Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Villarreal: Electrifying Duo End the Year in Style

Barcelona emerged victorious away at Villarreal for a sixth straight match.

Lamine Yamal had the last laugh against Villarreal. / Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Barcelona confirmed their status as the best team in Spain and emphatically defeated Villarreal 2–0 to close out 2025 on a two-month domestic unbeaten run.

Raphinha silenced a vibrant Estadio de la Cerámica with a well-taken penalty 10 minutes into the game. The goal sent Barcelona on their way and things got much easier when a nasty Renato Veiga tackle forced the hosts to play the final 50 minutes of the match with 10 men.

Hansi Flick’s side dominated in the second half and Lamine Yamal’s seventh league goal of the term completed what was a stellar Barça performance that resulted in their eighth consecutive La Liga victory.

The reigning champions are back to their dominant best and will enter the new year comfortably atop the table, playing not only as the best team in Spain, but as one of the best teams in the world.

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

Raphinha (left) and Lamine Yamal scored against Villarreal. / Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Joan García—8.3: One of the best performances of his Barcelona career—and that’s saying something. He made a number of crucial saves and secured his sixth La Liga clean sheet of the season.

RB: Jules Koundé—7.6: The Frenchman completely nullified Alberto Moleiro with impressive ease. He was forced to leave the pitch in pain late in the game, staining what was an otherwise brillitant showing.

CB: Pau Cubarsí—7.2: Wasn’t really tested but delivered when called upon with a couple of vital interventions. Continues to show improvement after a difficult start of the season.

CB: Gerard Martín—7.4: It’s not an exaggeration to say Martín is currently Barcelona’s best defender. Stifled dangerous advances with poise and even ventured forward with intent on a number of occasions.

LB: Alejandro Balde—7.6: Got the best of the dangerous Tajon Buchanan and was at the heart of some of Barcelona’s most dangerous actions, especially in the second half. The dynamic left back has been sensational and a crucial part of Barcelona’s recent surge.

DM: Eric García—7.8: His performance will go under the radar but the Spaniard once again balanced Barcelona’s midfield almost single handedly.

DM: Frenkie de Jong—8.7: With Pedri unavailable through injury, De Jong returned and orchestrated every Barcelona possession. The Dutchman was everywhere and seemingly always made the right decision, bagging his first league assist since October.

RM: Lamine Yamal—9.2: The best player on the pitch—and it wasn’t particularly close. He scored to secure the win and Sergi Cardona will surely have nightmares after Yamal toyed with him all game.

AM: Fermín López—7.2: Wasn’t really able to shine with few spaces to exploit, but the lively attacking midfielder still had a few moments where his quality was on full display.

LM: Raphinha—8.8: The Brazilian had the freedom to roam all over the attack and should’ve had a couple of assists to go along with his goal in what was a very strong performance.

ST: Ferran Torres—7.0: Nowhere to be found in a rather inglorious performance. Exited the pitch after completing just six passes.

Substitutes	Rating (Out of 10)
Robert Lewandowski (62’ for Torres)	6.5
Marcus Rashford (63’ for López)	6.9
Marc Bernal (66’ for García)	6.4
Marc Casadó (79’ for Koundé)	6.3

Subs not used: Marc-André ter Stegen (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Dro Fernandez, Tommy Marques, Roony Bardghji.

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Villarrreal (4-4-2)

Starting XI: Luiz Júnior; Pau Navarro, Rafa Marin, Renato Veiga, Sergi Cardona; Tajon Buchanan, Santiago Comesaña, Daniel Parejo, Alberto Moleiro; Nicolas Pépé, Ayoze Pérez.

Subs used: Georges Mikautadze, Carlos Macia, Tani Oluwaseyi.

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Player of the Match: Lamine Yamal

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Villarreal 0–2 Barcelona—How It Unfolded at Estadio La Cerámica

Lamine Yamal was tightly marked at La Cerámic. / Manuel Queimadelos/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

A terrific start from Barcelona saw them overwhelm Villarreal in the opening exchanges. Intense and effective pressing helped Flick’s men generate dangerous turnovers and it didn’t take long for it to translate into the opener.

Santiago Comesaña brought down Raphinha with a clumsy challenge inside the penalty area, forcing match referee Javier Arbeloa to point to the spot. The Brazilian didn’t hesitate and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to give Barcelona the lead only 10 minutes into the match.

Villarreal grew into the game and threatened Joan García’s goal for much of the first half, but the goalkeeper stood tall and denied the hosts until the game completely changed in the 39th minute. Renato Veiga made an egregious tackle, nearly taking out Lamine Yamal’s ankle and promptly receiving a red card to leave the hosts undermanned just before the break.

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— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 21, 2025

The Catalans upped the pressure after the break, aiming to capitalize on their man advantage to finally put the game to bed. But Villarreal battled admirably, halting Barcelona’s advances and still managing to venture forward in search of an equalizer.

Barcelona’s insistence eventually paid off, however. Frenkie de Jong set up Yamal following a chaotic action inside the area and the teenager quickly fired a shot that flew between the legs of a defender and into the back of the net to double Barça’s lead just past the hour mark.

Barcelona completely dominated after extending their advantage, rarely giving away possession to a Villarreal side that started showing clear signs of exhaustion as the minutes ticked on.

On a day where many expected Barcelona to stumble, the reigning champions delivered and will enter 2026 carrying an eight-game winning run in La Liga, four points clear atop the standings.

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Villarreal vs. Barcelona Half-Time Stats

Statistic	Villarreal	Barcelona
Possession	25%	75%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.10	1.25
Total Shots	9	9
Shots on Target	2	3
Big Chances	2	2
Pass Accuracy	70%	89%
Fouls	5	6
Corners	4	4

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Villarreal vs. Barcelona Full Time Stats

Statistic	Villarreal	Barcelona
Possession	20%	80%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.76	2.48
Total Shots	14	19
Shots on Target	5	5
Big Chances	3	4
Pass Accuracy	69%	91%
Fouls	10	8
Corners	5	10

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