Barça have ended their five-match preseason without losing a match, and the squad is now fully back into rhythm, having also welcomed back some important players
Messi has broken his own record for preseason goals
The worst news was the serious injury suffered by Marc Muniesa in the first match
Minutes (goals)
Alves 303 (2)
Sergi Roberto 291
Mascherano 285
Alexis 276 (2)
Bartra 273
Messi 272 (5)
Afellay 264 (1)
Pinto 251
Adriano 216
Rafinha 202 (1)
Valdés 180
Busquets 166
Dos Santos 150
Xavi 138
Pedro 138
Cesc 120
Iniesta 120
Planas 120
Piqué 120
Montoya 114
Puyol 90
Ilie 86
Tello 84
Espinosa 75
Deulofeu 75 (2)
Jordi Alba 69
Balliu 66
Patri 66
Sergi Gómez 66 (1)
Lobato 66
Román 45
Gustavo 30
Femenía 30
Fontàs 27
Lombán 21
Oier 19
Villa 18
Muniesa 17
Bucharest was the venue for the last of FC Barcelona’s five preseason friendlies. The series has
ended with three wins, 2-1 in Hamburg, 8-0 against Raja Club Athletic and 2-0 at Dinamo, and
two draws, 2-2 in Paris and 0-0 with Manchester United. Good results and positive feelings,
with the team displaying many of the virtues that have brought so much success in recent
years, dominating the possession and generating constant pressure.
As ever, the most important thing about these matches was simply giving the players the
chance to get back into the routine of playing football. The first two matches involved a large
presence of reserves, who rose to the occasion in exceptional style. It was not until game three
against PSG that the Spain internationals were involved and Tito Vilanova could field a side
that resembles what will be his first eleven for the forthcoming season. Parc des Princes also
marked the return to action of Carles Puyol after an absence through injury.
The last stage of the preseason also saw Jordi Alba, the club’s new signing, make his first
appearances in a Barça shirt in the mini-tour of Sweden and Romania, while the second of
those two games, in Bucharest, also saw the long-awaited returns of both David Villa and
Andreu Fontàs, who have been sidelined for several months.
Messi sets new record
Leo Messi was the top Barça scorer in the preseason with five goals. That’s the Argentinian’s
best tally ever, and that was despite missing the first game with a minor injury. Dani Alves,
Deulofeu and Alexis all hit the target twice.
Alves was also the player who got the most minutes of playing time (303). He was followed by
Sergi Roberto (291), who was very active in midfield, Mascherano (285), Alexis (276) and
Bartra (273). The centre back has been one of the revelations of the preseason, displaying
security, elegance and the ability to bring the ball out of defence with remarkable
effectiveness.
Muniesa, the worst news
The returns of Puyol, Villa and Fontàs have been the high point of the preseason, but the worst
news was the serious injury suffered by Marc Muniesa. The defender tore cruciate ligaments in
his right knee in Hamburg and will now be out for about six months.