An enthralling battle is expected as Barcelona welcomes Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the quarterfinal stage in the 2025-26 Champions League, similar to their last meeting in the competition in 2016 at Camp Nou and also the one before it. Hansi Flick’s team and Diego Simeone’s men have been involved in a lot of pulsating encounters in the last two years and they now take it to Europe. Ten years ago, the Catalan giants, then under Luis Enrique, studded with stars that defined a generation at the club, took on a feisty Los Rojiblancos under their revolutionary Argentinian manager. It produced a nerve-wracking face-off with Atleti silencing Camp Nou with a smashing opener from Fernando Torres. Yet, the visitors had to fall back after their forward got sent off for a second booking, opening the gates for the host to seize the opportunity.
Barcelona launched themselves into full attacking mode after the break, forcing their rival’s defence to crack as Luis Suarez of the phenom front-three became the player of the moment to score a stunning brace to give them a 2-1 comeback win. In this article, we look back at the starting XI of Barcelona who started in that victory at Camp Nou and see where those players are at the present moment in their careers. Obviously, the game was played almost a decade ago, which means most of the stars have now retired from professional football, but there are players that are still playing at their age, closing to 40. Apart from their on-loan goalkeeper that night, nobody else is donning the jersey for the club anymore.
Goalkeeper: Marc Andre Ter Stegen (Still at the club, on loan at Girona)
Lost his place in between the sticks, first to Wojciech Szczesny last season and now to Joan Garcia, Marc Andre Ter Stegen has been loaned out to Girona for the present season, with a departure from the club looking inevitable this summer. The German player's tenure at the club has been plagued by injuries and inconsistent performance over the past few seasons. However, he was guarding the net as a young and promising shot-stopper that night, having won the Champions League with the Catalan giants in his debut campaign with the club a year ago, as their preferred goalkeeper for the competition ahead of Claudio Bravo. He was unable to keep a clean sheet in both legs as Barcelona bowed out of the competition but was able to make 423 appearances for the side since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach in 2014, establishing himself all-out number after the departure of the Chilean and keeping over 150 clean sheets with 26 coming in 38 league games in a single season in 2022-23 season, earning him the La Liga player of the season award. Ter Stegen won 20 trophies with Barcelona, including six La Liga and Copa del Rey titles.
Right Back: Dani Alves (Retired)
Regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, Dani Alves provided the crucial assist for the winner at Camp Nou. However, he was largely ineffective in the second leg, getting hooked in the 64th minute, replaced by Sergio Roberto, who is now at Serie A side Como. The Brazilian, like most others who donned the Barcelona shirt that night, had a trophy-laden career with the Blaugrana and at one point became the most decorated player in football history, with 43 trophies. Half of those honours came while playing for the Spanish heavyweights, including three Champions League honours and six domestic league titles. Joined Barcelona in 2008 as a promising full-back from Sevilla, he quickly established himself as an unshakable figure on the right-hand side, making 383 appearances, scoring 21 goals and providing an emphatic 105 assists. He spent 10 years with the club before leaving for Juventus in 2017, then returned for a second spell for half a season in January 2022 after a brief spell at Sao Paulo and PSG before that. Dani Alves announced his retirement the following year, following legal issues off the pitch after leaving the club permanently for Mexican side Pumas.
Center Back: Gerard Piqué (Retired)
Another club legend that brought the revolution of ball-playing centre-backs, captain Gerard Piqué, lined up in the backline as usual that night, growing into the game once Atleti retracted after going down to ten with distribution, but struggled in defence in both legs. Unlike most La Masia graduates who walked into the senior team directly, Piqué actually began his career in England with one of its prized clubs, Manchester United, in 2004, but he only made 15 appearances for the side with a loan spell at Real Zaragoza back in Spain in between. His potential was unlocked when he returned to the Catalan giants in the summer of 2008 and did not look back. Piqué enjoyed a stellar career with the club, winning 31 trophies with three Champions League honours, being one of the most effective contributors in all of those successes. He went to play 616 competitive matches for Barcelona, captaining the side for the most part and scored over 50 goals for a defender, having launched into the attack at times apart from his set-piece expertise. The retirement came in 2022, two years before the end of his contract, with faltering form amid a difficult period for the club. In the same year, he founded the Kings League, a seven-a-side football format in Spain.
