The list of Barcelona‘s all-time top 10 appearance makers is stacked with players who starred at some point during the Pep Guardiola era.
However, Jordi Alba is one player who was signed in the summer of Guardiola’s departure, the left-back being acquired after impressing during his time for Valencia.
Having just earned his first caps for Spain, Alba’s reputation was on the rise, and that was emphasised by being handed 44 appearances during the first of 11 campaigns at Camp Nou.
Hamstring issues led to a frustrating 2013-14, yet it was already clear at this stage that Alba had the potential to become a mainstay in the club’s defence.
Across more than a decade at the Catalan giants, Alba made at least 26 outings in every season, featuring 45 or more times in four of those campaigns.
As well as ending his stint with a remarkable 27 goals and 99 assists from the left-back role, Alba won 17 pieces of silverware, including six La Liga titles. The negative was that just one Champions League trophy was lifted during that period.
Even having entered veteran status, Alba is now starring for Inter Miami, joining forces with fellow former Barcelona teammates in Sergio Busquets, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in MLS and having seven goals and 19 assists from 58 matches.
To celebrate Alba’s 36th birthday, Sports Mole is challenging you to name the club’s top 10 appearance-makers of all time.
