Alejandro Balde broke into the Barcelona first team last season and outperformed expectations to such a degree that the club was comfortable enough to allow their legendary left-back Jordi Alba to leave and hand the keys to the kingdom at the position to the young Spanish international.
But in his first season as a full-time starter at left-back, Balde has undoubtedly struggled to play consistent, high-level football. His role in Xavi Hernández’s system is very demanding and Balde is yet to fully develop into the two-way force his coach needs him to be, but his potential is undeniable.