Barcelona ratings: Every Blaugrana player's performance in the 2022-23 season - ranked

Barcelona needed to get rid of him from day one, and it took them a while. Eventually, the Dutch international was shipped off to Atletico Madrid in January after barely making an impact during a forgettable few months. The Blaugrana were better off without him.

The best thing Pique did this season was retire. The Barcelona legend was told by Xavi back in October that he wouldn't be a regular for the Blaugrana anymore, and Pique swiftly announced after that he would hang his boots up within a month.

It didn't make things too easy at the time; an injury to Araujo left Barcelona shorthanded for a few weeks. Still, Pique agreed to forgo a significant chunk of his wages, valuable cash that could now clear the way for the signing of Lionel Messi this summer.

Torres was a puzzling signing last winter, and he isn't looking any better now. The Spaniard has had his moments, including a braze against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, but the major memory from his campaign will be his entirely unnecessary wrestling match with Atletico defender Stefan Savic in January — one that earned him a straight red.

Xavi seems to like him, but it would be of little surprise if Barca listen to offers for the 23-year-old this summer.

A youngster full of potential, Torre enjoyed some good moments for the Blaugrana this season. A good hour against Valladolid showed promise, while he also bagged a goal in the Champions League.

Still, he perhaps could have done more with the time offered, and hasn't shown that he deserves regular minutes in a packed midfield and attacking corps.

Garcia was poor defensively at centre-back, but Xavi found a solution by using the Spaniard as a pivot as a backup to Sergio Busquets. It worked in short spells, but his lack of instincts off the ball cost Barca at times. It'll be interesting to see if he's still playing in Catalunya in a few months.

Roberto was never going to be a regular this season, but he filled in where necessary, and was handed a new contract for his efforts. Like a few others, Roberto mostly had to offer emergency minutes, or play cup games, assignments he dealt with rather comfortably. His influence as vice-captain also shouldn't be understated.

Xavi asked for his signing last summer, but could never decide quite what to do with Alonso. Used at both centre-back and left-back, the ex-Chelsea man wasn't a world-beater in either position.

Still, he offered valuable cover when the big names were out, and his versatility proved useful. Another year of that, and his manager will be more than pleased.

He was a regular for a few weeks, but Kessie lost his place in the XI when Xavi figured out his best midfield configuration. The former AC Milan midfielder seemed a good signing for his versatility and proved as such for stretches. However, he never seemed to gel with the rest of the Barca midfield.

Still, he has the quality to be more impactful next year.

Alba wasn't exactly bad this year; he was simply overtaken by someone ready to inherit his position. It became pretty clear early on that the club legend was going to lose his spot to Alejandro Balde, and Alba was gradually phased out of the side over the course of the season.

But he still enjoyed some good moments, and looked dangerous going forward at times. He will play somewhere else next year, but will leave the club with yet another trophy to his name.

A late-season flurry of goals turned around what had been a mixed campaign. This was perhaps always going to be a tricky one for the 21-year-old, who hasn't been fit for two years and had little guarantee of playing time.

And it proved to be at times, as Ansu often tried to do too much. However, he proved he can still grab a goal, and finished as Barca's second-highest scorer in La Liga. He seemed a certain sale a few weeks ago; now, the Blaugrana might just want to hold on to him.

Kounde, on the whole, can be considered a successful signing. He filled in at a position of need, improved over the course of the season, and developed a good understanding with first Ousmane Dembele and then Raphinha on the Barcelona right.

However, the France international is still very much not a right-back, and doesn't offer the attacking thrust needed for the position. Meanwhile, his brief showings at centre-back didn't exactly inspire confidence. He likely won't leave the club, and he's enjoyed a good year, but his future spot is uncertain.

Raphinha was a curious one. He cost a lot of money, and wasn't given a number on the day he was unveiled due to uncertainties over his registration. He took time to settle, too, struggling for minutes behind an in-form Dembele.

But when the first-choice winger picked up an inevitable injury, Raphinha proved to be a reliable replacement. He finished the season with double-digit goal contributions and was always a lively option on the ball.

