5 midfielders who can replace Andres Iniesta at Barcelona
Andres Iniesta is one of Barcelona’s greatest ever players and one of the greatest midfielders of all time. The Spaniard has a "lifetime contract" with the Catalan giants as a reward for his years of outstanding service.
Iniesta revealed in March that he received an offer to move to China in the summer. He said, “Before April 30 I have to make the decision whether I'm still in Barcelona or I'm going to China. I have to assess what is best for me and for the club,".
The 33-year-old is known for his exceptional passing, vision, dribbling, and movement. Replacing Iniesta is not going to be an easy talk and only a handful of players are even capable of coming close to that.
On that note, let’s take a look at the players who could possibly replace the Spaniard.
#5 Carles Alena
To many, the name Carles Alena may not sound familiar. Alena is a Spanish footballer who plays for Barcelona B as a captain and central midfielder. The 20-year-old made his Barcelona debut in the 2016/17 Copa del Rey when he scored a goal in a 1-1 draw away to Hercules. He so far has made 3 appearances for Barcelona in the La Liga, but none under the new manager Ernesto Valverde.
His exceptional skills, vision, and intelligence make him one of Barcelona’s most promising young players. He is at a club which does not hesitate to promote home-grown players. La Masia has produced some genius footballers like Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, and Sergio Busquets and Alena certainly has the potential to join their ranks in the future.