Is the current Barcelona team the greatest club side ever to grace a football pitch? This is a talking point that has reared its head recently as a result of some of the awe inspiring performances Barca produce week after week. This, twinned with the magnificent style the players seem to almost effortlessly exploit on the field, makes me for one think the answer to this question is yes.
Football has long been dubbed as the beautiful game or Jogo Bonito as it is also known, and I don’t think there is any club who encapsulates this phrase more than the current Barcelona crop. The side consists of a plethora of world class players who make the game look simple with the consummate ease they pass the ball, deceive opposition players, score goals, and ultimately win football matches.
The array of talent they possess is plain to see, and the first player who springs to my mind in the side is the consecutive winner of the World Player of the Year award, Lionel Messi. Messi pipped Barcelona team mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi to the crown which further enhances the perception behind this article. Messi needs no introduction to any football fan as his reputation precedes him. What the little Argentine maestro can produce on the field is not only mesmerising but more often than not he conjures up an abundance of high quality goals. The Catalan club are also blessed with Spanish World Cup winners, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol and Villa, who along with Messi are the backbone of this fantastic side. Xavi himself recently acquired a 100% pass completion rate in an International friendly against Colombia, a feat that demonstrates his quality.
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This is clearly a question that is open to debate, and such a bold statement is bound to provoke many different opinions for and against the notion. It could be suggested, how can Barcelona be the best club side ever when they are not the current holders of the Champions League? There have been many fantastic sides over the years, the likes of the Real Madrid team from the ’50s, and the Liverpool team from the early ’80s. It’s clear that football has progressed dramatically since the eras of Di Stefano and Dalglish and I think the modern game is the benchmark and Barcelona continue to set the bar.
I didn’t bear witness to the great Liverpool or Real Madrid sides, but Graeme Souness was a mainstay in that Liverpool team. So when I heard him talking about the concept of Barcelona being the best team ever after their destruction of Arsenal in the Champions League it added further verification to my belief. And let’s not forget the current Arsenal side are seen by many as the best footballing team in England, so for Barcelona to beat them in such a nonchalant manner in their last two encounters at the Nou Camp says a lot.
I feel captivated as a spectator when I watch Barcelona, their ability to dominate opposing teams in terms of possession, quality and the manner in which they play leaves no doubt in my mind they are the best team I have ever witnessed. With Messi homing in on the all time leading scorers list and the team continuing to break records another league and European crown seems imminent.
Whether others share my view on this or not, is completely down to opinion. However few can argue that this current Barcelona team is one of the most aesthetically pleasing teams to watch and also one of the most successful of the modern era, and there seems no limit to what they can achieve with their brand of total football.
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