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Barcelona have plenty of capable dribblers in their squad. Although the loss of Lionel Messi has been a massive tragedy, they have several exciting young talents with flair to look forward to.
The Blaugrana have always been synonymous with a style of football that is rich and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Some of the greatest dribblers in the history of football – Diego Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Neymar, Andres Iniesta, and of course, Messi – have all played for Barcelona.
The flanks are particularly important in Barcelona’s footballing system. Wingers are often expected to take quick touches and get in behind opposition defenders. This allows their full-backs to make overlapping runs or to cut inside and combine with the strikers and midfielders to create a central overload.
While Messi has almost always led the stats and figures when it comes to the best dribblers in world football, and by extension, the squad, his departure has left a gaping hole in the squad in terms of overall quality.
Unsurprisingly, Messi was Barcelona’s best dribbler last season with 182 successful dribbles (almost twice as many as the player in second position) with a success rate of 64.3 per cent.
Has Lionel Messi’s departure to PSG affected Barcelona’s dribbling?
Well, only marginally as far as the stats are concerned. While the Catalan club did have a huge gap over Real Madrid in successful dribbles last season (505 vs 460), they are doing pretty well this season as well. Barcelona are leading the chart in La Liga with 147 dribbles completed while Real Madrid are in second place with 141 successful dribbles.
Barcelona also have the third-highest success rate of 60.5 per cent. Atletico Madrid’s 61.8 per cent and Real Madrid’s 60.8 per cent completion rates are only slightly better. The Catalans have also had to play a major chunk of their season without the likes of Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele and Pedri, who all fancy taking on the opposition.
So, who are the best dribblers in the current squad? Let’s take a glance:
Note: All stats are sourced from fbref
#5 Pedri
Although Pedri hasn’t seen much game-time this season because of injury issues, playing only 151 minutes across all competitions, he’s one of the brightest talents in the Barcelona squad. The midfielder from the Canary Islands has quick feet and, as such, can fool the opposition trying to press him with a feint or sharp touch.
He had recorded 37 dribbles last season at a success rate of 57.8 per cent and was among the best in the Barcelona squad. Pedri also has strong numbers when it comes to progressive carries and carries that reach the final third. Those qualities were on show during this summer’s European Championship when the Barcelona starlet announced himself to the world.
#4 Sergino Dest
At Barcelona, the full-backs are expected to go forward at every opportunity in order to stretch the wings or provide crosses in the middle. As such, they need to be sharp on their toes and will have to be able to get in behind the opposition wing-back.
Sergino Dest has been quite successful at it and he leads the charts when it comes to successful dribbles this season (24). The American has a success rate of 57.1 per cent and he’s managed to dribble past players with ease across all competitions this season.
Like Pedri, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay, Dest also carries the ball several yards before providing the final pass or a cross. The return of Dani Alves, arguably the greatest right-back in history, is expected to help Dest improve his game even more.
#3 Frenkie de Jong
Although he’s yet to reach the level of football he played at Ajax in his Barcelona career, Frenkie de Jong is a supremely athletic midfielder. And he is not afraid of taking on the opposition. De Jong is the third-best dribbler for Barcelona this season with 16 successful dribbles so far.
He was also third-best last season with 52 completed dribbles. The Dutch midfielder has a fantastic average dribble success rate of 75.5 per cent over the last two seasons.
De Jong is also one of the most progressive carriers on the team. He was second-best last season and is third this season on the list of progressive carries with 1680 yards.
#2 Memphis Depay
Memphis Depay’s arrival has significantly boosted the creative flair in attack for Barcelona. Depay has a smooth right foot with which he often cuts inside and takes on the opposition full-back. He has also been deployed centrally, with Ansu Fati taking a position on the left.
Depay has recorded 23 successful dribbles this season. Unsurprisingly, the Dutch forward also led the charts at Lyon last season where he was a talismanic figure.
However, one of the downsides to his game is that he loses the ball quite often. No Barcelona player has been dispossessed more this season than Depay and he has also recorded a lot of mis-control in key areas on the pitch.
#1 Ousmane Dembele
Following the departure of Messi, Ousmane Dembele is the best dribbler at Barcelona right now. The electric winger combines pace with two-footedness to fool opposition defenders. Dembele had recorded 93 dribbles last season and was only behind Messi in the pecking order. He had a success rate of 61.6 per cent in the side.
Dembele’s horrible fitness record continues to take a toll on the club, who miss his services on the flanks quite often. New Barcelona manager Xavi addressed this issue in the press conference after his official presentation as well.
It will be interesting to see how Dembele can develop under the guidance of Xavi. However, the Frenchman is unavailable for selection against Espanyol in Xavi's first game as Barcelona manager and continues to spend time on the treatment table. Dembele has also yet to extend his contract beyond the end of the season.
