5 Footballers who refused to be 'just' substitutes

#4 Sergi Roberto

Roberto's crowning moment in the 6-1 second-leg demolition of Paris-Saint Germain last season

Barcelona has been blessed with some of the best, in the middle of the park, with the likes of Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquests all gracing the pitch at the Nou Camp. Therefore, youth products of the likes of Rafinha and Sergi Roberto were put at a disadvantage when it came to starting for the side.

The limited opportunities that the youngsters got were not enough to prove their worth as they were deemed not good enough for the side from Catalonia. Soon enough, both were pushed further down the pecking order with Andre Gomes and Ivan Rakitic coming into the side. Even the stylish Thiago Alcantara was moved on to Bayern, so what chance did the others have.

This saw Rafinha move onto Inter Milan this season, but the story of the Spaniard has unfolded quite differently.

The Spaniard was looked down upon as substitute or as cover for the starters in midfield for Barcelona. The initial opportunities he got at right-back didn't work out for him as he failed to adapt to the demands of the full back position. He often looked out of place on the flank and lost the ball in tight-spaces. Not great for a footballer looking to make a name for himself in the Catalan side.

It was current Manchester City manager who noticed the potential in Roberto and handed him his first senior start for Barcelona but the Spaniard failed to make a real impression only going on to play a total of 11 matches in the next season.

It wasn't until Gerardo Martino took over as head coach that sergi Roberto started getting a regular run-in with the side. He was involved in 17 League games under the coach who also used the Barca youth product in Cup competitions and the Champions League.

He fell out of favour with Luis Enrique when he initially came in, who looked for a more permanent full back on the right flank, as he brought in the likes of Alex Vidal and Lucas Digne to the Camp Nou. For all the world, it looked like Roberto would have to look to kick-start his career elsewhere.

However, with the new entrants failing to make an impression, the midfielder slotted into the position - which Dani Alves made his own for so many years - and he started delivering.

What followed is common knowledge. Roberto put in consistent performances and looked to find a way to mould himself into a right-back with the skill set of a midfielder (which he possessed). His ability to carry the ball forward has helped out his team on so many occasions, relieving pressure on the back-line and countering on the break.

Sergi Roberto: Has completed more dribbles (42) than any other defender in La Liga this seasonFor more player stats -- https://t.co/KVWISASkdl https://t.co/16beX1IOtw

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) February 22, 2018

Roberto has linked up beautifully with Luis Suarez all season long, providing the same number of assists that Jodi Alba has for Lionel Messi. He is now a constant feature in the Barcelona starting line-up and memorably came on in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 to overturn a 4 goal deficit to provide the all important 6th goal in the 95th minute of the game.

Since that particular performance the Spaniard has become almost untouchable in the first team.