As one of the strongest teams in the world of football, Barcelona has hundreds of great strikers who played for the club in different periods. Not only from Spain, the Catalan-based team also recruited a lot of strikers from many different countries. Some of them achieved outstanding individual achievements, even had also been named as the world's best players.
In this article, I'd like to discuss fifteen greatest strikers ever to play for Barcelona. The ranking in the list was created based on the individual skills of each striker as well as the amount of trophies they won at Barca. What do you think about this ranking? Feel free to leave your comment if you think that there are some other names that should be included in this list.
15. Alexis Sánchez
Fast, agile, and smart. Alexis Sanchez is a Chilean striker who was signed by Barcelona in 2011 from Udinese for a fee of 26 million euros. Currently, Sanchez managed to prove that he is the right person to accompany Lionel Messi in the offense line of Barcelona. Sanchez is not only prolific in scoring goals, but also often provides great assists for Barcelona strikers that lead to the team's victory.
14. Sándor Kocsis
Sandor Kocsis is a retired striker who was part of the golden generation of the Hungary national team in 1950s. Kocsis also created great accomplishment by becoming the top scorer of the 1954 World Cup and took his country into final rounds. He was famous as a striker with good finishing ability and also very effective in turning chances into goals. For seven years playing for Barcelona, Kocsis presented two La Liga titles.
13. Ronaldo
It is an undeniable fact that Ronaldo is one of the best Brazilian strikers of all time. Although he only joined Barcelona for one season, Ronaldo really showed stunning performance and outstanding contribution to the club. In a season, he scored 47 goals from 49 appearances, became the top scorer of La Liga, and presented Copa Del Rey trophy and Winners' Cup for Barcelona.
12. Julio Salinas
Julio Salinas played for Barcelona in the 1988-1994 period. The tall striker from Spain was known as a reliable target man, with remarkable heading and finishing capabilities. Before moving to Barcelona, Salinas had achieved success at Athletic Bilbao, where he won two La Liga titles and once became the top scorer of the tournament. At Barcelona, Salinas won more trophies, among others are four La Liga titles, one Champions League trophy and a Winners' Cup.
11. Joan Gamper
Joan Gamper is indeed the most influential striker for Barcelona compared to other names in this list. How not, he is the founder of F.C. Barcelona. In 1899, he put an advertisement in the newspaper, stating that he was looking for players to join the club named Football Club Barcelona. Gamper who was then 22-year-old also took part as a player, and played for Barcelona in the period of 1899 to 1903. He played brilliantly and scored more than 100 goals for the club.
10. Romário
Just like Ronaldo, Romario's career at Barcelona was also quite short. The former Brazilian striker only played for Barcelona for two years in the period 1993-1995. During those two years, Romario was able to show brilliant performance and claimed prestigious titles. He helped Barcelona win La Liga in the 1993-1994 season and became the top scorer of the tournament. Not only that, as a Barcelona player, Romario also led Brazil national team win the 1994 World Cup.
9. Johan Cruyff
The role of Johan Cruyff at Barcelona was more than just a striker. He sometimes played as a playmaker or an attacking midfielder, even after after his retirement he coached Barcelona and presented numerous trophies for the club. As a player, Cruyff joined Barcelona in the 1973-1978 period. His first season at Barcelona passed gloriously, in which Cruyff helped Barcelona win the La Liga for the first time after 13 years. In the same year, Cruyff was also named European Footballer of the Year and led Barcelona defeat Real Madrid by 5-0 at Santiago Bernabeu.
8. Pedro Rodríguez Ledesma
Pedro was raised by Barcelona Youth Academy, La Masia, and he started his debut for the senior team in the 2007-08 season. At first, he served a role as a substitute for the world class strikers such as Ronaldinho, Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He had to wait until the 2009-10 season, when he has been given a chance as a first team player. From then, Pedro has proved his quality by scoring a lot of important goals. In 2009, Pedro created a record as the first player in the world who is able to score in six different competitions within one year.
7. Hristo Stoichkov
The former Bulgarian striker played for Barcelona for seven years. He was dubbed with the name "Gunslinger" for his powerful shot that resembles a pistol shot. During his career at Barcelona, Stoichkov won five La Liga trophies, a Champions Cup, and a Copa Del Rey. His best moment in his career as a footballer occurred in 1994, when Stoichkov won the Ballon d'Or award and became the top scorer of the 1994 World Cup.
6. Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Kluivert is a retired Dutch striker who became a mainstay of Barcelona in the late 1990s. He is an example of a perfect target man. He is tall and possesses remarkable heading and finishing skills. He was also a very strong ball winner and often scored goals from set-pieces situation. At Barcelona, he played alongside the world's best players such as Rivaldo, Luis Enrique and Luis Figo. For six years joining Barcelona, Kluivert scored a total of 120 goals and won a La Liga title.
5. Ronaldinho
Without a doubt, Ronaldinho should be included in the list of Barcelona's best strikers of all time. His duet with Samuel Eto'o helped Barcelona dominate domestic and European competitions. During his period at Barcelona, Ronaldinho was not a typical striker who just sat back and wait for the ball. He was actively explored all parts of the pitch, and even sometimes ditched his role as a striker to play as an attacking midfielder. In the period 2003-2008, Ronaldinho presented two La Liga titles and a Champions League trophy for Barcelona.
4. László Kubala
During his ten-year career at Barcelona in period 1951-1961, Laszlo Kubala showed remarkable performances. The retired Hungarian striker won four La Liga titles and two Fairs Cup trophies for Barcelona. Not only prolific in scoring goals, Kubala also possessed great passing ability, high technique and astounding dribbling skills. In total, he scored 194 goals in 256 appearances for Barcelona.
3. Samuel Eto'o
Before the era of Lionel Messi, Eto'o was Barcelona's number one goal machine. The Cameroon striker's joined El Barca in the period 2004-2009 and scored 129 goals in 201 appearances. He also presented three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, as well as two Champions League trophies. During his career at Barcelona, Eto'o was recognized as a fast, smart, and effective striker. He also possessed high stamina and remarkable teamwork abilities.
2. César Rodríguez Álvarez
In terms of loyalty, Cesar Rodriguez is the number one compared to all the names in this list. He played for Barcelona for 16 years, scoring 232 goals in 351 matches. He led Barcelona win five La Liga titles and also became the tournament's top scorer in the 1948-49 season. In his prime, Cesar Rodriguez was known as a reliable target man who scored a lot of goals from corner-kick situation.
1. Lionel Messi
Without a doubt, the title of the best Barcelona striker of all time should be awarded to Lionel Messi. Starting his debut in 2004, so far Messi has won numerous team awards and individual achievements. He claimed six La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies, two FIFA Club World Cup and two UEFA Super Cup. Not only that, Messi also holds the record as the all-time top scorer of Barcelona and four times won the Ballon d'Or.
