Ranking top 10 Barcelona signings of all time

Barcelona may be known for possessing an academy that has produced the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi to name a few. But it doesn't mean they haven't had to look elsewhere to find talent to bring a change of fortunes.

Superstar signings have helped the club stay at the top of the Spanish football pyramid. Not all of them have worked out but when they've hit they have often become legends in Catalonia.

With that said, these are the 10 best players who signed with the club of all time. It's worth noting that Messi is not included due to joining the club's academy during his youth.

10. Marc-André ter Stegen

The German goalkeeper may not be the most flashy of names but Marc-André ter Stegen served as the catalyst of the clubs domestic dominance in the 2010s. He arrived from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014 and grew into a leader.

Only costing €12 million, he showed incredible ability on the ball on top of reliable shot stopping attributes. Winning the treble in his first season was just the start of a hugely successful career at the Camp Nou.

9. Samuel Eto'o

A diamond in the rough, Samuel Eto'o is the only player to win the treble in back to back seasons with different clubs. The Cameroonian arrived from fellow La Liga outfit Mallorca in 2004.

Before that he was a catalyst in the Blaugrana's comeback story in the mid 2000s frightening defenders with his pace and ruthless finishing. He scored the opening goal in both the 2006 and 2009 Champions League finals and came up clutch when it mattered most.

8. Hristo Stoichkov

The angry, aggressive, and brilliant talisman of Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team." The Bulgarian forward brought a ferocious winning mentality to Catalonia after arriving from CSKA Sofia in 1990.

Hristo Stoichkov won the Ballon d'Or in 1994 and helped the club secure four consecutive La Liga titles and their first-ever European Cup in 1992.

7. Rivaldo

When Ronaldo left for Inter Milan, Barcelona desperately needed someone to take on the star mantle. Rivaldo stepped up after signing from from Deportivo La Coruña in 1997, carrying the club on his back during a dip in the late 90s.

Rivaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 1999 and scored one of the greatest hat-trick in football history against Valencia in 2001 to single-handedly secure Champions League football.

6. Luis Suarez

A big money move from Liverpool in 2014 but he paid back every penny creating one of the most unstoppable forward lines of all time. Luis Suarez came in with a ban still left to serve but despite playing during the peak years of the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era able to secure a golden boot in his first full season at the club.

Suarez could set up his teammates and also get on the end of chances to kill off any time. Scoring some special goals and having the trophies to match he will go down as one of the best strikers to play for the club.

5. Dani Alves

The missing piece to Pep Guardiola's super team, Dani Alves redefined the right back position after making the switch from Sevilla in 2008. For a decade he was a reliable man on the flank with his pace and technical ability for the next decade.

Alves came up with outrageous goals and loved using the outside of his foot to bend his crosses around defenders. The Brazilian is the man who assisted Messi the most in his career.

4. Laszlo Kubala

The man who literally built the Camp Nou, in the 1950s, Laszlo Kubala’s popularity and absurd goalscoring talent, scoring seven goals in a single La Liga match, drew crowds so massive that the club's old stadium, Les Corts, could no longer hold them. 

Without his signing from Hungaria in 1951, the club may not be as much as a superpower as it is now with the 100,000 capacity stadium.

3. Neymar Jr

While his 2017 exit to Paris Saint-Germain cut his Camp Nou spell frustratingly short, his four years at Barcelona were pure magic. Arriving from Santos in 2014, Neymar became the partner Messi needed to take the pressure of him scoring all the goals.

He brought the flair and unpredictability to the front three of "MSN". His best moment came when he spearheaded a famous 6-1 Remontada against PSG in one of the best individual performances in Champions League history.

2. Ronaldinho

The man who brought entertainment back to Barcelona with a smile on his face, Ronaldinho, signed from PSG in 2003, showed that flashy skills can also be a winning way in Spain and Europe.

The Brazilian legend wrestled the La Liga title back from Real Madrid's Galacticos, also firing his side to the Champions League in 2006 while getting a standing ovation in the stadium of the enemy. His peak maybe could've lasted longer but he still won a Ballon d'or and helped usher in a young player called Messi on his way out.

1. Johan Cruyff

There may not be a more impactful signing in football history than Johan Cruyff joining Barcelona and creating total football. After joining from Ajax in 1973, the Dutchman won the club's first league title in 14 years and changed the DNA of the team with his team football and individual magic.

Cruyff managed 183 goals for the club and being a star in the a hostile political era in the country, showing his class setting the team up for long-term success.