FCBARCELONA.CAT

27.07.2009 10:57

Barca history rich in strikers

Manel Tomàs / Jordi Clos

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the latest in a long line of great centre forwards who have graced the team over the years. From Gamper to Eto’o, Barca have had some of the world’s top goal scorers.

The arrival of Ibrahimovic continues the line of great centre forwards the club have had over the last twenty years, but the tradition goes back even further - the most impressive goal scorer of all has to be the club founder Joan Gamper who notched up 120 goals in 51 games between 1899 and 1903.

Carles Comamala (172 goals in 145 games), Paulino Alcántara (357 goals in 357 games), Vicinç Martínez (200 goals in 261 games), Climint Gràcia (162 goals in 151 games), Josep Samitier (326 goals in 454 games), Josep Sastre (116 goals in 167 games), Ramon (148 goals in 209 games), Escolà (223 goals in 253 games and Mariano Martín (188 goals in 167 games) were Barca’s main attacking heroes in the first 50 years of the club.

Cup triumphs and hundreds of goals

The fifties was an decade of many titles for the club, with much of the merit lying with a succession of great centre forwards: César Rodríguez (294 goals in 433 games), Ladislau Kubala (274 goals in 345 games), Eulogio Martínez (168 goals in 225 games), Evaristo do Macedo (178 goals in 226 games) and Sandor Kocsis (151 goals in 235 games) guaranteed a place in history for the club.

Cruyff

If Zaldúa (168 goals in 339 games) can be considered the most representative number 9 of the sixties, it was Johan Cruyff (83 goals in 227) who wa the most famous forward of the seventies. The signing of Cruyff in 1973 represents a key point in the history of the club and in 1978 he was succeeded by Hans Krankl (64 goals in 88 games) and Inrique Castro ‘Quini’ (101 goals in 178 games).

20 unforgettable years

The triumphs that the team enjoyed in the nineties was also in great part down to the great forwards the team had: Julio Salinas (141 goals in 297 games), Hristo Stoitxkov (162 in 336 games) and Romario (53 goals in 82 games) were the centre forwards of the Dream Team.

Since then, the quality of the attackers at the Nou Camp has certainly not dipped, with Ronaldo (48 goals in 51 games), Rivaldo (136 goals in 253 games), Patrick Kluivert (124 goals in 308 games) and Samuel Eto’o (152 goals in 232 games) thrilling the Nou Camp crowds. Zlatan Ibrahimovic can certainly feel himself part of a long tradition of strikers that he’s sure to continue.