Center Back: Javier Mascherano (Retired, Manager at Inter Miami)
Partnering with Piqué in the middle of the defence was Javier Mascherano, with this being the solid centre-back partnership for Barcelona in that successful era. Though the back-four cracked that night and also in the return leg at Calderon, the Argentinian was integral in it after gradually growing into the role from defensive midfield since moving from Liverpool in 2010 and successfully replacing the club great, Carles Puyol. Mascherano was also highly successful for the side, playing a key role in their Champions League success in 2015 and also lifting the trophy in 2011, as well as several domestic triumphs. Nicknamed "El Jefecito" or the ‘Little Chief’, the hardworking and tactically intelligent defender made 334 appearances for the Catalan giants. He left Barcelona in the 2018 winter transfer window to join the Chinese Super League side Hebei FC, then retired at Estudiantes in his homeland in 2020. Mascherano transitioned into his managerial career a year later, taking charge of the Argentina youth teams before taking the hot seat at David Beckham’s Inter Miami in 2024 and guiding them to MLS Cup success in just his second year at the club, with four players he lined up with for Barcelona that evening.
Left Back: Jordi Alba (Retired)
Jordi Alba was one of them who lifted the MLS Cup and alongside Sergio Busquets curtained down a glorious career at the age of 36 following the success. The left-back, like his opposite flanker Dani Alves, is considered one of the elite stars of his role and also delivered an assist for the equaliser on the evening to the same man, Luis Suarez. Similarly, the Spaniard enjoyed a trophy-laden career with the Catalan giants since signing from Valencia in 2012, but unlike most had only one Champions League trophy in his resume. Alba was outstanding on his flank, delivering 99 assists in his 11-year stay at the club in both good and bad times. While he found Suarez this time, he performed a strong partnership with a certain Lionel Messi, whom he delivered 33 assists to, a trend he carried on to Inter Miami, where he joined from Barcelona, after making about 459 appearances and also scoring 27 goals, in 2023 as his final destination.
Central Midfielder: Ivan Rakitic (Retired)
Integrated into the team as Xavi’s replacement and showing the impact by scoring in the Champions League final victory in 2015, Ivan Rakitic was at the height of his powers when he established his name in the midfield three, starting that evening as well. The Croatian helped in the play in the middle of the park, especially after the opposition sat off in the second half, before being substituted in the 64th minute to be replaced by another retired player, Rafinha, not to be confused with Raphinha. Rakitic delivered his excellence for most of his Barcelona career, contributing to 67 goals in 310 appearances and while he contributed to several domestic honours for the side, he couldn’t recreate the magic in the Champions League like his debut campaign to add more of the continental trophy to the cabinet. His form tailed off in his final season at the club and he had to move back to Sevilla in 2020, after leaving them for the Blaugranas half a decade ago. After spending four seasons there, winning the Europa League again, he spent a year with Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab and then a season with Hajduk Split in his home nation before calling time on his career
Central Midfielder: Sergio Busquets (Retired)
The man that revisioned defensive midfield playmaking role, Sergio Busquets, was the familiar face anchoring the midfield in the game and was among the eight players that started the only previous meeting against Atleti in 2014. Anything said is less for the 6 ft 2 inch footballer who would define his role immaculately, not by flashy play but by the simplicity of his task, allowing Barcelona to be a destructive force while he holds out the opposition. He was part of the iconic midfield trio alongside Xavi and Iniesta that is often considered the best the sport has ever witnessed. Busquets was also one of the La Masia graduates who was promoted directly to the senior team and he became one of the crucial pieces of the puzzle of successful Barcelona teams over the years. The Spaniard made 481 appearances for the Blaugranas for a whopping 16 years, serving with his sheer longevity and consistency. The midfielder won countless honors including winning this competition three times in seven seasons. His age ultimately caught up to him and he had to leave the club in 2023 to join Inter Miami, where the MLS Cup final win in December 2025 became the last game of his football career alongside Barca colleague Jordi Alba.
Central Midfielder: Andrés Iniesta (Retired)
While it was not the best of games for Andrés Iniesta, both at Camp Nou and the reverse leg in the Spanish capital, where he gave away the penalty through a handball, there is no denying that the now-retired footballer was probably the best midfielder ever to play the game. His agility, ball control and above all, outstanding intelligence were second to none, which even shaped modern playmakers. Iniesta spent 15 years at Barcelona since debuting in the senior team as an 18-year-old back in 2003, becoming a special player for the club and winning 30 honours with the side. Among them were four Champions League titles, which only he, Lionel Messi, Xavi and Piqué managed for the club. Being the player for the big games, he was the only player to be named ‘Man of the Match’ in three of those showpieces and produced an assist in each of his last three appearances in the competition final. Iniesta’s legendary career at Barcelona ended in 2018 when he signed for J League side Vissel Kobe, where he spent six years before moving for a season with the Emirates club in the UAE and then hanging up his boots forever in 2024 at 39 years of age.
