5 days ago
16
Better than Yamal
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Barcelona’s squad is stacked with high-profile, world-class talent but one of their most underappreciated stars is quietly enjoying an outstanding season. Fermín López could have departed the Blaugrana in the summer with Chelsea submitted a substantial offer but the 22-year-old was determined to remain at his boyhood club and it’s been an inspired decision.
López scored an excellent brace, including one stunning strike, in Barcelona’s 4-2 win over Slavia Prague to earn glowing praise from Hansi Flick. “He's a fantastic player,” beamed the German. “The decision was his, and I'm happy he stayed. He's a player who lives and breathes Barcelona and has that Barcelona DNA. I really appreciated his performance today.” López’s double was significant as it brought up his 20th goal contribution for the LaLiga club this campaign, reaching double digits in goals and assists.
The stats behind Fermín López’s incredible season
The attacking midfielder’s numbers are truly impressive, especially as he’s not a guaranteed starter under Flick and he missed several weeks through injury. The Spain international has primarily been deployed in the number ten role with his creativity and finishing ability standout attributes. Only five players have scored more than López’s five goals in the Champions League this season and he’s also provided two assists. And as the graphic below illustrates, López is the top midfielder across the top five leagues for goal contributions in all competitions.
That statistic shows how the Barca star has been arguably the best attacking midfielder across Europe this campaign and his attacking output is superior to all his peers. With ten goals and ten assists in all competitions, López is registering an exceptional 1.19 g/a per90 and he’s unquestionably in the form of his life. The challenge for López will be to establish himself as a regular starter as he currently ranks 11th amongst Barcelona for minutes played. Lamine Yamal has the most goal contributions for Barca this season (22) but his record of 0.96 g/a per90 is lower than his fellow La Masia graduate, which further highlights López’s brilliance.
