Players from many different nations have rocked the blue and red of FC Barcelona. In fact, the club's best player doesn't even hail from Spain. From Brazil to South Africa, Barça has seen players from diverse backgrounds impact people's lives through football.
Among the players from more than 50 nations who have played for the Bluagranes, Swedish footballers have had their fair share of contributions towards the club. Today, we take a look at the best Swedish footballers to ever don the Barcelona shirt and relive their best goals.
3. Patrik Andersson
Patrik Andersson joined FC Barcelona from Bayern Munich in 2001. His FC Barcelona career was long in terms of time but short-lived in terms of appearances. The Swede probably had a better time at Bayern Munich, where he secured a Bundesliga title with his last-minute goal.
A solid defender who was very comfortable with the ball at his feet. His positional awareness was immaculate, which resulted in him giving away very few unnecessary fouls. The Swede was part of the squad that won the 2002-03 La Liga title under Radomir Antić.
After the 2002-03 season, his good time was probably over. Injuries overshadowed the rest of his career and he finally retired in 2004. Not the best of Barcelona defenders, but his contributions to the club are pretty notable.
Here is the only goal the defender scored for Barcelona..
2. Henrik Larsson
One of the best players to come out of Sweden, Henrik Larsson was known for his intelligence, clinical finishing and link-up play. Even after not being a part of the regular line-up, Henrik Larsson became somewhat of a super-sub for the Catalan giants.
Larsson arrived at Camp Nou in the summer of 2004. In his first season, he played a crucial role in securing the La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. In the UCL Final against Arsenal, Larsson assisted two goals which triggered FC Barcelona's comeback.
After two seasons at the club, Larsson packed for Sweden, where he retired after a stint at Helsingborgs IF. Here is the super-sub's best goal..
1. Zlatan Ibrahimović
Probably one of the most underrated players in football history, Zlatan Ibrahimović's stint at FC Barcelona wasn't the best of his career. Scoring 22 and assisting 13 goals for the span of one season wasn't bad, but it wasn't best either by the Swede's standards.
The striker arrived in 2009 from Inter Milan, which was one of the biggest high profile moves of the season. It also saw Samuel Eto'o moving to the other side. While Eto'o enjoyed his time in Italy, Zlatan didn't have the same experience.
Marked with a mixed bag of performances and personal issues with gaffer Pep Guardiola, Zlatan couldn't find his footing at Camp Nou. After an unsatisfactory season, the Swede was loaned out to AC Milan in 2010. The deal ended up becoming permanent in 2011.
As for the best Zlatan goal for FC Barcelona, here is one..
This was our list of FC Barcelona's Swedish players and their best goals. Beyond the goals, these players have also contributed to the camaraderie that defines the club. We hope to see many more talented Swedish players like Zlatan, Henrik and Patrik play for Barcelona in the future and raise the standards both on and off the pitch.
Visca el Barça!