Ranking the 5 best dribblers at Barcelona right now
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.
Pedri: “I was in the barbershop with my dad and there was a Barça game. I asked the barber for Andres Iniesta's haircut because he's my idol, but my dad told me we could not do it because Andres was bald.” https://t.co/e4K9SHnMHc
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.
Dani Alves on Sergino Dest 🗣
“I’m going to try to help him as much as I can … he has everything to be one of football’s greats.”
(via @FCBarcelona) https://t.co/3qbJo68Ck5
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.