The Barcelona XI of the most successful decade in its history

(Top Row L-R) goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen of FC Barcelona, Samuel Umtiti of FC Barcelona, Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona, Sergio Busquets of FC Barcelona, Gerard Pique of FC Barcelona(Front row L-R) Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona, Neymar of FC Barcelona, Andres Iniesta of FC Barcelona, Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona, Jordi Alba of FC Barcelonaduring the UEFA Champions League quarter final match between FC Barcelona and Juventus FC on April 19, 2017 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(Top Row L-R) goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen of FC Barcelona, Samuel Umtiti of FC Barcelona, Ivan Rakitic of FC Barcelona, Sergio Busquets of FC Barcelona, Gerard Pique of FC Barcelona(Front row L-R) Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona, Neymar of FC Barcelona, Andres Iniesta of FC Barcelona, Luis Suarez of FC Barcelona, Jordi Alba of FC Barcelonaduring the UEFA Champions League quarter final match between FC Barcelona and Juventus FC on April 19, 2017 at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
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BARCELONA, SPAIN – October 2: Lionel Messi #10 of Barcelona during the Barcelona V Internazionale, UEFA Champions League group stage match at Estadio Camp Nou on October 2nd 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN – October 2: Lionel Messi #10 of Barcelona during the Barcelona V Internazionale, UEFA Champions League group stage match at Estadio Camp Nou on October 2nd 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

Attack: Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Pedro

David Villa was hugely successful at Barça. He joined the side in his prime, and excelled at whichever position the manager played him in. That was the void that Luis Suárez had to fill when he was brought in from Liverpool.

The Uruguayan centre-forward got off to a slow start, but really started to blossom as part of MSN. In his second season at Barça, he scored a stunning 59 goals in 53 appearances and continued his goalscoring run well into the reign of Ernesto Valverde.

Currently, Suárez is the third-highest league goalscorer for Barça. ‘El Pistolero’ remains an important part of the first-team despite his recent decline, and will go down in history as one of the biggest attacking talents to have played for Barça.

Down the left flank, Neymar and David Villa are very good candidates to make the team of the decade. They were both successful, and scored plenty of goals for Barça. But it should be Pedro, the La Masia graduate who should ideally get precedence.

Pedro was a reliable quantity down the right, scoring goals and providing assists very frequently. He belonged to the same generation of footballers as Busquets and Piqué, and was also very successful at the international level for Spain.

Between 2010 and his departure in 2015, Pedro scored 62 goals and provided 46 assists in 250 appearances in all competitions. While those figures look unimpressive next to the records of Neymar and Villa, Pedro was always a loyal servant to the club.

Most of his appearances for the club in the last decade were off the bench, and yet he was always prolific. Pedro was very important in the emergence of Messi as the best player in the world, creating a solid supply line alongside the likes of Iniesta.

As for Lionel Messi, mentioning anything about his contribution for Barça in the last 10 years demeans it. Some things are truly better left unsaid.