Barcelona Player of the Season 2023-24 power rankings: Lamine Yamal has put Robert Lewandowski and Co. in the shade

Xavi has repeatedly stuck up for Roberto, insisting that his vice-captain can deputise in a number of key roles. That may be true, but it’s unclear which ones he actually functions in. He doesn’t offer the creativity of Pedri, finesse of Frenkie de Jong, nor physicality of Oriol Romeu. And these days, he lacks the legs to make up for it.

He may be a dressing-room favourite, but Roberto looks well off the level required to play for an elite European club.

What exactly was Romeu supposed to be? The Barcelona academy player could never replace Sergio Busquets after returning to the club from Girona. The expectation was, perhaps, that he could function in the same way, providing the muscle at the base of the Barca midfield. However, his lack of pace, and non-existent agility has been costly.

Once a nailed-on starter, he has fallen out of favour, and will likely be made available for sale this summer.

Cancelo has endured a mixed season. Some of his attacking quality has been clear to see, but he hasn’t been the chance-creation beast that Barca perhaps hoped when they signed him on loan from Manchester City.

At times, it has felt like he has kept some compelling younger talents out of the side, and it’ll be interesting to see if the Blaugrana make his loan move permanent.

Do Barca actually want him? Roque enjoyed two good weeks immediately following the completion of his transfer in January, scoring twice and being a general menace in the front-line

But he has barely made an appearance since, and talks of a permanent move away from the club for the teenage striker might become more than idle chatter.

At the end of last season, Balde looked like one of the best left-backs in Europe. The teenager had established a perfect role for himself at Barca as he marauded up the left flank, and served as a key chance creator for a team that strolled to the league title.

He seemed to be recapturing that form this season, too, but a serious muscle injury suffered in January ruled him out for the season.

A replacement for the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Pena looked good at first, but his flaws as a shot-stopper and distributor were soon exposed. He’s a solid back-up – and little else.

Barca was supposed to be the club where Felix could turn things around, but it’s just been more of the same from the Atletico Madrid loanee.

Excellent in some games, and anonymous in others, the Portuguese is lacking the consistency that would make him one of the best in the world. It’s hard to justify keeping him around for next season.

A few impressive shifts as a stand-in for the injured Balde, and Fort might have done enough to earn himself a spot in the first-team squad for the years to come.

He’s not as technically able as Balde, but he is an excellent defender, and tireless runner. It has been disappointing that Xavi hasn’t given the teenager more of a look.

Martinez is a curious player. He isn’t the most physical, but his passing ability from the back certainly makes things happen. A few knocks have hurt his campaign, though, and there remains a sense that we haven’t seen the best of him since he arrived from Real Sociedad in the summer.

Xavi will hope there’s more to come – if only in a reserve role.

Forget centre-back, Christensen has done a decent job as a defensive midfielder since the turn of the year. With Romeu struggling, Xavi has used the Denmark international as a No.6, and while he’s not been excellent, he has eaten valuable minutes at the position. Job done, in that sense.

‘The Shark’ was in fine form during the first half of the season as he proved a regular contributor off the bench.

Injuries and inconsistencies have rather damaged his campaign, but he has surely done enough to prove that he is good enough to wear the famous Catalan colours again next term.

Has Father Time caught up with Lewandowski, or was he just going through a slump in form? Lewandowski appeared to be finished just a few months ago, but a recent turnaround in form – albeit when the Blaugrana have nothing to play for – has shown there might be some top-level football left for the Poland striker.

He has scored 24 goals in all competitions, which is a notable number, but he clearly isn’t the machine we saw at Bayern Munich for all those years.

Fermin didn’t seem likely to be around the Barca squad in June, but a series of impressive showings in pre-season – including a wonder-strike against Real Madrid – forced him into the picture.

He’s been solid over the course of the campaign, and has probably deserved more minutes in its closing months.

Raphinha started his season in miserable fashion, swinging an elbow at an opposing defender against Getafe on the opening day, and served a three-match ban as a result.

He has, however, steadily improved over the course of the campaign, and seems to have done enough to stick around – or at least raise a handsome fee by being sold this summer.

What a mixed campaign for Ter Stegen. The goalkeeper was poor before picking up a back injury during the first half of the season, was excellent in the weeks since returning, but has looked shaky again of late.

Fans seem to have turned on the German, but he remains in the upper echelon of ‘keepers in world football.

Gavi was enjoying perhaps his best season yet for Barca before suffering a season-ending ACL injury while playing for Spain in mid-November. Barca missed him immensely.

After a strong start to the season, Araujo’s form has tailed off. He’s made a few mistake, including a silly and costly red card against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

With the season gone, Xavi has kept his big Uruguayan on the bench , and so while he remains top-class on his day, he has been short of his usual high standards too often.

Kounde started the season as a centre-back, but it never really worked. Since moving back to right-back, where he was so good last year, he’s improved immensely.

Solid defensively, improving going forward, and calm on the ball, he has been the only real cool head in a chaotic Blaugrana backline.

If only Pedri could stay fit… The Spaniard is magic when he’s on the pitch, and certainly one of the best midfielders to watch in the world. His ball retention and dribbling ability in central areas are crucial, while he’s created chances aplenty for the frontline. Now it’s a question of keeping him on the pitch for more than a few weeks at a time…

After bursting into the line up over the winter, Cubarsi has asserted himself as the real deal at the heart of the Barca defence. A superb reader of the game who is capable of delivering delicious passes, he has already earned a first Spain call-up amid comparisons to Gerard Pique.

Barca have produced a long-term answer at centre-back in the teenager, it seems.

Gundogan was always going to be a reliable role player for Barca – a plug-and-play option in any of the Blaugrana’s four midfield spots. Most recently, he’s operated as a No.10 of sorts in a bid to try and unlock Lewandowski.

Gundogan has reached a career-high in assists, and seems to have a solid understanding with the Pole up front. A fine free signing.

De Jong’s covers every blade of grass without ever looking like he’s really running, and the Dutchman has been magic when fit. That, though is the problem.

Ankle issues have limited an otherwise wonderful campaign, and he would surely be considered one of the best in the world if he could piece together a full season.

Who else was it going to be? Barcelona’s season has been forgettable, but Yamal has produced a campaign to remember. The electric winger has turned in a handful of match-winning performances, and played himself into a starting spot for Spain at Euro 2024 despite being just 16.

La Masia has produced its newest gem, and those Lionel Messi comparisons are unlikely to go away any time soon.