The Barcelona XI of the most successful decade in its history

Goalkeeper: Víctor Valdés

There are few candidates for this role, as Barça have had just three first-choice ‘keepers in the last 10 years. But between Víctor Valdés, Marc-André ter Stegen and Claudio Bravo, the La Masia graduate wins hands down.

Valdés has always been underrated. He was never placed in the 21st century goalkeeping hall of fame, alongside the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Petr Čech and Iker Casillas. But the sweeper ‘keeper was as good as all of them, if not better.

It was Casillas’ performance in the 2010 World Cup for Spain which gave the Real Madrid man an edge over his Catalan counterpart. Valdés’ error frequency was high compared to Buffon and others, but he also made saves which could not have been made by anyone else.

Valdés’ Barça career ended on a low, with a spate of injuries resulting in the Spain international leaving the club while still on the treatment table. But that does not change the fact that he was brilliant, and instrumental to the teams of Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova.

Claudio Bravo and his successor Marc-André ter Stegen have also been very good, but both players lack the spark of Víctor Valdés. Ter Stegen may be the best goalkeeper in the world, but he does not have the ability to send the Camp Nou into a frenzy on his own.