Barcelona might need to sell him to fund what they hope will be a big summer. If he does go, he'll do so having made a big impact on a memorable season.

Left-back always looked like it could be a long-term problem for the Blaugrana, with Alba clearly ageing. Enter Balde. The La Masia product was a revelation this year for a Barca side that badly needed an injection of pace on the left.

He did just that, looking a lot like a young Alba, becoming one of the most promising players at his position in the process. The future is bright.

This time last year, Busquets looked well past his best. The legendary defensive midfielder endured a difficult 2021-22 campaign and was often scapegoated for Barcelona's midfield struggles.

The reality was far more complex, as Busquets showed with a classy 2022-23 season. His role was reduced to simply tackling and passing, with Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong doing most of the running around him. The result was a fine campaign to end a glittering Barcelona career.

Booed last year, but adored today. Xavi repeatedly insisted that Dembele could be world-class, and he showed glimpses this season. Dembele was excellent for the first few months of the season, assisting Robert Lewandowski regularly, while also finding form in front of goal.

An injury sustained in late January effectively ended his season, but the French winger proved that he can be amongst the best in the world when he's fit. More to come.

Christensen was a confusing signing, especially given his inconsistency at Chelsea the year before his arrival at Camp Nou. However, he turned out to be one of the best free-agent additions of the year, forming a formidable centre-half partnership with Ronald Araujo.

The Danish defender needed a few weeks to settle, but found his feet with relative ease, and was a consensus La Liga Team of the Season pick. Barca's best value-for-money signing was someone they didn't have to spend a penny to bring in.

Rival fans cannot stand Gavi. Barca supporters, though, love him. And it makes sense. Gavi is a pest, a relentlessly hard-working central midfielder who spends 90 minutes buzzing around and disrupting play.

But he doesn't get enough credit for his on-ball work. The reigning Golden Boy winner developed into a more creative presence this year, and started to pop up with a few goals, too. He's not Xavi, nor Iniesta, but his own entity, a captivating and irritating talent in his own right.

It took him long enough! De Jong was on the brink of being sold to Manchester United last summer, and very few Barcelona fans were upset by the news. But finally, De Jong showed in 2022-23 that he can be the midfielder that Barca spent big on four years ago.

Credit must be given to Xavi here, who set up his system to allow De Jong to do all of the things he does very well: pass, dribble and create. With Busquets tidying up behind him and Pedri making runs ahead, De Jong flourished.

Pedri has been burdened with Iniesta comparisons since he broke into the Barcelona team, and this year they might just have started to come to fruition. The midfielder was wonderful for long stretches of the season, carrying the ball with ease and also finding incisive passes to Lewandowski.

A couple of injuries at the end of the campaign stalled his progress. Still, he seems to get better with every game.

Barcelona badly needed a goalscorer, and so Lewandowski arriving from Bayern Munich was a match that made sense on paper, and ended up working in real life, too. The Pole was world-class from the outset, serving as the focal point of a direct Barca attack. And although he endured a rough patch in the spring, he still won the La Liga Pichichi as top scorer — despite a late charge from Karim Benzema.

Expect more of the same next year, especially if a certain Argentine joins him in the Barca attack.

Is there a better centre-back in the world at the moment? Araujo was the key to Barcelona's European-best defence this season, shepherding what appeared to be an awkward backline to one of the best defensive records in recent memory.

He was also excellent in his own right. Lethal in the air and ever-improving on the ball, Araujo became the all-round centre-back that many expected him to be a few years ago. He is perhaps also the only player who can claim to have shut down Vinicius Jr, too.

Ter Stegen's enjoyed a rebirth after posting a couple of poor seasons. He led La Liga in save percentage, and was also much-improved with his feet and sweeping ability, comfortably serving as an 11th player in possession.

The German was also reliable in one-on-ones, and ended the season tied for the La Liga clean sheet record in a single campaign. He was, in many ways, the key to Barcelona's success.