Right Wing: Lionel Messi (Inter Miami)
Although Barcelona’s and the game’s greatest ever, Lionel Messi, did not provide any goals or assists in the game or even the second leg, the Argentine’s usual orchestrating play by dropping down in midfield, trademark dribbles and passes that created numerous chances, became a nightmare to defend for Atleti, especially when they sat back to defend their lead following a man disadvantage in the second-half. La Pulga almost scored from a spectacular overhead kick that whistled just wide of Jan Oblak’s post and also tested the Slovenian with his vicious free-kick that put the pressure for the ultimate reward. Messi’s unreal artistry delivered the best years Barcelona has ever seen as he became the superstar to revolutionise the Catalan giants in the modern age, joining the club as a 13-year-old and making his senior team debut in 2004. He tumbled almost all records, becoming the most appearances maker with 778, setting the world record for most goals scored by any single club with 672, delivering 303 assists and just to scratch the surface of his 17 incredible years with the club. Unfortunately, he had an unwanted tearful goodbye in 2021 after the club failed to register him for financial reasons and league restrictions, leading him to join PSG. Messi has since lit up MLS with Inter Miami since joining them in 2023 and added his third silverware with the side in the form of MLS Cup last year, having contributed 126 goals in 95 appearances.
Center Forward: Luis Suárez (Inter Miami)
The ‘S’ in the iconic MSN trio, Luis Suarez, was the only front three that found the net that evening, as his brace helped Barcelona secure a 2-1 comeback victory in the first leg, even though his fascinating performance did not help in the tie overall. The Uruguayan popped up at the right place at the right time to redirect a short pass from Alba in the 64th minute, before his delightful header from Alves’s cross 10 minutes later gave a celebratory atmosphere to the stunned Camp Nou from the early goal. Suarez did it time and time again for Barcelona as he became the deadly strike force the Catalan giants desperately wanted after David Villa’s departure, since his transfer from Liverpool in the summer of 2014. He won the treble in his debut campaign, including winning the Champions League and added 13 trophies during his time there. The forward also became the third-highest goalscorer in the club’s history with a mouthwatering 198 goals in 283 matches, while also providing 113 assists in a dominant era. However, the ending was not pretty as Suarez was forced out of Barcelona by then-manager Ronald Koeman in 2022, citing his age, which he paid back by winning the league title in the first season with the side he beat that night at Camp Nou, Atletico Madrid. The striker would go on to play for Nacional in his country, Grêmio of Brazil and then settle for Inter Miami in the US in 2024.
Left Wing: Neymar (Santos FC)
The third member of the lethal frontline, Neymar, was arguably Barcelona's most dangerous attacking outlet, despite not getting on the scoresheet himself. Early in the second half, the Brazilian superstar nearly scored a spectacular goal when he cut inside from the left and unleashed a curling strike that beat Jan Oblak but crashed off the crossbar and was directly involved in the incident that led to Atleti’s Fernando Torres getting sent off. Diego Simeone’s side adopted hard measures to stop him, fouling the winger five times, but he continued to be a menace even more when the opposition parked the bus and struggled to contain his dribbling. Neymar’s constant width on the left forced their defence to stretch, which eventually allowed Jordi Alba and Dani Alves the room to provide the assists for Suárez. He completed six successful dribbles, more than any other player on the pitch, and was a constant threat in the 1v1 situations against Atleti’s right-back, Juanfran. The Brazilian enjoyed five successful years at the club, scoring 105 goals in 186 appearances, then making the highly discussed world record fee transfer move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 to be the lone star, which did not work out as expected. Injuries kept derailing his career and after a short spell with Al Hilal, he is back with boyhood Santos, back in Brazil, whom he departed to join the Catalan giants in the first place, back in 2013.
Head Coach: Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
The team was managed by former player, Luis Enrique, who was the catalyst for getting the success back at the Catalan giants, led by Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard won the Champions League alongside a historic treble in his first season in charge since being appointed from Celta Vigo in 2014. While he could not deliver the European crown again in subsequent seasons, with the 2016 elimination at the hands of Atletico Madrid snapping their holders tag, he gave two La Liga titles and three Copa del Rey titles in his three-season tenure at the club. He then took charge of the Spanish national team and took them to the semifinals of Euro 2020, played in 2021 and the final of the Nations League the same year. However, after a disappointing exit from the 2022 World Cup at the last-16, he stepped down from his role. But he rose to the spotlight again after he took charge of PSG, where he is currently at, in 2023 and delivered their first Champions League crown in the club’s history alongside another memorable treble in 2025.
