Top 5 best players for Barcelona so far this season 

#3 Arthur

Arthur has been immense in the middle for Barcelona

Ever since Xavi departed Barcelona in 2015, fans of the Blaugrana have cried out for his replacement.

The club's board had searched across the world and within, bringing in different players in a bid to fill that void, but all efforts proved abortive.

The iconic Xavi had been associated with Barcelona for over 25 years and was a mainstay in the first team for 15, being ingrained with the Barca DNA. So replacing him was always going to be a tall order.

When Barcelona sanctioned the purchase of a relatively unknown Brazilian midfielder for €31m in the summer of 2018, not much optimism was raised, with it being expected that he would be the latest to fail to fill Xavi's rather huge shoes and his early periods at Barcelona did not do too much to thwart this viewpoint.

However, as the saying goes, greatness arises from chaos and it was such scenario that helped bring Arthur to the limelight, as he was given his debut by Valverde in a UCL clash with Tottenham amidst a run of poor form for Barcelona and his performance on the night drew praise from all over the world.

From then on, he became a mainstay in the team, forcing Valverde into a change of formation and he has grown from strength to strength, with his touches and vision in the middle of the park drawing positive comparisons to Xavi, with the iconic Barca legend himself giving the Brazilian his full endorsement.

The 22-year-old has helped offer the Barcelona midfield a stability which had been sorely lacking in recent years, giving Ivan Rakitic the license to roam forward with his more direct style of play.

So far this season, Arthur has made 32 appearances in all competitions and if he is to continue with this trajectory, you can be sure he would remain a mainstay in the Barcelona midfield for many years to come (much like the man whose throne he inherited).