Those were Hansi Flick’s words after winning the league in his first season as Barcelona manager. And if that sounds like the kind of thing said by a man already planning next year’s upgrades, it is. He’s seen promise. He’s seen progress. But now he wants polish.
The left wing is the biggest question mark.
Ansu Fati has long packed his bags. Ferran Torres still hasn’t convinced anyone outside his own family. And while Raphinha impressed on the left last season, there’s talk of him being moved inside as a No.10 or false nine to maximize space for Lamine Yamal on the right.
So the left flank? It's open season.
Barcelona fans are already split. The names flying around are big: Luis Díaz, Marcus Rashford, and Rafael Leao. Some say Díaz brings that dog and drive. Others back Leão’s flash and flair. Rashford still carries that United stardust.
But I didn’t come here to debate feelings. I came here to check the data.
I used Python, Pandas, and publicly available football datasets (from FBref and StatsBomb) to pull and compare advanced performance metrics from the last 365 days (league and European matches). I wanted hard evidence, not vibes.
I sorted, normalized, and ranked each player across six weighted categories using a scoring model. The goal? Identify who best fits Flick’s 4-2-3-1 positional system and Barcelona’s tactical DNA.
Let’s dig into the analysis.
📈Stats Abbreviation Guide 📊
You’ll see a few abbreviations in the sections below. Here’s a quick guide:
📊NPG: Non-Penalty Goals
📊npxG: Non-Penalty Expected Goals
📊xAG: Expected Assisted Goals
📊xA: Expected Assists
📊SCA: Shot-Creating Actions
📊GCA: Goal-Creating Actions
🔍 Methodology: How I Ranked Them 📊
The left winger in Flick’s system isn’t just an attacker. He’s a spatial manipulator. He must:
🔹Beat defenders in isolation (1v1s)🔹Make smart off-ball runs
🔹Add goal threat
🔹Link play between midfield and attack
🔹Press high up the pitch when needed
Here are the weighted categories I used:
1. Ball Carrying & 1v1 Threat (25%)
2. Goal Threat (20%)
3. Creative Output (20%)
4. Off-ball Movement & Spatial Intelligence (15%)
5. Defensive Work (10%)
6. Passing & Link-Up Play (10%)
Each player’s percentile ranks were turned into a score out of 100. The data was cleaned and standardized to verify trends and identify outliers.
1️⃣Ball Carrying & 1v1 Threat (25 pts max)🚀
1. Leao: 23/25 Explosive dribbler: 4.74 progressive carries, 2.83 successful take-ons (95th percentile), elite at gaining territory.
2. Díaz: 21/25 Vertical intent: 3.98 progressive carries, 2.17 take-ons, heavy involvement in final third.
3. Rashford: 17/25 More direct, but less effective in 1v1s. Take-on success rate around 30th percentile.
🏆 Winner: Rafael Leao 🇵🇹
2️⃣Goal Threat (20 pts max) 💥
1. Díaz: 17/20 0.48 non-penalty goals, 0.43 npxG/90. High shot quality (xG/shot in top 4%).
2. Leao: 15/20 0.32 NPG, reliable if not high volume. Shoots from good areas.
3. Rashford: 13/20 0.27 NPG, lower xG per shot. Tends to shoot from distance.
🏆 Winner: Luis Díaz 🇨🇴
3️⃣Creative Output (20 pts max) 💡:
1. Leao: 17/20 0.28 xAG, 1.96 key passes, 0.55 GCA. Good volume and intent.
2. Rashford: 16/20 Slightly lower xAG (0.27), but strong GCA numbers.
3. Díaz: 14/20 Involved in chance creation through movement, not final passes. 0.18 xAG.
🏆 Winner: Rafael Leao 🇵🇹
4️⃣Off-the-Ball Movement (15 pts max) 🧠
1. Díaz: 13/15 11.02 progressive passes received, high attacking box involvement.
2. Leao: 12/15 Great at ghosting between lines. Strong understanding of when to receive.
3. Rashford: 10/15 More static. Prefers to play in front of defences.
🏆 Winner: Luis Díaz 🇨🇴
5️⃣Defensive Work (10 pts max) 🛡️
1. Leao: 17/20 0.28 xAG, 1.96 key passes, 0.55 GCA. Good volume and intent.
2. Rashford: 16/20 Slightly lower xAG (0.27), but strong GCA numbers.
3. Díaz: 14/20 Involved in chance creation through movement, not final passes. 0.18 xAG.
🏆 Winner: Rafael Leao 🇵🇹
6️⃣ Passing & Link-Up (10 pts max) 🔁
1. Leao: 7/10 3.58 progressive passes, 74% pass completion. Sharp in tight zones.
2. Díaz: 6/10 Keeps it simple. Good short-passing stats.
3. Rashford: 5/10 Below-average progressive passing.
Only 11th percentile.
🏆 Winner: Rafael Leao 🇵🇹
📊 Final Scores (Out of 100) 🔥
🥈 Luis Díaz – 71/100
🥉 Marcus Rashford – 61/100
🧮 Career Club Stats (As of 2025) 📊
🔹Rafael Leao: 93 goals, 68 assists in 314 matches
🔹Luis Díaz: 105 goals, 52 assists in 421 matches
So far, Rashford ranks third in our overall data model, but it’s easy to understand why some fans still want him. In terms of career pedigree and legacy output, he leads the way. If Barcelona wants to bet on name value and proven moments, Rashford is right there.
But if we’re focusing on current form and tactical fit, the data says otherwise.
🔵🔴Why Leao Is the Right Choice for Barcelona 🇵🇹
Forget vibes. This was a numbers-first mission.
Flick needs a left winger who isolates, penetrates, and stretches the pitch. Leão ticks all the tactical boxes. He’s one of Europe’s top 1v1 wingers, excels in space creation, and offers elite output per touch. He’s not your defensive warrior, but he doesn’t have to be in this system.Luis Díaz is a more balanced option. If budget becomes an issue, he’s the next best choice.
Flick needs a left winger who isolates, penetrates, and stretches the pitch. Leão ticks all the tactical boxes. He’s one of Europe’s top 1v1 wingers, excels in space creation, and offers elite output per touch. He’s not your defensive warrior, but he doesn’t have to be in this system.
🟡 MSport Verdict: Rafael Leao is the perfect left winger for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.
