson at full time.

This was Xavi at his absolute peak, and if it was not for a certain other Barcelona player he surely would've clinched the Ballon d'Or at some point during his career. He is now trying to improve his already-legendary status further from the managerial dugout - and the early signs are promising.

Who else? Messi rewrote what it means to be the best player in the world during his time at Barcelona, going toe-to-toe with Cristiano Ronaldo for 10 Ballons d'Or on the bounce. There isn't enough space on the internet to list off all the records that Messi eclipsed during his time in Catalunya.

Some of his highlights to date include six European Golden Shoes, seven Ballons d'Or and La Liga's goalscoring record. Without Messi's indescribable brilliance, Barcelona would not have won half of the trophies they collected in the 21st century, too.

His heart-wrenching departure from his beloved Blaugrana in 2021 still stings harshly for culers and the wider footballing world. Who knows, though? If recent reports are to be believed, he could yet have time to add to her Barca legacy before hanging up his boots.