Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Feyenoord: Season’s Main Mission Starts With Barca Rout

Barcelona started their mission to end an 11-year Champions League drought with a crushing 5–1 win over Feyenoord at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

It took Raphinha less than three minutes to score Barça’s first Champions League goal of the season, cutting inside with a clever feint that sent two defenders sliding out of frame before calmly tucking the ball into the bottom corner.

Karim Adeyemi doubled the lead with an equally-stellar goal, a curling strike from distance 22 minutes in to score on his European debut in Blaugrana. Hansi Flick’s side buried the dagger after the break when Pedri threaded a perfect pass for Raphinha to complete his brace just before the hour mark.

With the result already in the bag, Lamine Yamal refused to end the game without opening his European season account and buried his first career free-kick goal. Feyenoord got some consolation when Sem Steijn caught Jules Koundé napping at the back post and tapped in one back for the visitors, but that goal was erased three minutes later when Gabriel Jesus scored his first Barça goal with a subtle flicked header.

It was yet another dazzling showing from Barcelona, who have started the season playing like a team capable of winning it all and has the entire continent on alert.

The One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Pau Cubarsí had another dominant performance. | Geert Van Erven/AFP/Getty Images

Barcelona’s firepower up front has been the story of the season so far, but quietly, a heavily-questioned defense has been equally great. Flick’s leaky rearguard was exploited routinely a season ago and was deemed as one of, if not, the biggest reasons why Barça were eliminated from the Champions League.

Questions regarding Barcelona’s defense only intensified this summer when the Catalans opted not to sign any defensive reinforcements outside of making João Cancelo’s move permanent. Nevertheless, the same cast of characters that struggled as a unit in 2025–26 are now dominating early in the season.

Flick’s defense have conceded just three goals through five games in all competitions this season, and the nervy backline that looked in a constant state of urgency last year now looks comfortable and in full control. Clear chances were easy to create against Barcelona last term, but now, opponents have just 12 shots on goal combined against Flick's backline this season. Rivals rarely have the ball, and when they do, they have a hard time reaching dangerous areas in advantageous positions.

The addition of Rodri certainly helps as there’s no better player in the world at shielding the defense. But Pau Cubarsí has been sensational, looking like the player that was named the best young player of the World Cup. Andreas Christensen and Gerard Martín haven’t put a foot wrong, and the fullback consortium of Eric García, Xavi Espart, Cancelo have been very solid so far.

Had it not been for a singular Koundé mistake late in the game, Barcelona would’ve ended a horrid, record-setting 15-game Champions League run without keeping a clean sheet. The Catalans will be frustrated to see the mark extend to 16, but the defensive improvement is promising. It wouldn’t be shocking if the streak comes to an end sooner rather than later.

Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Feyenoord (4-3-2-1)

The world was introduced to captain Lamine Yamal. | Alex Caparros/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Joan García—6.5: Handled the one shot he faced with confidence, making himself big to stop a close-range strike. Another night where he didn’t have much work to do.

RB: Jules Koundé—6.5: It was Koundé’s best game in Barcelona colors in a long time, until it wasn’t. The Frenchman fell asleep for a second and allowed Steijn to calmly drift behind him to tap-in Feyenoord’s, costing his side the clean sheet. Unacceptable.

CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.3: Another very impressive showing from Cubarsí, who’s having a monstrous start of the term. His timing, positioning and open-field defending were flawless, and he’s playing with a confidence he lacked for long stretches a season ago.

CB: Andreas Christensen—7.1: Perfectly timed when to deploy the high line on more than one instance, which halted dangerous attacks. Continued his impressive start of the term.

LB: João Cancelo—8.7: First start of the season and Cancelo was all over the pitch, operating close to Olmo in possession on a number of occasions away from his left back position while also dealing with his defensive duties. Notched his first assist of the term.

DM: Rodri—7.6: His best Barça performance to date. The classy Spaniard was quick to sniff out any potential danger and commanding possessions from deep, slowing down the tempo to better organize his side.

DM: Pedri—7.9: The idea that Pedri can’t play alongside Rodri to shine continues to lose merit. Pedri is enjoying the freedom playing with his countryman grants him, and his assist for Barça’s third was a thing of beauty.

RW: Lamine Yamal—9.5: Electric start and after assisting Raphinha’s opener, he had a couple of highlight-reel dribbles that merited the loud applause he received. Crowned the night with the first free-kick goal of his career.

AM: Dani Olmo—7.4: A constant threat near the edge of the penalty area, but he wasn’t able to pounce on his chances. Incessantly fouled all game, and when he brought someone down himself in frustration, he earned a booking.

LW: Karim Adeyemi—7.7: Stunning goal to double Barça’s lead. You can tell he’s still building chemistry with a number of his teammates, but his ability to constantly stretch the backline opens plenty of space for others to exploit.

ST: Raphinha—9.2: His anticipation and nose for goals is simply worthy of the best center forwards in the world. The drop of the shoulder to send two players sliding out of his way before tucking in the opener was worth the ticket of admission. The movement for his second goal was brilliant as well.

SUB: Marc Bernal (63’ for Pedri)—6.3: Made a fine job at replicating the effort of the player he replaced, acing all 28 of his passes during his cameo.

SUB: Anthony Gordon (63’ for Adeyemi)—6.5: Created three chances during his stint on the pitch.

SUB: Fermín López (71’ for Raphinha)—6.3: Nearly scored a screamer from distance the goalkeeper barely got a hand to.

SUB: Gavi (83’ for Rodri)—N/A:

SUB: Gabriel Jesus (83’ for Olmo)—N/A

Subs not used: Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Dominik Livaković (GK), Alejandro Balde, Brian Fariñas, Gerard Martín, Xavi Espart, Hamza Abdelkarim.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Andreas Christensen (left) is making his case for a more prominent role. | Geert Van Erven/AFP/Getty Images

Andreas Christensen has been mostly an afterthought as he’s battled injuries over the past two seasons. But the Dane has delivered on the pitch for Barça whenever available—mostly in 2022–23—and he’s having a very impressive start of the season. He’s firmly challenging Gerard Martín for the starting spot at center back.
Barcelona control games with Pedri and Rodri slowing down the tempo in midfield, allowing the team to always be organized. But the hyperactive nature of Barcelona’s attack—led by Raphinha—doesn’t allow the side to spend long stretches without pressing the accelerator. Barcelona dominate possession but are also incredibly vertical and dynamic. It’s the perfect mix of classical and heavy metal.
Apart from his three goal involvements on the night, Lamine Yamal donned the captain’s armband for the very first time in his career. It was yet another milestone moment for the 19-year-old, who is now up to five goals this season and is playing like the best in the world.

The Numbers That Explain Barça’s Dream Champions League Debut

Karim Adeyemi scored in his Champions League debut for Barça. | Lluis Gene/AFP/Getty Images

The hosts had almost three quarters of the game’s possession and registered 24 shots to Feyenoord’s four.
Barcelona were ruthless in front of goal, scoring five goals despite crafting just three big chances.
Flick’s trademarked high line was brilliant on Wednesday, resulting in Feyenoord getting caught offside eight times.
Barcelona have now scored five goals in four of their games played so far this season.

Statistic	Barcelona	Feyenoord
Posession	72%	28%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.63	0.51
Total Shots	24	4
Shots on Target	9	2
Big Chances	3	2
Pass Accuracy	94%	83%
Fouls	10	12
Corners	4	1

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