5 best passers at Barcelona right now

For FC Barcelona, the idea of playing quick, line-breaking passes and getting behind the opposition defense is absolutely crucial. The club always tries to adhere to Johan Cruyff’s foundational principles of playing an aesthetic brand of football.

The club has gone through an identity crisis over the last half a decade. However, the return of former President Joan Laporta and club legend Xavi as head coach is a promising step in the right direction.

Barcelona have several promising stars in their ranks

The Barcelona midfield boasts spectacular young talents in Frenkie de Jong, Nico Gonzalez, Pedri and Gavi. They all seem extremely comfortable with the ball at their feet and can break opposition lines for fun.

Here we’ll be talking about the best passers at Barcelona as of this moment.

2021 Golden Boy winner Pedri is one of the most ingenious passers at Barcelona, but he has hardly played this season due to injury. Therefore, he is not included in the list. Only players who have played above 300 minutes of football across all competitions are being considered.

Without further ado, let’s talk about the best passers at Barcelona right now:

#5 Nico Gonzalez

FC Barcelona v RCD Espanyol - La Liga Santander

Barcelona’s famed youth academy La Masia continues to churn out promising midfield talents. Along with Gavi, 19-year-old Gonzalez has been the breakthrough story of the season so far. Wearing the number 28, Gonzalez has been an absolute delight with the ball at this feet.

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They might be slightly different players, but Gonzalez also resembles Sergio Busquets the most. He hardly ever loses the ball when pressed and also makes the correct decision almost every single time. He has a pass completion accuracy of 91.5%. He also has a high long pass completion rate of 75.8%.

One area of his game where the midfielder would like to work on is to cover more progressive distance with his passes. Although the 945 yards his 20 progressive passes have covered across competitions is no small number, the likes of Busquets, de Jong, Gavi and Coutinho rank higher in that regard.

#4 Gavi

Gavi’s rise through the ranks has been an incredible story to follow this year. Not only has he established himself directly in the first-team despite playing very few matches for Barcelona B, Gavi has also featured heavily in Spain manager Luis Enrique’s plans.

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Gavi’s ability to turn quickly, make quick dribbles, occupy vacant spaces and release final balls is uncanny for a player who is just 17-year-old. He has shown the maturity of a seasoned player in his short spell at the top of world football so far and is only likely to get even better.

Gavi has completed 88.6% of all his passes and his passes have covered a progressive distance of 1444 yards. The 17-year-old also operates closer to goal and his passes have entered the final third of the pitch 50 times across all competitions.

Only Eric Garcia, Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong have better numbers but all three of them have played more minutes than Gavi.

#3 Eric Garcia

FC Barcelona v Levante UD - LaLiga Santander

A La Masia graduate, Eric Garcia returned to Barcelona this summer after spending four seasons at Manchester City. His first few months at his boyhood club have been difficult as Garcia has struggled to adapt to the pace of the game and has looked out of depth.

However, he’s growing into the team slowly and new head coach Xavi also trusts the 20-year-old. One of the most important reasons behind that is because of what he adds with the ball at his feet.

Garcia is a supremely talented passer and ball-progressor and he is key to the Barcelona build-up. He has the highest pass completion rate in the team of anyone who has played over 300 minutes this season (93.5%).

The 20-year-old’s passes have also been line-breaking and incisive. This is reflected by the fact that 76 of his passes have entered the final third of the pitch and he has also completed 67 progressive passes. His numbers are among the best in the team in both those categories.

#2 Frenkie de Jong

Frenkie de Jong is among the best box-to-box midfielders in the world. Although he has often blown hot and cold, especially with Barcelona, at his best he is almost unstoppable. De Jong has been instrumental in Barcelona’s build-up play, especially under Xavi and is starting to show signs of better consistency.

The Dutch midfielder is a secure passer of the ball and a passing accuracy of 91.3% just goes to show that. His passes have also covered a lot of progressive distance (2705 yards) and he’s also a gifted athlete who can carry the ball at his feet a large distance.

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As far as passes that reach the final third are concerned, De Jong has the third best numbers in the team. His 73 passes are just behind Eric Garcia’s tally of 76. The 24-year-old also makes plenty of progressive passes and this season he has managed 62 so far.

#1 Sergio Busquets

FC Barcelona v Granada CF - La Liga Santander

Despite entering the final stages of his career, Sergio Busquets’ prominence only continues to grow with Barcelona and the Spanish national team. The arrival of Xavi as manager has bolstered his importance and Busquets now has a proper structure around him that allows him to progress further with the ball and make incisive passes.

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Following Messi’s departure, there’s no doubt that the Barcelona captain is now the best passer in the team. His passing accuracy of 86.7% is often skewed by the high volume of passes he has played (927) but it’s the zones where he has been passing that makes him so important to Barcelona.

116 of Busquets’ passes have entered the final third of the pitch and he has also completed 98 progressive passes. Busquets also covered a progressive distance of 4847 yards with his passing. The 33-year-old is crucial to maintaining Barcelona’s rhythm and acts as a midfield lynchpin.

Edited by Nived Zenith