Think of Barcelona and some great names come to mind. The majestic Johan Cruyff. The incomparable Diego Maradona. That other little fella from Argentina who took football to an entirely new plateau.
Think of Blaugrana and brilliant, inventive attacking fare quickly colours the picture, all of it propelled by Total Football and later Pepball.
Yet none of the club’s 142 trophies would have been won without solidity at the back, well-drilled defences that contained sweepers, stoppers and occasional hatchet-men of rare repute.
These ten epitomise this truth best of all.
Rafael Marquez
An elegant defender both in and out of possession the ‘Kaiser of Michoacan’ won 147 caps for Mexico, remarkably representing them at five World Cups finals.
For Blaugrana he traversed the Frank Rijkaard/Pep Guardiola eras, adored by both for his propensity to step into midfield and link up play.
Now an assistant coach for his national team, Marquez won four league titles and the Champions League twice across 240 appearances for the Catalan giants.
Sigfrid Graci
An integral presence in Barca’s famed 1950s side that was illuminated by the likes of Kubala and Suarez, the quiet Catalonian took no prisoners at the back, adding steel to the silky football played ahead of him.
Gracia’s trophy-haul contains three La Liga titles and a trio of Inter-City Fairs Cup triumphs. A grand total of 525 outings for Blaugrana is a testament to his longevity as much as his considerable talent.
Eric Abidal
A left-back who was just as impactful in the middle, Abidal joined Barcelona from Lyon in 2007, a year prior to Guardiola’s appointment.
All told, the French international made 125 appearances for Blaugrana, a figure that would have been much more had it not been for a serious illness.
In March 2011, a tumour was discovered in his liver, the diagnosis necessitating immediate surgery. One year later, complications resulted in further treatment.
Incredibly, just three months after his first op, Abidal played the entirety of a Champions League final against Manchester United and in typically consummate style kept Antonio Valencia subdued throughout.
His team-mates insisted it was he who lifted the trophy.
Joan Segarra
The legendary captain of Barca’s great Fifties collective, Segarra made 299 outings in La Liga alone, and only four other players can top that.
Forming a formidable partnership with Gracia, the duo were an almost impenetrable force with Barcelona conceding only 26 goals in 1955/56 and then again three years later.
Segarra’s unerring reading of danger meant that it all looked so easy for him. Maybe it was?
Antoni Torres
Whether deployed at right-back, centre-back or as a libero, Torres was all dependable efficiency and class, never letting Barcelona down in a decade of service that saw them win only one league title as Real Madrid stole a march.
This prolonged decline cannot of course be blamed in any way on Torres who was, quite simply, one of the finest defenders Spain has ever produced.
Miguel Bernardo Bianquetti
Nicknamed ‘Tarzan’ for his athletic physique and long hair, Migueli was a peer of Cruyff and – much later - a mentor to Maradona, on the pitch at least.
His decade-and-a-half in Catalonia encompassed the birth of Total Football and European success in the form of two Cup Winners Cup triumphs. On six occasions he was voted into La Liga’s Team of the Year.
Despite making 550 appearances at the highest level, Migueli’s legacy has subsequently been over-simplified, recalled as a ‘bully’ who intimidated opponents. But there was also guile to his defending, and plenty of it.
Dani Alves
Barcelona won six La Liga titles across Alves’ eight years in Spain. They conquered Europe on three occasions. They hoovered up other domestic silverware as well as lifting the Club World Cup three times.
We all know the twin principle reasons for such astounding dominance, as the emergence of Pepball coincided with Lionel Messi coming into his pomp. This perfect storm ensured Barcelona were routinely short-priced favourites in the football betting in every competition they were involved in.
It helped too though that down their right flank Barca were blessed to have the world’s best full-back, marauding forward at every opportunity.
The Brazilian mastered his role before taking it to a whole other level.
Gerard Pique
Amidst some very stiff competition, many proclaim Pique to be the greatest exponent of modern-day defending witnessed in our lifetime.
First and foremost, he was solid, performing the fundamentals of his craft to an exceptional degree week in, week out. He shackled and shepherded. His timing in the tackle was superb.
But the La Masia-graduate was also extremely composed in possession, never wasting a pass, and always available to switch play.
His ball-playing ability led to comparisons with another World Cup winner who elevated his era, Franz Beckenbauer.
Ronald Koeman
It’s difficult to describe the Dutchman to anyone who only knows him as a somewhat mediocre manager.
He scored 90 goals for Blaugrana across all competitions – an average of 15 per season – despite playing as sweeper. His vision at the back was such that he could create a goal-scoring opportunity from 50 yards away.
His free-kicks were so deadly they were considered as dangerous as penalties and he was the fulcrum of Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’ who transformed Spanish football for the better.
He also, pertinently, scored the winning goal in 1992 to secure the Catalans their first ever Champions League/European Cup triumph.
The blonde force of nature was a phenomenon. A cheat code. A freak in the best possible sense.
Carlos Puyol
Across an era that saw the club decorated to the rafters, Puyol was the beating heart and soul of a fearsome machine. He was a warrior. Mr Barcelona. Or Captain Caveman if we want to bring his hair into it.
Skippering a side so supreme they made sports betting almost redundant for a decade and more, the defender’s combative traits were a crucial element to all the success.
Naturally, he was infinitely more than Pep’s ‘muscle’, his peerless reading of the game made sure of that. But it cannot be understated how important it was that this fabulous construction had a cornerstone.
