Ranking Barcelona's 5 best players against Athletic Bilbao | La Liga 2021-22

#3 Pedri

Deportivo Alaves v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander

Since their inception, Barcelona have had the good fortune of fielding some of the most talented midfielders in the world.

One of their academy graduates, Pedri, is making Cules dream of another era of pure midfield dominance.

Only 19 years of age, the Spaniard has already proved himself in some of the toughest competitions in the world.

Last night, he got another opportunity to show the world why he is rated so highly, and, as expected, he did not disappoint.

The teenager was immaculate with his distribution, regularly carried the ball forward, and won his duels with ease.

Against Bilbao, the La Masia graduate played 86 passes with (93.5 percent accuracy, completed all of his attempted dribbles (3), and won eight of his 10 duels.

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#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

FC Barcelona v SSC Napoli: Knockout Round Play-Off Leg One - UEFA Europa League

From being frozen out by Arsenal to scoring goals for fun for Barcelona, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has come a long way over the last few months.

The 32-year-old forward is enjoying his football at the moment and seems confident enough to take on any team in the world.

Coming into the match on the back of four goals in two matches across competitions, Aubameyang was looking for ways to extend his goalscoring run.

The opportunity finally fell to him in the 37th minute, and he used his instinct to turn the ball in. Barca defender Gerard Pique met Dani Alves’ corner, but his effort hit the crossbar and came back into play.

Luckily for the hosts, the ball fell kindly for Aubameyang, who acrobatically found the back of the net.

Apart from the goal, the Gabonese striker registered a key pass, won a couple of duels, and completed an interception.

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#1 Ousmane Dembele

FC Barcelona v SSC Napoli: Knockout Round Play-Off Leg One - UEFA Europa League

Whistles were heard at the Camp Nou when Xavi introduced Ousmane Dembele for Ferran Torres in the 67th minute. The Frenchman, however, paid no heed to the jeers and turned them into cheers with an excellent shift.

Six minutes after coming on, Dembele found himself on the end of a Frenkie de Jong through ball. He carried it forward with pace, dashed down the byline, and dispatched a venomous left-footed effort to beat Simon at his near post.

Seventeen minutes later, Dembele added an assist to his goal, sending an inviting cross into the area from the right flank. Substitute Luuk de Jong applied a simple finish to send Barcelona 3-0 up.

The former Borussia Dortmund man’s final contribution came three minutes into added time. Once again crossing from the right flank, the 24-year-old, found Memphis Depay in the thick of things, and the Dutchman made no mistake from close range.

Having played a part in three of Barca’s four goals, the Frenchman arguably produced his best performance of the season on Sunday night.