Top 10 Forwards At FC Barcelona of All Time - Messi Tops The List

Many world class forwards have graced the pitch for FC Barcelona. Current "World's Best Player", Leo Messi, being one of several legends of the game that have put on the blaugrana shirt. How do they rank compared to each other when taking into account their form while playing for the Catalan giants? It's difficult to argue against Leo Messi as the number one player on the list, but after that, it may not be as clear. This is my personal take on this (not so) simple task:

My top 10 list:

1. Messi - GOAT that he is. 209 goals, 87 assists.... and counting. And still so many years left!!!! Not even at 300 matches played yet, and he has the top spot on the FCB scorers list in his sight. He is not only sure to get that record with many years left to play, he's sure to shatter the record cementing his name in FCB history for decades to come.

2. Cruyff - A legend of the game, only fitting that he falls behind only Messi. An ability to create goals for others and score goals of his own accord. He was a brilliant passer of the ball who also scored when it was there for him. He played a similar role to what Messi is now playing for Barcelona, though Messi has shown he can create and score even more ruthlessly than Cruyff himself.... which is saying something. That being said, outside of Messi, no other player that has played on the front line for this historic club can compare to Johan Cruyff.

3. Kubala - This Hungarian sensation still holds the record for most goals scored in a single La LIga match by a single player: 7. He scored 194 goals in 256 matches. The Reason he gets 3rd in the list, above all others once you get passed the living legends of Messi and Cruyff, is due to the first full season he played for FCB, the 51/52 season: 39 goals in 28 matches! An astonishing goal average.

4. Rivaldo - Some will call him a midfield player, I don't, as he truly played a forward position for FC Barcelona. This was the first FC Barcelona player I remember being wow'ed by fully and emotionally. Part of that is because I was finally old enough to really understand what I was seeing, and part of it was because the guy was just so amazingly good. His stats back up this selection, but his stats don't tell the story at all of how good he was. Anyone who has seen his hat-trick on the final day of the 2000/2001 season against Valencia to win La Liga knows what a special player Rivaldo was for the club. Number 4 on this list, and no regrets.

5. Cesar - He currently holds the record: 235 goals in official competitions to top our club list of goal scorers by a long shot..... at least until Messi catches him sometime next season. That took him 351 matches though, which is why he's not top of this particular list of mine. If some of the players above him had 351 matches with the club, they too would have 235 goals or more.

(Side Note: Kubala and Cesar in the 51/52 season combined for 68 goals in all competitions! They won the league with a GD of +49 (30 game season).)

6. Eto'o - I love Eto'o. What a pure scoring talent. So athletic, such a deadly nose for goal. If not for his knee injuries, he'd be well above his already amazing 130 goals in just 5 seasons played with FC Barcelona. Many will put players like Ronaldinho and the other top Brazilian talent we've had above Eto'o, and I think that's a mistake (bar Rivaldo at number 4 of my list). If Eto'o were Brazilian, people would call him a legend, and he'd have at least 1 world cup as a top scorer golden boot in the tournament... but he's not Brazilian, so there you go.

7. Ronaldinho - Yes, Ronaldinho finally gets into my list AFTER Eto'o. At his peak, he was legendary, no question. Something about his last seasons, and his faults, keeps me from giving him a higher rank in my list. Despite all he did for FC Barcelona, and has done in the game, I'm always left with a feeling of "what could have been" with him. I feel he could have been in the greatest ever debates, but due to his own lack of effort and determination, he fell short. The talent was there.

8. Suarez - Also from the "Kubala" era in the 50's at FC Barcelona, and went on to really make a name for himself at Inter in the 60's. One of Spain's greatest players historically, and while much of that was once he had already moved on to play club football at Inter, there is no question that he was already on his way to being a great during his 6 or 7 seasons at FC Barcelona. A powerful shot, play making ability, and intelligent team play mark his style on the pitch.

9. Ronaldo - I know it was only a single season for FC Barcelona, but what a season it was. He's lower on the list than he might be for others that make up these lists due to the simple fact that it was only a single season at the club. The power of this player, the will to score at all costs, the danger posed to the opposition's defenders was unmatched. What a season it was.

10a. Stoichkov - This guy is about far more than just his goals, which only total about 80 or 90. He was a Golden Ball winner for FC Barcelona, and brought amazing passion to the pitch (sometimes misguided in stomping a referee or some other naughty behavior). He was a forward that also knew how to create for others. He could play anywhere on the front line as well.

10b. Mariano Martin - If not for a knee injury that turned off the goal scoring far too early for this player, he would have been a legend and topped the club scoring charts. From the 41/42 season, he had 3 amazing seasons in which he scored over a goal a game with 71 goals in 66 games. If not for that knee injury in the following season while playing for Catalonia in a friendly match... who knows what he would have done.

I know, that's a top 11. I couldn't decide between the last two for that 10th spot, not wanting to leave either of them out of the list. There are a ton of other players who could probably make it into that 10th spot as well.... but hey, that's my choice and I'm sticking to it.

Some notable absences from my list:
Maradona doesn't make my list. Injuries kept him from being at his best for us, and he left too quickly to go to Napoli.
Romario also doesn't make my list. Not enough time for me at the club. The only way short 1 or 2 season players make my list is if one of those seasons was an ultra special season, like Ronaldo.