Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and the 25 best Barcelona players of the 21st century so far – ranked

GOAL counts down the finest footballers to have lined out for the Catalan club since 2000 – based on talent, trophies longevity and impact

Few clubs have experienced as many glorious highs and devastating lows as Barcelona since the turn of the century. The Catalans have enjoyed an era of unprecedented success, with four of their five European Cup wins coming between 2006 and 2015 thanks primarily to a group of exceptional academy graduates led by the greatest player of all time, Lionel Messi.

However, the Argentine’s departure in 2021 came during one of the darkest periods in the club’s history, with Messi’s exit made a necessity because of gross mismanagement and reckless spending that left the Blaugrana on the verge of bankruptcy.

So, to say the past 25 years have been eventful would be a colossal understatement, particularly as Barca have always managed to put outstanding talents on the field no matter what was going on off it – as underlined by the strength of the current squad.