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#2 Samuel Umtiti, 24, Barcelona
Samuel Umtiti joined Barcelona in 2016 from Lyon for €25 million and his career graph has only gone upwards since then. After winning the La Liga and the Copa Del Rey last season he went on to win the FIFA World Cup with France, making a rock-solid centre-back pairing with Raphael Varane.
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The young French defender established himself as the first choice centre-back ahead of Mascherano in the Barcelona starting eleven last season and has been giving great defensive performances match-after-match. He averaged 1.48 tackles and 1.66 interceptions per 90 minutes last season. He uses his physical strength to dominate the opponents and doesn't give them an inch to breathe.
Umtiti also stands out with his ball playing ability and has shown his excellent passing range for France in World Cup and Barcelona last season. He averages 60 passes per game with a passing accuracy of 91%.
The former Lyon graduate is already at the pinnacle of club football at the age of just 24. He would like to win a UEFA Champions League title with Barcelona to win the biggest trophy in club competition and complete his footballing CV.
